Soft Boiled Eggs in Comte Sauce

March is Nutrition Month, which perfectly aligns with the main ingredient in this meal – eggs! Eggs are so nutrient-dense and versatile, this dish of soft boiled eggs in Comte sauce is a great way to enjoy eggs as a main for lunch or dinner.

Disclaimer – Egg Farmers of Alberta have sponsored this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Paris

When we visited Paris this past December, we stopped in at a café for a quick bite before heading to see the Eiffel Tower. While the menu was quite extensive and there was lots to choose from, we got some suggestions from our server on what was the thing to try in France. We thought she would point out the escargot or the onion soup. I guess calling it French Onion soup seemed redundant here. She instead pointed out the poached egg with Spanish and Comte cheese.

What we were served was a dish with a pool of cheese sauce, topped with spinach and a breaded poached egg. The combination was incredible, especially when the egg was broken and the yolk pooled into the cheese sauce. It was so good, I was tempted to lick the plate. I knew that it was something I needed to recreate at home. It was simple but so decadent.

Back Home

When making this at home, I decided to just use Comte cheese for the sauce. Comte is a French cheese which is similar to Gruyere. It melts easily and it has a mild and nutty taste. I was happy to test this recipe for Eggs in Comte and perfect it for you.

For the egg, I opted to go with a soft boiled egg. It’s easy to make and can be made in advance, so you can always have it on hand when the craving arises.

I am a strong believer of having eggs anytime. They are nutrient-dense and so versatile. They are definitely not just for breakfast and this dish is one way to enjoy them for either lunch or dinner. In fact, this simple but sophisticated dish is a great option for a dinner party. With prices the way they are with food these days, eggs are an affordable protein for any meal. The eggs in Comte sauce is best served with your favourite bread so that you can use it to sop up the sauce and yolk and all that delicousness.

The Egg

Eggs are a great source of protein and contain many vitamins and minerals. One large Grade A egg contains 6 grams of protein! Just for that reason, I make sure that Z has eggs before his hockey games. Eggs contain all nine essential amino acids, which help build protein. This is important to build and repair body tissues and cells, maintain healthy muscles and help fight infections. Learn more about egg nutrition here.

I do love my eggs with yolk. Whether it be fried, poached or boiled, for me, the yolk has to be runny in the centre. Soft boiled eggs are super easy and are made in minutes.

To make the perfect soft boiled egg, you can bring a pot of water to a boil. Gently add the eggs into the water, add a lid and let boil for six minutes. After six minutes, add the eggs to an ice bath for a few minutes.

Another way that we have been making soft boiled eggs lately has been in the air fryer. Just preheat the air fryer to 300 degrees and then cook the egg for 10 minutes before putting it in an ice bath.

The Cheese Sauce

This cheese sauce is creamy and rich and oh so decadent. It starts with a base of flour and butter and comes together with heavy cream and grated Comte. The sauce is thick and luscious. Be warned, if you have no self control, you will be eating this by the spoonful, all by itself.

The Greens

The addition of sauteed spinach with garlic is a contrast to the rich sauce and adds another level of flavour to the dish. Simply prepared with a drizzle of oil, garlic and cooked until the spinach is melted. The greens top the sauce and makes a bed for the soft boiled egg.

Love Eggs?

Check out the other egg dishes on my blog here.

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