Make a spectacular impression with your Easter brunch table
1/2 pound (250 g) smoked salmon, cut into slices1/4 inch (6 mm) thick
Freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups (375 mL) heavy cream
12 sorrel leaves, stems removed
Kosher salt
8 large eggs
Toasted good-quality white bread, for serving
Coat the bottom and sides of eight 4-ounce (125-mL) ramekins with 1 teaspoon butter each. Place them on a tray and chill in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
Line the bottom and sides of each ramekin with the smoked salmon, distributing it evenly among the ramekins. Season the inside of each ramekin with some black pepper to taste. Spoon 1 tablespoon of the cream into the bottom of each ramekin. Return the ramekins to the tray and chill until ready to use.
About half an hour before you plan to serve the eggs, preheat the oven to 400 F (200 C).
Meanwhile, cut the sorrel leaves crosswise into julienne strips about 1/4 inch (6 mm) wide. In a nonreactive saute pan, melt all but 3 tablespoons of the remaining butter over medium-high heat; add the sorrel and saute for 1 minute. The leaves will melt into a puree. Stir in the remaining cream and simmer, stirring frequently, until the volume reduces by half, 5 to 7 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and keep warm.
Bring a saucepan or kettle of water to a boil.
Carefully break an egg into each ramekin. Place a sheet of parchment paper on the bottom of a deep baking pan large enough to hold the ramekins comfortably. Place the ramekins in the pan, evenly spaced. Cut eight squares of aluminum foil large enough to cover each ramekin and smear one side of each with the remaining butter. Cover each ramekin with the foil, buttered side down.
Slide out the middle rack of the oven partway and place the baking pan on the rack. Carefully pour the boiling water into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins; then, carefully slide the rack and pan into the oven and close the oven door.
Bake the eggs for 10 to 12 minutes until the whites are set but the yolks still look soft when you lift the foil on one.
Carefully slide the rack partway out of the oven and gently lift out the baking pan and remove each ramekin, placing it on a kitchen towel to absorb the moisture from its underside. Remove the foil, transfer the ramekins to serving plates, and carefully spoon the sorrel sauce around the edges inside each ramekin, surrounding but not completely concealing the yolks. Serve immediately, accompanied by toast.
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