Corn Tortilla Egg Nests

To make the corn tortilla dough:

1. Combine the masa harina and salt in a large bowl. Gradually add the warm water, stirring with your hands to make a cohesive dough. Mix and knead the dough in the bowl until it’s smooth and somewhat firm.
2. If the dough sticks to your hands and feels wet, add more masa harina one teaspoon at a time. If it crumbles when you roll a piece into a ball, add more water one teaspoon at a time.
3. Preheat a comal, cast iron, or nonstick pan over medium heat for about 5 minutes until evenly hot.
4. Cut two round or square pieces of food-safe plastic – from a plastic produce or zip-top bag – to a size about 1/2" larger than the diameter of your tortilla press.
5. Divide the dough into 8 pieces (about 35g to 40g each) and roll each piece into a ball. Place the balls on a clean work surface and cover them with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel to keep them moist.

To make the egg nests:

1. One by one, crack an Eggland’s Best egg in a ¼ measuring cup that is easy to pour from and sprinkle with salt and black pepper to taste.
2. Working with one ball of dough at a time, place one piece of plastic on the bottom of the tortilla press, place the ball of dough, and top it with the second piece of plastic. Gently, squeeze the handle of the press until the dough is about 1/16” to 1/8” thick and about 5” in diameter. To achieve a nicely round tortilla, jiggle the handle of your press just as you near the bottom. You may need to press it a couple of times to get the desired thinness.
3. Open the tortilla press, peel off the top piece of plastic, and then take the tortilla on the bottom piece of plastic next to the comal, so that you can pass the tortilla to one hand as you remove the bottom plastic with the other hand and quickly but gently lay the tortilla on the hot pan. Don’t worry if it isn’t perfectly flat (you’ll get better as you practice), and don’t try to move it, which will cause it to tear. Return the piece of plastic to the bottom of the tortilla press.
4. Cook the tortilla until it releases easily from the pan and its color has lightened and become opaque, 40 to 45 seconds; you don’t want the tortilla to brown or become freckled at this point.
5. Using a spatula or your fingers, flip the tortilla and cook it until the bottom starts to brown and freckle, 70 to 90 seconds more.
6. Flip the tortilla one more time and cook it until it puffs, 10 to 15 seconds. If the tortilla doesn’t puff on its own, gently poke it a few times near the center. Once the tortilla puffs, make a slit with a sharp knife (i.e. paring knife) to open the tortilla pocket, making an opening of about 1 to 2 inches. You may use a soup spoon to open the pocket more fully.
7. Pour the cracked egg in the pocket and place back on the comal or pan. Let it cook for a couple minutes. If desired, flip the egg filled tortilla to the other side to cook a couple minutes on the other side, or until desired doneness. You can cook the egg in the tortilla without flipping as well.
8. Repeat with the remaining tortillas and eggs.

To serve:

1. Place on a plate, cover with salsa and garnish with crumbled queso fresco or Cotija, Mexican crema, and slices of ripe avocado.