If you're on Pinterest you would have seen, at some point, images of baked avocado and eggs.
While the idea of avocado baked eggs sounded interesting, intriguing even, the thought of a simple mix of avocado and egg sounded, quite frankly, not that exciting! I also wasn't sure about the idea of cooked avocado. So, after a bit of tinkering and the addition of crème fraîche and herbs my avocado egg bake was a revelation.
The inspiration was oeufs en cocotte using the avocado in place of a ramekin, I guess, making oeufs en avocat, and adding a few herbs. I also added a naughty, but delicious, sprinkling of grated cheese.
The trick with this dish is to use large avocados (very large) AND to hollow out a bit of room in the avocado to accommodate the egg and crème fraîche. Hollow out more than you think you will need and don't even think about attempting this with a small avocado! You'll end up with a mess. Trust me!! Let's just say I learned from experience!!
Bake the avocado inside ramekins as you will be baking them in a water bath. You also want the avocados to be a tight fit in the ramekin so they don't topple over and lose their filling. If you don't have ramekins carefully wrap the avocado, before adding the filling, with foil to make a stand so that the avocados will be steady and safe from the water in the water bath.
Serve with toast soldiers or steamed asparagus spears.
Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 very large avocados halved and stone removed
- 4 tbs crème fraîche or double cream
- 3 leaves sprigs of thyme picked
- 2 tsp parsley chopped
- salt and pepper
- 4 eggs
- ¼ cup grated cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180 celsius (350 Fahrenheit) and boil the kettle.
- Scoop out roughly ⅓ of the flesh of the avocado (reserve to use in another recipe, such as my chickpea pancakes with avocado). Place the avocados inside the ramekins and ensure they fit tightly so that they won't topple over and spill the filling everywhere. Alternatively, wrap the avocado base well in foil, making a stand to keep the avocado steady and out of the water.
- Combine the crème fraîche, thyme, parsley and salt and pepper in a bowl and stir well to combine. Divide half the mixture between the avocados. Carefully crack an egg into each of the avocados. Top with the remaining crème fraîche and grated cheese.
- Place the ramekins inside a large roasting tray and place on the shelf in the oven and add the boiling water from the kettle so that the water comes up to half the height of the ramekins. Bake for 15 minutes and serve immediately with toast soldiers or steamed asparagus spears.
Mary says
Love love love oeufs en cocotte. It's my guilty sunday treat. Can't wait to try this.
Maureen | Orgasmic Chef says
I love baked eggs but in an avocado sounds brilliant! Very clever indeed!
Laura (Tutti Dolci) says
Wonderful savory breakfast idea!
Melissa says
This looks great. I love poached eggs with avocado, so this really is two of my favourites at once! I have had avocado with a spoonful of hommus, topped with grated cheese and baked before, and that was delicious. Must give it a try for breakfast this weekend.
Nicole says
The avocado with hummus sounds great Melissa. Thanks for sharing 😀
Jen @ Savory Simple says
This sounds seriously amazing!
Kulsum says
ah, I have seen this around but like you cooked avocado never appealed to me but now that you say it's good - I certainly giving it a go!
GourmetGetaways says
WOW!!What a clever idea they look so delicious!I would love one of these instead of dinner 🙂
Amanda (@lambsearshoney) says
What a delicious and sophisticated sounding breakfast for guests. I especially like the idea that the avocado isn't really cooked, but rather warmed.
Peter @Feed Your Soul Too says
Saw this pic on Culinote and had to come by to see the recipe. Looks really good and need to add it to my bucket list of things to try.
Charlotte Rolt says
I made this as a starter for my husband and i a couple of nights ago and it really was delicious! The egg stayed nice and runny so you could dip some crusty bread into it. The avocado was warm and creamy and I'd definitely go for the addition of cheese. Hubbie was a happy man!
Nicole says
Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment Charlotte 😀 I'm so glad you and your husband enjoyed it.