Eggs a la Suisse

A gentle stovetop dish rather than an omelet, despite the pan: four eggs poached flat in buttered cream and finished with cheese. The whole thing takes under ten minutes, and low heat is the only real technique involved.

• Keep the heat lowThe cream must never do more than tremble. At a boil it separates into greasy curds and the whites turn rubbery before the yolks warm through. Set the burner low from the moment the cream goes in.
• Pan sizeThe recipe says only "a small omelet pan." Something in the region of 8 inches would hold four eggs side by side in one layer without touching. In a crowded pan the whites fuse and cannot be lifted out whole.
• The creamHeavy cream is the safer choice, as thinner creams are likelier to break if the pan gets too hot. Half a cup is about 120 ml, enough to come partway up the eggs, not cover them.
• The cheeseThe recipe does not say which cheese. The "Suisse" title points to an Alpine cheese such as Gruyere or Emmental, both of which melt smoothly into cream; aged Parmesan works but gives a saltier, less stringy result. Two tablespoons is a light dusting, not a blanket.
• DonenessCook until the whites are set and opaque and the yolks still liquid, about 4 to 6 minutes over low heat. Cover the pan for the last minute if the tops of the whites are lagging behind the bottoms.
• Lifting the eggs outA wide slotted spatula, slid under two eggs at a time, keeps them intact. Have the buttered toast cut and waiting; the eggs continue to firm up as they sit.
• Straining the creamThe instruction to strain catches any wisps of set white and cheese so the sauce pours clean. Skip it and the dish still works, but the toast looks scrappier.
• YieldTwo servings of two eggs each, or four as a first course on smaller toasts.