Dorie Greenspan's Earthy Coddled Eggs

Fine sea salt

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, plus more for the ramekins

2 tablespoons minced mixed herbs, such as chives, tarragon, parsley and/or dill

4 ounces cleaned, stemmed and trimmed mushrooms, mixed or all one kind

Freshly ground white pepper

2 teaspoons white balsamic vinegar or dry white wine

4 large organic (and/or local) eggs, at room temperature

4 teaspoons heavy cream

Toast points or batons ("soldiers"), lightly buttered, for serving

You'll need a steamer basket and individual 4- or 6-ounce ramekins or glass canning jars. If you plan to double or triple this recipe, use a larger vehicle for steaming.

Set up a steamer. If you have a Chinese bamboo steamer, that's great; you can even use a pasta pot that has a pasta-strainer insert. Ideally, you want a steamer with a flat bottom, so that you can rest 4 cups on it. If you don't have a steamer, you can set a cooling rack in a deep skillet with a lid.

Fill the steamer pot with salted water (leave space between the water and the steaming rack) and heat so the water is barely moving.

Use some butter to grease the insides of 4 souffle, ramekin, custard or other heatproof cups. The ideal size is 4 ounces (more for looks than anything else), but cups between 4 and 6 ounces will be fine. Lightly sprinkle the inside of the cups with some of the minced herbs.

Coarsely chop the mushrooms, making them the right size to eat from a teaspoon.

Melt the tablespoon of butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Once its bubbling has slowed, add the mushrooms. Season lightly with salt and pepper; cook until the mushrooms are almost tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the vinegar or wine and cook until it evaporates.

Transfer the mushrooms to a bowl and stir in some of the remaining herbs. You want to reserve a few pinches of herbs to top the eggs when they're cooked.

Divide the mushrooms among the cups. (If you'd like, you can hold back a few mushrooms to top the eggs.) Carefully break 1 egg into each cup, taking care to keep the yolk intact. Season lightly with salt and pepper, then spoon 1 teaspoon of cream over each egg. (Try to leave the yolk exposed, but it's not necessary. At this point, the cups can be covered and refrigerated up to overnight.)

Place the eggs in the steamer, cover and cook for 5 to 7 minutes. It's hard to give an exact time, because it will depend on how much steam you have beneath the eggs, the thickness of the cups and the temperature of the eggs. You want the whites to set and the yolks to remain runny, so test with the tip of knife after 5 minutes.

Carefully remove the cups from the steamer; top each egg with herbs and mushrooms, if you've saved some. Wipe the bottoms of the cups dry, place them on saucers and serve right away with the toast points or batons.

Makes 4 servings

Nutrition | Per serving (using white balsamic vinegar, without toast): 120 calories, 7 g protein, 2 g carbohydrates, 10 g fat, 5 g saturated fat, 200 mg cholesterol, 340 mg sodium, 0 g dietary fiber, 0 g sugar

From cookbook author Dorie Greenspan.