Photo by Nicole Sipe |
For this savory egg pie recipe, you can experiment with substituting your favorite (or most plentiful) ingredients. Try diced potatoes or thick slices of zucchini or summer squash in place of the asparagus; sausage or smoked turkey breast in place of the ham; thyme or basil instead of the dill; and white cheddar or Gruyere in place of the smoked Gouda.
Yield: 7 to 9 servings
Ingredients
- 1-pound package puff pastry, thawed according to package directions
- 1¼ cups finely diced onions
- 1½ T. olive oil
- 1/2 tsp. salt, divided
- 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper, divided
- 2 cups 1-inch asparagus pieces
- 2 T. minced fresh dill leaves, divided
- 1 cup diced ham
- 9 eggs
- 1 cup shredded smoked Gouda cheese
Preparation
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
If puff pastry is in one piece, cut it into two. Working on lightly floured surface, roll out one piece of pastry to 12- by 12-inch square. Lay it in 8- or 9-inch square baking dish, draping excess over edges of dish.
Mix together onions, olive oil and 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Spread mixture in even layer over pastry. Layer asparagus over onion mixture, and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon dill. Add ham on top of asparagus and dill. Crack eggs carefully over ham in three rows of three. If necessary, gently move yolks so they don’t touch each other. Sprinkle eggs with 1 tablespoon dill, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
Roll out second piece of puff pastry to 12- by 12-inch square. Cut several slits in it with sharp knife, and lay it over entire dish. Fold over edges, and crimp together top and bottom pastry layers.
Bake 50 to 60 minutes or until pastry is puffed and brown. Remove from oven, and place on wire rack. Sprinkle cheese on top, and let sit 10 minutes. Serve hot. Leftovers are good cold or reheated in the oven to keep the pastry crisp.
