Eggs Baked in Avocado

Adapted from a Serious Eats Recipe

When I was looking for recipes for Mother’s Day and Miriam’s birthday, Miriam sent me this one. This turned out to be a fairly tricky recipe with several structural problems. Scooping out the right amount of space was very difficult. All of the eggs over flowed their avocado containers making a mess of the pan. The eggs also came out tough and leathery.

At the very least, I would recommend using only small eggs with this recipe. I would, also, keep a careful eye out towards the end of the cooking time. One suggestion Miriam made was that baking the avocado separately and then filling the hole with a poached egg might produce better results. Of course, it would not then be an “egg baked in an avocado.”

Note: Sometimes it is good to post attempts that, I cannot say, were a raging successes. At best, this is a good bad example.

Eggs Baked in Avocado

Ingredients

3 avocados
1 lime

6 eggs
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 Tbs. red bell pepper, finely diced

Directions

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat to 450°F.

2. Cut each avocado in half and remove the pit.

3. Remove the skin from each half and take a small slice from the side away from the cut side.

Tip: This helps keep the avocado level in the pan.

4. Scoop out the hole left by the pit until it is large enough to hold a whole egg.

Note: Serious Eats says about 1½ tablespoons.

5. Juice the lime and brush the juice all over the avocados.

Tip: This helps keep them from browning due to oxidation.

6. Lay some parchment paper over a lipped tray and arrange the avocado haves with the holes facing up.

7. Crack the eggs and pour one into the each of the prepared holes.

8. Season with salt, then place the baking sheet into the oven.

Tip: SE says, “Don’t worry if some of the white spills out as long as the yolk is intact.”

Note: I had placed each avocado on a small square of parchment paper. As a result, the overflowing egg spills tended to bake onto my tray. They were very hard to remove without damaging the pan. This is why I recommend using a large sheet of parchment paper.

9. Bake in the oven until whites are set and yolk is runny,

Note: SE says, “about 10 to 12 minutes.” Ten was too short and 12 was way too long.

10. Plate the eggs and garnish with the red bell pepper.