Farmer's Market Brunch (Eggs Mornay)

Chris said that I have made this before but I can not remember doing that. Must be old age?  This came from an abundance of fresh ingredients from the garden and Farmer's Market. This brunch is wonderful if you have fresh ingredients from the garden or Farmer's Market, but if all you have is from a grocery store, it will still be delicious.

Part of the ingredients were fresh but when I got ready to garnish the top with some beautiful, fresh, green, dill, I found that the grasshoppers had eaten all of my dill down to the soil.  I had to use dill that was dried last year.  The dried dill added a little flavor but not the pop of flavor or the beautiful color that I wanted.
The next thing that I was missing was Gruyere Cheese or even some plain ole Swiss.  I did have some fresh Parmigianio and Provolone so that is the cheeses that I used for the Mornay Sauce.  It certainly tasted good, but the distinct flavor of Gruyere was missing.  All in all, the meal was a success.  The sauce had a hint of sweetness on the finish which complemented the baked tomato.  I think the absence of fresh dill was more of a let down than the absence of the Gruyere.  Oh well, remember to buy some fresh dill at the Farmer's Market!

Eggs Mornay

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

1 Egg, per person
1 medium Salad Tomato, per person
1/4 teaspoon of Sour Cream, per person
Sepay Groves Olive Oil
Salt and Fresh Cracked Pepper

Pour a small amount of olive oil into  an oven proof dish and coat the bottom.  Set aside.
Thoroughly wash the tomatoes.  Using a sharp knife, slice a very small portion of the bottom off so that the tomato will stand upright.   Remove the core (where the stem connected to the tomato). Slice the a small portion of the top off to create an opening. Carefully cut the ribs of the tomato, then with a spoon remove the ribs, seeds and jelly.  Freeze all the tomato that was removed for use later in soup, except for the core.  Discard the core.

Place the tomato cups in the prepared pan.  Crack 1 egg into each tomato cup. Place 1/4 teaspoon of sour cream into the white.  It will bake into the white as a dollop and just adds a little yummy surprise. Season with salt and fresh cracked black pepper.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

While the eggs are baking, make the Mornay Sauce

Mornay Sauce

1 Tablespoon of Butter
1 Tablespoon of Corn Starch
1 12-ounce can of Condensed Milk(Pet Milk, not Eagle Brand Sweetened condensed milk)
1/4 cup of grated fresh Parmigianio Cheese
1/4 cup of grated Gruyere, Swiss or other white cheese
Salt to taste

Melt butter over medium heat, in a small sauce pan.  Add corn starch and whisk.  One the cornstarch is combined add milk.  Whisk to combine.  Once the sauce starts to boil, whisk until the sauce is thickened.  This will take about 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from heat and add cheese.  Whisk until smooth.  Once the sauce cools, it will thicken.  So if you need to loosen it later, add 1 teaspoon of butter and return to heat, whisking constantly. You may need to do this to spoon over the eggs.

To Assemble
Place the tomato-egg cups on a serving plate, spoon mornay sauce over the top and sprinkle with fresh chopped dill.

Enjoy!

Deloris