Edible Filo Nests (Truffle Butter Filo Nests with Soft-Boiled Eggs) Recipe

Now that you’ve mastered making Baked Eggs in Avocado (not very hard to do), here is your next challenge, which isn’t challenging at all.

In partnership with Egg Farmers of Canada in launching Eggcentric TV – a network for global recipes and stories about eggs, I’ve created another simple recipe that is fun and creative without taking much effort. It’s appropriate for all ages and it presents nicely for breakfast, brunch, or even for a quickly approaching special occasion like Mother’s Day.

Eggs are delicious and nutritious on their own, and they don’t need much dressing up. That being said, they are also an incredibly versatile natural ingredient and adapt to many sweet and savoury flavours and recipes. Being a fan of sweet and savoury profiles, I decided to do a sweet and savoury dish.

My Edible Filo Nests with soft-boiled eggs are made of two basic components – the “nest” and the egg. I use katafi (shredded or spun filo dough found in the frozen section of a Greek or Mediterranean grocery store) to make the nests and flavour it with truffle tapenade and butter. I bake them in the oven until crisp which also gives texture to the dish. I fill them with ricotta and finish them off with honey. I love my eggs soft-boiled and the yolk runny. Eggs are a perfect food with six grams of the highest-quality protein, and 14 essential vitamins and nutrients like Vitamin A and iron.

This dish is savoury from the truffle tapenade butter, cheese and egg, and the touch of honey gives a little surprise. Honey, truffle and ricotta go hand in hand, and you might think the egg would throw it off, but it almost makes for a sweet and savoury custard-like sauce. This recipe is fun for kids, yet sophisticated enough to entertain guests with. Enjoy!

Looking forward to seeing your #EggcentricTV photos!

Edible Filo Nests (Truffle Butter Filo Nests with Soft-Boiled Eggs) Recipe

By Mijune Pak

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 6 eggs
• 8g (3 tbsp) of truffle tapenade
• 8g (3 tbsp) of melted butter
• 4 tsp of honey
• 225g of thawed Kataifi
• 250g (1 cup) of ricotta cheese
• Fresh oregano
• Fresh thyme
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Fill a pot with salted water that will cover the eggs by an inch once they are put in. Set over medium-high heat, and bring to a boil.
2. Place room temperature eggs into pot and cook for exactly 5 minutes. Set a timer.
3. Remove the eggs immediately and put into an ice bath to slow down cooking process.
4. Wait for 20 minutes until eggs have cooled and carefully remove their shells. Set aside.

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. In a large bowl, gently pull apart kataifi until the strands are loose.
3. Add the truffle tapenade and melted butter and continue to mix until the strands are coated.
4. Pull back the leaves from 6 sprigs of thyme and add to kataifi.
5. Add the leaves from 6 oregano sprigs to the kataifi mix. Use your hands to mix and combine all ingredients.
6. Butter a muffin pan.
7. Take 1/4 cup handfuls of kataifi and twist into a bundle that will sit nicely in a muffin tin.
8. Fill the muffin tins with kataifi “nests” and make sure there is a groove in the centre. This is where the egg will sit.
9. Drizzle the nests with honey and season with salt and pepper.
10. Bake in the over for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown and crisp.

1. Carefully remove the nests from the muffin tin using a knife to loosen any stuck on parts.
2. Fill the nests with ricotta cheese and twist a soft-boiled egg into each one until it stands nicely on its own.
3. Drizzle with more honey and finish with fleur de sel.
4. Garnish with additional thyme and oregano leaves.
5. Serve immediately.

Notes for success:

1. Find kataifi in the frozen section of your grocery store specializing in Greek or Mediterranean foods.
2. Keep the kataifi under a damp cloth when you’re not working with it so it does not dry out. Work quickly with it.
3. I used La Truffiere Black Truffle Tapenade from La Grotta del Formaggio.
4. If you like your eggs warm. Drop the peeled boiled eggs in boiling water for 2 minutes to warm them up before serving. The yolk will be a little more cooked.
5. Alternatively, you can switch up the tapenade with pesto, sundried tomato paste, or romesco sauce.
6. Alternatively, you can switch up the ricotta with marscarpone, cottage cheese or any soft, creamy and mild fresh cheese.
7. For extra crispy and savoury (cheesy) nests, I add some grated parmesan cheese to the kataifi mixture.

For more egg tips and recipes download EggcentricTV at the App Store, Android, or Roku.