One of the dishes I made with Sara Moulton last week was eggs baked in ham. This is a great breakfast or lunch concept that you can make in endless flavor combinations. The basic idea is that you line the well of a muffin tin or a mini souffle ramekin (the size that holds a half of a cup) with a piece of ham that is then filled with a vegetable and topped with an egg. The result is a perfect little package of scrumptiousness. This is a great idea if you are hosting a brunch for a group of people because you can make twelve at once in your muffin tin. Sara's recipe was for eggs baked with Sofrito which is a Latin American mixture of tomatoes, red bell pepper, onion, garlic and cilantro. I really liked her version, but I decided to try the eggs another way at home. I started by sauteeing spinach with a little diced shallot in olive oil. I put the spinach/shallot mixture in a bowl and added a few tablespoons of ricotta cheese and some shredded mozzarella and parmesan. I then filled my ham cup with the spinach mixture (don't overfill or your egg won't fit!) and cracked an egg on top and sprinkled the egg with more of the cheese. The result was fantastic! It was a little bit like an eggs benedict on creamed spinach. A cautionary tip for making this is to use a non-stick muffin tin if possible so the ham cup is easy to remove, or else spray your tin with cooking spray. I would also babysit the eggs while they are baking the first time you make this because it is very easy to overcook the eggs. I pulled the eggs out of the oven a few times to inspect them to make sure that the white was set.
Here is Sara's recipe:
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Eggs Baked in Ham with Sofrito Ingredients: 1/2 large red bell pepper, coarsely chopped 1 small onion, coarsely chopped 1 large plum tomato, coarsely chopped 1/2 cup packed, rinsed and dried fresh cilantro leaves 4 garlic cloves, peeled 8 thin slices of Black Forest ham 8 eggs 1/2 cup shredded pepper jack cheese crushed tortilla chips for garnish kosher salt and black pepper Instructions: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Combine the bell pepper, onion, garlic, tomato, cilantro, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper in a food processor until smooth. It should look like salsa. Fit a slice of ham into each of the lightly oiled or sprayed muffin cups or mini souffle dishes (they must be able to hold about 1/2 cup) with the ends of the ham extending over the edges of the cups. Divide the sofrito among the cups, shaping a well in the center. Crack one egg into each well. Sprinkle each egg with a little salt and pepper and cheese. Bake in the center of the oven for approximately 15 minutes or until the whites of the eggs are set but the yolks are still runny. Carefully remove the eggs and ham from the muffin tin with a knife, spoon or small spatula. You may also be able to lift them out with your hands. Sprinkle with crushed tortilla chips and serve. Serves 4
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Recipe courtesy of Sara Moulton
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