A few weeks ago I got this delightful e-mail from my friend Lyh-Rhen asking if I wanted to buy any eggs hatched by the chickens from his farm. Boy, did I ever! I love looking at all the pictures of the flowers that Fivefork Farms grows, but I travel way too much to justify joining their flower CSA. So I was super happy to be able to support them in a way that I can really utilize.
Aren't they so pretty? I love the light green ones the most. So far I've used them to make homemade pasta, baked goods, shakshuka, and my all-time favorite way to eat eggs, but I wanted to try something new, something special to highlight the farm fresh eggs.
Then I remembered a recent conversation I had with some friends about this video of Gordon Ramsay making scrambled eggs. I don't even remember how it came up, but as soon as someone mentioned it (it might even have been me), everyone else who had ever seen it ecstatically chimed in. This video has over 10 million views, and quite a few of those are mine. There's just something really fascinating about watching someone so confident in the kitchen taking something so simple and describing it in a way that elevates it to a whole other level. If you haven't watched it yet yourself, you should definitely do it when you have a chance. You'll never make scrambled eggs the same way again.
If you don't have time to watch it right now, what you need to know is that adding salt too early in the process breaks down the eggs too much so it becomes a watery mess. In the same vein, Gordon doesn't beat the eggs before cooking them; he cracks the eggs into a cold pan and starts stirring it in there with some cold butter over heat. By constantly stirring the eggs and taking it off the heat when the pan gets too hot, you get perfectly creamy eggs which are on the complete opposite end of the spectrum from the rubbery, dry version you may be used to. He also adds crème fraîche to prevent the eggs from overcooking at the end, but since I didn't have any, I just skipped the step.
Gordon serves the scrambled eggs over toast that's been drizzled with olive oil. I decided to try an Asian twist by adding chopped scallions to the eggs and drizzling the toast with sesame oil. Both versions are truly sublime.
Gordon Ramsay's Sublime Scrambled Eggs (adapted from Gordon Ramsay Makes It Easy)
makes 1 serving
2 thick slices of crusty bread
3 large free-range eggs
1 1/2 tablespoons ice-cold butter diced
1 tablespoon crème fraîche or sour cream (optional)
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
Classic Version:
Few chives, snipped
Good quality olive oil
Joy's Version:
Scallions, chopped
Toasted sesame oil
Break the eggs into a cold, heavy-based pan, add half the butter, and place onto the stove over generous heat. Using a spatula, stir the eggs frequently to combine the yolks with the whites.
As the mixture begins to set, add the remaining butter. The eggs will take about 4-5 minutes to scramble – they should still be soft and quite lumpy. Don’t let them get too hot – keep moving the pan off and back on the heat.
In the meantime, toast the bread.
Add the crème fraîche (if using) and season the eggs at the last minute with the salt and pepper, then add the snipped chives or chopped scallions, depending on which version you're making.
Drizzle the toast with the olive oil or sesame oil and pile the softly scrambled eggs on top. Serve immediately.
Next: Scoglio all'Andiamo (Saffron Fettuccine with Seafood in a Lemon Garlic White Wine Sauce)
Previously: Chocolate Mochi Cake
Last Year: Nutella Mini Crepe Cakes
Five Years Ago: Lilikoi Malasadas (Portuguese Donuts Filled with Passion Fruit Curd)
Six Years Ago: Stuffed Artichokes