There was a bit of nose-thumbing involved in the development of this recipe. It also made for yet another fantastic way to put the Sun-dried Tomato Jam to use. A recipe video featuring an egg baked into a pitted avocado half made the rounds on social media a couple of years ago, and while it was touted as “a champion’s breakfast” and looked great in theory, it was a mess in practice. You either had to scoop out most of the avocado, or lose most of the egg white. It’s hardly Sophie’s Choice, we know, but it was aggravating nonetheless. Not ones to be deterred, we broke out a soup crock and started playing around with the ingredients. The end result is this ridiculously easy, versatile breakfast or brunch dish that is both delicious and beautiful, if we do say so ourselves.
Layers of creamy avocado, sweet and tangy Sun-dried Tomato Jam, and rich, pungent Gorgonzola are baked with a perfectly runny egg on top. What better way to start your day? These lovely little ramekins are powerhouses of flavor.
As for the versatility of this recipe, that applies to both the ingredients and the cooking method. If you don’t have any Gorgonzola on hand, use whatever crumbly cheese you do have – Feta, goat cheese, regular bleu, cotija, or even just a strong shredded cheddar. No tomato jam? First of all, just go make it. You’ll thank us later. Secondly, in a pinch, you can use sliced sun-dried tomatoes with a little onion powder and dried herbs.
For the purposes of the blog, we wanted a more sophisticated cooking method that would also allow for single serving sizes, because as we’ve mentioned before, we faincy. Enter The Kitchn’s guide to cooking eggs “en cocotte”. Placing the ramekins in a water bath in the oven allowed for an even, gentle bake that resulted in a creamy white and a silky yolk.
While their suggested cooking time of 12-15 minutes failed to cook the whites thoroughly, it did serve as a good “check in” point for the dish. Have a peek at them at the 12 minute mark and if they’re not done to your liking, continue baking them, checking every few minutes until you are satisfied. We found that it took a full 20 minutes to yield a fully cooked egg white with a golden, runny yolk. Perfection.
Another option is to layer all of the ingredients in a baking dish, use the back of a serving spoon to gently press a shallow divot into the top of each “portion” and top it with a carefully cracked egg. Bake it the old fashioned way (sans water bath), again checking in after 12-15 minutes
Some ovens are just uncooperative when it comes to properly baked eggs (been there), so feel free to bake the layered avocado, jam and cheese by itself, then top each portion with a fried or poached egg instead. The results will be just as spectacular. An 8X8 dish will yield four servings, while a 9X13 pan will yield 6-8 servings for a quick, family-style breakfast. As long as you already have the jam on hand, you can have this on the table in under 30 minutes, and most of that is baking time.
Simple, delicious, adaptable, gluten free and lovely to behold, this is sure to become a staple on the weekends and on those weekday mornings when you want to steer away from the same old breakfast options. Serve it with a slice (or two) of toasted gluten free bread and treat yourself to something special without sacrificing precious time. Enjoy! (And go make that jam.)
P.S. Take that, you silly baked avocado/egg wannabe. Nose = Thumbed.
Baked Egg Technique inspired by The Kitchn.
- Butter, oil, or cooking spray
- 2 avocados, halved, pitted, and sliced lengthwise
- ¼ cup Sun-Dried Tomato Jam (you can use sliced sundried tomatoes in place of this, but seriously, make the Sun-Dried Tomato Jam. How many times do we have to say it?)
- ¼ cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
- 6 eggs
- Salt and Pepper
- Preheat oven to 375℉. Line a baking pan with a kitchen towel and set aside.
- Grease 6 ramekins with butter, oil, or cooking spray.
- Evenly divide the avocado among the ramekins, mashing it down with a fork to fit into the bottom of the ramekin if necessary.
- Evenly divide the tomato jam and crumbled gorgonzola cheese among the ramekins, then crack an egg into each ramekin. Season with salt and pepper.
- Place ramekins in the baking pan and fill the pan with warm water until it reaches halfway up the ramekins.
- Bake until whites have set, but the egg yolks remain runny, about 15 to 18 minutes.
- Carefully remove ramekins from water bath and serve immediately.
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