Baked Artichokes with Coddled Eggs Niçoise

• 4 medium to large globe artichokes
• 25 g (1 oz) unsalted butter

Baking eggs inside vegetable shells is not a new idea but it does make for a rather dramatic presentation.

With a large, sharp knife, slice one third off the top of each artichoke. Pull off the outer leaves and discard them. Break the artichoke stems at the base, then trim about 5mm (¼in) from the base.

Use the butter to grease a flameproof casserole just large enough to hold th