Eggs on a Dish with Bacon

Ranhofer assumes you know the œufs sur le plat method: a shallow ovenproof dish, butter, and just enough heat to set the whites while the yolks stay liquid. Everything else here is timing.

• The hingeThe brief moment on direct heat is only to set the film of white on the bottom of the dish so it does not weep. Ranhofer says only "an instant" — a matter of seconds; if the white begins to turn opaque and firm on the stove, the yolks are likely to be hard by the time the dish leaves the oven.
• The dish"The plat" is a shallow eared gratin dish or small cast-iron pan, not a baking dish with sides. It should be barely larger than the eggs so the whites do not spread thin and overcook. The dish goes to the table, so choose accordingly.
• Oven heatThe recipe specifies no oven temperature. A moderate oven, in the region of 350F, for a few minutes should give set whites and soft yolks; a fierce oven risks toughening the edges of the whites before the centre coagulates.
• Petit saléIn French usage petit salé is lightly salt-cured pork, usually belly. Ranhofer glosses it as broiled smoked bacon, so ordinary sliced bacon is the intended article; cook it separately until crisp and drain it before ringing the dish.
• SeasoningSeason the whites, not the yolks — salt sitting on a yolk mottles it with pale spots. The recipe says only "season"; white pepper is the usual choice where black flecks would show.
• ButterButter the dish generously and let it be soft rather than melted and sizzling. Browned butter under the eggs will read as scorched once the dish sits at the table.
• YieldNo quantity is given; two eggs per dish, one dish per person, is the usual serving, as a first course or breakfast plate. The eggs continue to cook in the hot dish after it leaves the oven, so send it out a touch underdone.