For a good side dish with these, cut 1/2 pound plum tomatoes into wedges, drizzle with olive oil, top with chopped scallion greens and season with salt and fresh-ground black pepper, to taste.

Ingredients

• 8-inch baguette, cut into small cubes
• 4 ounces cream cheese, cut crosswise into 12 slices
• 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• 1 / 4 pound thin-slices ham, chopped (about 1 cup)
• 4 scallions, white part only thinly sliced
• Fresh-ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 1 / 2 cups fat-free half-and-half (regular also can be used)
• 6 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat a 12-cup muffin pan with no-stick cooking spray.
Fill each cup of the muffin pan halfway with bread cubes. Top each with 1 slice cream cheese. Set aside.
In a small saucepan over medium heat, heat the olive oil. Add the ham, scallions and a pinch pepper. Saute 5 minutes until the scallions are tender. Stir in the half-and-half and bring just to a simmer, then remove from the heat.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and thyme, then whisk in the warm half-and-half mixture. Pour the egg mixture over the bread in each muffin cup, then bake 15 minutes until puffed and golden around the edges.
Let cool 5 minutes, then run a knife around the edges and invert onto a cooling rack.
Makes 4 servings.

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