Creamy Scrambled Eggs and Freezing Fog

This morning, I captured a few shots of the garden cloaked in a glistening layer of freezing fog while my coffee brewed in my French press.  When I came back inside, I poured the coffee and starting making scrambled eggs while My Pirate slept. 

I stood at the stovetop, slowly stirring my egg mixture and lifting newly formed curds off the bottom of the nonstick skillet, and I reflected back on scrambled eggs.

I remember the first time I tasted the potential in scrambled eggs. My gymnastics team coach, Elejhue, a hilarious black man made scrambled eggs for our team after a sleepover at one of the girl’s house.  The eggs were moist and minced and so close to raw, I almost gasped.  But I piled them onto my piece of buttered toast and took big doughy mouthfuls.  They were nothing like the rubbery scrambled eggs with shattering edges that I’d eaten before.  

Over the years, I’ve played with my scrambled egg recipes, until one morning, 11 years ago, I stumbled upon my very own recipe.  I poured cream into my bowl of scrambled eggs until it turned a soft creamy yellow and added a pinch of sea salt.  I cooked my eggs over medium, while stirring with a heatproof spatula to convect the heat through the mixture until creamy soft pillows of eggs formed.  I turned the heat off and watched the last shimmer of moisture turn matte and then I served them beside oven roasted mushrooms.

I took a bite and gasped when the pillow of egg melted in my mouth.  And I knew that I had found my recipe.  I make these eggs on holiday mornings or when I simply want to demonstrate my love to My Pirate and My Kid. I’ve even served them to a 200 member marching band in a parking lot on competition days.  This recipe is flexible and works great in breakfast burritos and scrambled egg sandwiches, but I prefer them with oven roasted mushrooms and buttered crostini.

Creamy Scrambled Eggs

Servings: 2

1 tablespoon butter

6 eggs—use the best quality eggs you can afford

¼ cup cream—use pasteurized, avoid the ultra pasteurized

½ tsp. kosher salt

tiny pinch of red cayenne

Melt the butter over medium heat in a nonstick skillet. 

Crack the eggs into a colored bowl and double check for any eggshell bits.  Whisk the eggs and add the salt and cayenne.  Whisk in the cream until the mixture turns a soft creamy yellow.

Pour the egg mixture into the skillet.  Continually  stir the eggs with a heatproof rubber spatula to convect the heat through the egg mixture.  Slowly scrape the egg curds off the bottom of the skillet and lower the heat if they start to form too quickly.  When the soft curds have formed and they are no longer shiny, they are done.  Remove from heat and serve.