Baked Eggs in Prosciutto Cups

Since my day job finds me in the final throes of Sunday's graduation preparations, I'm going back to the Muffin Tin Chef for a little assistance with tonight's post.

This one looked simple and simply delicious so I thought I'd give it a whirl.  Don't know if you're as big a fan as I am of breakfast for dinner, but this variation on bacon and eggs is definitely worth trying.

Baked Eggs in Prosciutto Cups
Morning Glories: Breakfast & Brunch
Page 14, Muffin Tin Chef

12 thin slices prosciutto
2 tbsp grainy mustard or Dijon mustard
1/4 cup finely chopped basil
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese (about 1 oz)
6 large eggs
chopped fresh chives, for garnish
salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Grease 6 medium muffin cups with oil or butter and line each with 2 slices of prosciutto, enough to cover the bottom and sides completely.

Because the prosciutto slices were long, I folded mine

them in half so ended up with four layers per cup.

Spread mustard on the bottom of the prosciutto-lined cups, and top with basil and cheese.  Press down lightly on the cheese to make room for the eggs.

Couldn't find any fresh basil, so used a basil paste,

it may not be fresh, but it smells amazing.

I forgot to pick up a block of Parm at the store to

hand grate so used the shaker kind and found I
didn't need to press down the cheese to make room.

Carefully crack an egg into each prosciutto cup.  Season the tops of the eggs with salt and pepper.

Place the muffin tray on a baking sheet to catch any egg overflow.

Bake until the egg whites are set but the yolks are still slightly runny, about 17 minutes.

Let cool for 5 minutes before unmolding.  Garnish with fresh chives.  Serves 3.

NOTES

Author's Note:  "Prosciutto is a thinly sliced cured ham originally from Italy and a wonderful alternative to bacon in this recipe.  Unlike most muffin tin creations, these don't make good leftovers, so only prepare what you can eat at once.  They can also anchor a dinner mean.  Serve with a crusty bread for dipping into the runny yolks."

In case you missed it Sunday, this recipe is from Muffin Tin Chef by Matt Kadey (Ulysses Press, 2012, ISBN 987-1-61243-052-2).

This is the paste I used, see it even claims "chopped fresh" so it kind of counts. Did I mention it smells great?