Bed & Breakfast Ham-And-Egg Baskets

This is a clever way to serve ham and eggs for breakfast, and it's ideal for hostesses tired of the usual bacon-eggs-tomato flat on a plate! Serve with lots of toast or with fresh buns. Even at breakfast the little pies look best if dressed up with sliced lettuce or a tiny salad, on which you have sprinkled a little vinaigrette.

• Ready In: 40 mins
• Serves: 6
• Yields: 12 pies

Ingredients

• 12  jumbo eggs (jumbo-size, preferably free-range)
• 12  slices ham (the large round cuts work best)
• 12  grape tomatoes, red-ripe (or use cherry tomatoes)
• 4  tablespoons flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
• 6  tablespoons parmesan cheese, finely grated (Pecorino is an alternative)
•  flaky sea salt (like Maldon or Fleur de Sel)
•  white pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 deg F/180 deg Celsius.
2. Use a 12-hole muffin pan (the ordinary size) and butter the hollows well.
3. Line the hollows with the ham slices, pressing them in carefully. The ham slices should be large enough so they poke out above the hollows.
4. Break an egg into each hollow, then cut each small tomato in two, and put on top of each egg.
5. Mix the parsley and cheese and divide among the "pies", sprinkle each very lightly with a few flakes of salt each, and finish off with a light sprinkle of white pepper.
6. Bake for 18 - 20 minutes -- the egg white might run into the muffin hollow, but no matter. You might have to check yourself whether the eggs are done by poking carefully with a fork to see if the whites are set.
7. Let rest just a minute or so.
8. Run a silicone spatula around the sides to loosen carefully, and remove to heated plates.
9. Serve two "pies" per person, garnished, and served with toast or fresh breakfast buns.