Recipe Serves 4-6
I discovered these elegant and delicious little “pies” at Foster’s Market when my children were students in Chapel Hill, N.C. Sara Foster, the market’s owner, said she had many customers who regularly stopped to pick up these crustless morsels on their way to work.
A healthy alternative to muffins and donuts, I have found these appetizing little bundles to be the perfect thing to have on hand around the holidays. With major lapses in time between the earliest and latest risers, we rarely try to gather everyone around the table for breakfast. However, I do like to set things out on the counter for morning grazers.
Prosciutto forms the outside of these pies, but you can easily leave it off for vegetarians. Instead, layer whole spinach leaves around the inside of the muffin tins to hold the other ingredients in place.
Ingredients
6 thin slices prosciutto
6 large eggs
1 cup loosely packed spinach, roughly chopped
¼ cup shredded Cheddar cheese
12 grape tomatoes, halved
Salt and pepper
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350º F. Lightly grease a 6 cup muffin tin with olive oil.
- Line the muffin cups with the prosciutto slices, pressing the prosciutto into the bottom and sides of each cup. The slices will overlap each other on top of the tin.
- Crack one egg into each cup. Sprinkle spinach over the eggs, then the Cheddar cheese, dividing them evenly.
- Top each serving with 4 tomato halves and season with salt and pepper.
- Bake the pies for 15 to 18 minutes, until the egg whites are firm and the yolks are starting to set, but are still soft in the center. Set them aside to cool for about 5 minutes.
- Run a knife around the edges of each cup to loosen, then lift the pies out of the tin. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Resources: Sara Foster’s Casual Cooking (Foster, Sara, 2007)