Little egg and ham pies

Simple food, 192pp.
by Jill Dupleix
Hardie Grant Books, Australia, 2002
Cooking on page 32–33

This is the first book in Jill Dupleix’s Simple food series. I own three or four of her books and really love her commonsense approach to cooking and use of fresh ingredients.

She’s all about quick marinades, clever dressings and simple techniques. I was delighted to find this recipe and its accompanying photo on pages 32–33.

Little egg and ham pies

Ingredients
1 tsp olive oil or butter
12 thin slices good quality ham
12 large free-range eggs
2 tbsp cream
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp roughly chopped parsley
4 tbsp freshly grated parmesan

Method
Heat the oven to 180°C/Gas 4. Lightly oil or butter a 12-hole muffin tray. Line the base and most of the sides of each mould with a slice of ham, then break an egg into the hollow. Drizzle with the cream, and scatter with sea salt, pepper, parsley and parmesan.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until the egg is just set and starting to shrink away from the sides of the tin. Leave to cool for 5 minutes, then run a knife around each mould to loosen the ham and egg, and remove to a wire tray. Eat warm or at room temperature.

Serves 12.

How it played out
This is standard breakfast fare for at least one morning of a Bloddy Girl weekend. For 13 years, a group of female friends have been having these boozy, food-focused, laugh-filled events in my house at Rosedale on Australia’s South Coast.

This recipe was first brought to us by Shirley. She may, or may not, have learned it from Jill Dupleix, but we’re all just glad she shared it with us. I can make this recipe with my eyes shut and, after having my fill of wine the night before, usually do.

Verdict
No idea how many times I’ve made this recipe over the last 10 or so years. It’s easy-to-make, always a hit and completely delicious. If you want to be really decadent, let everyone have two eggs instead of just one. We do!

One great thing about this recipe is that it’s easy to make it friendly for anyone who is lactose intolerant. Leave out the cream, and use pecorino cheese in place of Parmesan.

We embellish our breakfasts with sautéed mushrooms and onions, roasted tomatoes (with garlic and balsamic), bacon (sometimes) and toast.

Wish I could tell you more, but what happens at a Bloddy weekend, stays at Bloddies.