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So, hear me out: the best baked eggs are made without baking. When testing these recipes, I found that simply adding a lid produces a humid atmosphere to cook the top of the eggs, delivering a gently cooked delicately prepared egg with firm whites and flowing center. The intense, dry heat of the oven proves harsher compared to steaming, typically causing to dehydrate ingredients resulting in firm yolks. Here are two sauce options as inspiration, though feel free to experiment. Option one involves a straightforward golden coconut sauce, while the merguez ragu is a riff on eggs in purgatory, essentially, eggs baked in spicy tomato sauce.

Turmeric Coconut Curry Baked Eggs (pictured above)

Prep A quick 10 minutes
Cook 55 minutes
Serves Two servings

Olive oil
1 onion, trimmed and minced
Fine sea salt
Two garlic cloves, minced garlic
10g fresh ginger, minced ginger
Golden spice
Cumin seeds
6-8 curry leaves
Coconut milk
Chickpeas
A few basil leaves, and additional for topping
Four eggs
2 green finger chillies, julienned, as garnish

Set a 25cm heavy cast-iron pot over medium-high flame. Add a shot of olive oil, incorporate onions and a pinch of salt, fry until softened. Incorporate aromatics and spices, leave to sizzle, stirring occasionally for a few minutes, pour in creamy liquid including chickpea can contents. Heat until boiling, then turn down to a simmer, allow to cook slowly about 35 minutes, until thick and golden. Add salt to taste, incorporate basil.

Use the back of a spoon making four indentations within the sauce, then crack an egg into each. Dust each egg with a little salt, then cover the pan with a lid, simmer over low heat for two to three minutes, until the whites are set with yolks still runny. Remove from heat, top with fresh herbs and thinly sliced finger chillies, and serve.

Merguez Ragu with Tangy Peppers Steamed Eggs

Prep 10 min
Cooking time 45 minutes
Serves 2

Olive oil
2 merguez-style lamb sausages
Harissa paste
Toasted cumin
2 garlic cloves, minced garlic
Tomato base
Salt
Four eggs
Tangy peppers, diced
Fresh parsley, diced
Creamy yogurt
Fresh lemon, cut into wedges, as garnish

Heat a skillet at moderate temperature. Drizzle olive oil once hot, remove the skins from the sausages and pinch small amounts adding to pan, like mini balls. Reduce heat, cook until golden, releasing flavorful oils. Move sausage pieces during cooking, for even browning.

Once browned, add the harissa, cumin seeds and sliced garlic into the skillet, turn up the heat to medium and cook, stirring, for several minutes, until aromatic, and the garlic has lost its raw edge. Add tomatoes, salt to taste and bring to a simmer. Lower to gentle simmer and simmer slowly for twenty minutes. Sauce will thicken, intensify in color, while the oils split and rise to the top.

Use the back of a spoon making indentations within sauce, break eggs in. Dust with salt with salt, place lid on pan. Simmer briefly over a low heat, until whites firm and the yolks just warm.

Remove from heat, finish with chopped pickled peppers, parsley, a blob of yoghurt, and a drizzle of oil, accompanied by lemon.