Baked Eggs and Ham Cups

Since my sister usually cooks our Christmas dinner, I have everyone over to my house for breakfast.  Growing up, Christmas breakfast usually consisted of Eggs Benedict with grits and a side of bacon.  My sister and I love bacon and the Canadian bacon on the English muffin was never enough.

While I love Eggs Benedict, I always seem to have the urge to branch out and try something new for Christmas morning.  My mom and sister do not like sweet things like pancakes or french toast for breakfast – the items that I tend to experiment with the most at home – so I have to get especially creative with more savory-type dishes.  This year’s experiment was one that I will eagerly try again soon and had to share here.

To get inspiration for my breakfast menu, I pulled out one of my favorite cook books: Gale Gand’s Brunch! I knew exactly what to try before even cracking it open.  The cover of the cookbook had these eggs in what looks like crispy wonderful cups of bacon.  It was the cover that made me pick up the cookbook in the store, and I never had the opportunity to try that featured recipe.  Until Christmas morning.

sadly, this does not even do it justice...

Essentially, you buy a few slices of ham – one that is four or five inches in diameter – and place them in greased muffin tins.  Put a small amount of pesto in the bottom of each cup, crack two eggs into each cup.  Then put a cherry tomato (or another small variety), and a small piece of mozzarella cheese.  I added another small amount of pesto at this point, but I also happen to love pesto.  Then you make it for about 20 minutes or until the whites look like they are set. Carefully pull them out of the muffin tins and place them on a plate to serve.

Seriously amazing and pretty easy to make, as long as your niece doesn’t decide she wants to pull the ham out of the tin as a snack right before you are about to put them in the oven…egg everywhere, start over.  Thanks Stella, you’re lucky you’re too cute to be mad at for more than two seconds.

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