I really love baked dishes for my weekend breakfast and brunch plans. They come together in a few minutes, bake for a bit longer than that, and make my plate look amazing while still allowing me the time to settle in with the newspaper and a cup of coffee before my day really starts to roar. Really, the most involved part of this dish is cutting the bread, and that can even be finished the night before you bake if you'd like.
The dish in the photos used a loaf of sourdough bread, which paired rather nicely with the super sweet sungold cherry tomatoes I had on hand. If I had something a bit less sweet for roasting, I might opt for a roasted garlic or herb loaf. As it was, the slight tang of the bread and goat cheese played very well with the sweet tomatoes and nearly creamy eggs. I call for a lot of garlic in this dish. I won't apologize for that!
This dish is a great centerpiece for your next brunch and is just lovely alongside a light green salad, fresh fruit, and some decadent pastries. Add a cup or three of coffee along with a gorgeous fall day and that's my heaven. I hope you agree.
Mediterranean Eggs
- 1 medium loaf artisan bread, cut into coarse cubes (about 5 c. cubed bread)
- 4 T. extra virgin olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tsp. seasoned salt (choose your favorite variety)
- 20 oz. cherry tomatoes (I used sungold tomatoes, but any sweet small tomato will work)
- 4 large eggs
- 4 oz. crumbled chèvre
Preheat the oven to 450° F. In a large bowl, toss the bread chunks with the olive oil, garlic, and seasoned salt. Grease a 9x13-inch baking pan and spread the bread in an even layer in the pan. Set aside.
Cut the cherry tomatoes in half and spread them evenly on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Place both the pan of coarse bread cubes and the baking sheet of tomatoes in the oven. Bake the bread for 10 minutes and the tomatoes for 15 minutes.
Once both the tomatoes and bread have baked, pour the tomatoes over the bread and gently stir together. Using a large spoon, make four shallow indentations in the mixture. Crack one egg into each indentation. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Return the baking dish to the oven for another 10 minutes or until eggs are just set.
Let the pan cool for about 5 minutes, then sprinkle generously with crumbled chèvre and serve.
- Yields: 3-4 servings
- Preparation Time: 30 minutes