Eggs en Cocotte with Salsa Rustica

Preparation

Step 1
Preheat oven to 325°  F. Coat inside of four soufflé cups with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Step 2
Crack an egg into each cup and place all four cups in preheated oven for 8-10 minutes until whites have been cooked but yolks are still runny. While eggs cook, sprinkle baguette with salt and pepper and brush with olive oil.

Step 3
Place in oven to bake for 5-10 minutes or until light golden-brown.

Step 4
Soak capers in warm water to dilute excess salt. Clean all produce. Trim spring onions. Wash and spin parsley and thyme. Snap each asparagus and save stems for later use. Dice the spring onion and soak in red wine vinegar. Set aside.

Step 5
Remove shell from hardboiled egg and pass through a sieve. Put aside for later.

Step 6
Chop parsley and thyme leaves together and combine with half of the olive oil. Rinse capers and taste. If capers are still salty, rinse another time with warm water. Squeeze out excess liquid and finely chop. Blanch asparagus in large pot of water in batches and cool on large sheet pans to room temperature.

Step 7
Heat medium sauté pan and cook bacon. Drain, reserving rendered fat.

Step 8
Combine capers, hard-boiled egg, bacon and bacon fat with parsley and thyme mixture. Toss asparagus with salt and olive oil. Place asparagus on plate. Top with a baguette slice.

Step 9
Remove egg from soufflé cup by sliding a knife around the edge, careful not to break the egg. Slide egg out of cup onto baguette. Top with a generous spoonful of salsa.