Snowday Breakfast: Roasted Avocado and Egg

Oven 450.  Prep five minutes, baking time 15-20.

2 avocados
4 medium eggs

To taste:
Sea salt
Pepper
Thyme
Pink peppercorns for color

Snowdays are for coffee, warm healthy food...and grading.  I'm thankful for the snowday because I banked on it and didn't grade midterms last night.  About 4 am this morning, I was sweating it a little, but then the blessed call came!  With tiny ice bombs pinging against the window and car doors slowly gluing themselves stuck, I'm still stalling, and I'm going to need all the energy this high octane breakfast can offer.

Snowdays are about the only time I want hot coffee, the darker the better and sprinkled with a little espresso powder (currently Williams Sonoma, a gift from my friend Cara) and topped with a dight of whipped heavy cream laced with almond flavoring.  Just try it.  You won't need the coffee creamer section, ever again.  My husband and youngest son traditionally watch "The White Shadow" on DVD, so I begin the process to the funky theme song of the show. BTW "The White Shadow" was lead Ken Howard's actual nickname in school.  Yuppers!

Avocado selection is next; I want to find the ripest one in my fruit drawer, but I hate mushy anything, so it can't be too ripe.  I just buy them rocklike, refrigerate them, and keep my eye on them to avoid waste.  I know they are ripe when they just start to yield to a bit of pressure from my fingertips.

The key to these babies is in hollowing out the avocado after you remove the seed.  I'll show you what it looks like if you don't do it right in a bit!

Use a small spoon, stay away from the edge, and try to dig evenly so that the avocado, skin still on, stands upright and the egg fits without waste. Medium eggs work best with average sized avocados.

I salt and pepper the shell before and after the egg, so I go pretty lightly on the salt--sea salt for these, and Penzey's pepper.

I wasn't careful enough, so see how this one emptied out a bit into the pan and had to be resuscitated....




Thyme is a great choice on eggs, but anything, chives, marjoram, even proasic old parsley will do!

While they bake, about 15 minutes for soft boiled and 18 for "hard" yolks, make your toast and add your garnish...Because I don't like mushy, I like the harder yolks, especially in contrast to the avocado which softens as it bakes.

Then enjoy!  This is a truly healthy breakfast that provides energy and satisfaction from the warm, nutty flavor of the avocado in contrast with the salty tang of the egg.