As you may know, Dr. Seuss’s 105th birthday is this coming Monday, March 2nd. I love so many of his stories, especially the ones with made up critters and words. But as a mom who loves to cook and is always trying to get her children to try new things, there is a special place in my heart for Green Eggs and Ham. We have had many Green Eggs and Ham moments of our own, with one or another of the children refusing to try something new. Then, after I spend much time cajoling, begging, and bribing, they try it and you can see a change come over them. “It’s not too bad!” or sometimes even "Yummy!" Yes!
I’d been thinking about a green egg recipe since watching Carla make a version on Top Chef, and this is the perfect occasion to make it. Obviously, I wanted to make something that my children would eat. I wanted to make something that we adults would like, too, so I didn't want to use food coloring. Instead, I decided to use pesto, a family favorite, and a green food that many children seem to love.
I decided to bake the eggs, essentially poaching them in the oven in pesto with a bit of cream and parmesan. The result was a tasty baked egg, crisp on the outside, with a soft yolk inside. Delicious!
The recipe is for one egg in an individual ramekin. Just multiply it to make as many as you need. I used some pesto that I had made in the summer and had in the freezer. You can make your own or use a jar of prepared pesto. You don’t need much for this recipe, so you should have plenty left over for another use. Obviously, we skipped the ham, but a side of veggie bacon would have been great.
Yes, we like them, Sam I am!
Green Eggs, No Ham
Makes 1 egg
5 minutes preparation time
5 minutes cooking time
Butter for the ramekin
2 teaspoons cream
1 teaspoon pesto
pinch of salt
1 egg
1 teaspoon parmesan
Set the oven to broil and butter a ramekin. In a small bowl, mix the cream, pesto, and salt. Pour the pesto mixture into the ramekin, set the ramekin on a cookie sheet (this makes it more stable in the oven and easier to remove), and put it under the broiler for 2 minutes. Remove the ramekin from the oven and gently break an egg into it. Sprinkle the parmesan on top and return it to the oven.
Cook the egg until the egg white firms up but the yolk is still soft, approximately 4 minutes. Remove the ramekin from the oven and let the egg rest for about a minute.
Because the ramekins are hot, if you are serving a child, I recommend turning the egg onto a plate. Just run a knife around the edge of the ramekin and the egg will slide out easily onto the serving plate.
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these sounds delicious!
Posted by: Amanda | March 02, 2010 at 09:32 AM
Yumm.. Gonna make these tonite for the toddler's dinner:-)
Thnxs for sharing it with us!
Posted by: Prerna | March 02, 2010 at 09:39 AM
Thanks, Amanda and Prerna, and welcome!
Posted by: Margy | March 02, 2010 at 09:41 PM