Sunday, May 12, 2013

Guacamole-Style Baked Avocados with Eggs



The avocado—creamy, rich, decadent—and lucky for me, healthy. The fat in avocados is the good kind, so I eat them often, in guacamole (of course), in salads, on sandwiches, and sometimes just on their own, sprinkled with a little lemon or lime juice, kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper.

My good friend, Penny, recently shared a baked avocado recipe with me, and it’s been on my mind ever since. That recipe included bacon, but I top mine with my favorite guacamole ingredients instead.

I wondered how baking the avocado may compromise the integrity of its texture, so here’s what I did. I kept my avocados in the refrigerator until I was ready to bake them. I also used room temperature eggs, figuring they would take less time to set. I think this technique works deliciously well. I hope you agree.

Guacamole-Style Baked Avocados with Eggs

Ripe avocados, chilled
Fresh lime juice
Kosher salt
Freshly cracked black pepper
Eggs, room temperature
Fresh tomatoes, finely chopped
Jalapeno peppers, minced
Purple onions, minced
Minced garlic (optional)
Chopped fresh cilantro

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Slice avocados, and remove pits. Slice a thin layer off the bottom of each half so that avocados remain stable, and place in a baking dish. Depending on the size of your avocados and eggs, it may be necessary to scoop out a little avocado flesh.

Squeeze lime juice over avocado halves, and sprinkle with a little salt and pepper. Fill each avocado half with an egg—don’t worry if your egg whites run over a bit. Add a little more salt and pepper over each egg.

Bake for about 10 minutes until egg whites are set but yolks are still soft (I actually prefer mine runny). Remove from oven, and add toppings. Serve with your favorite bread or tortilla chips.