Stephen Albert
Make moist, large-curd scrambled eggs simply by taking it slow and being careful not to overcook. It’s easy to match flavor to the time of year by using seasonal herbs and vegetables and changing up cheeses and meats as you like.
Plan two eggs per person when making scrambled eggs. Keep scrambled eggs moist by adding 1½ tablespoons of liquid for each two eggs; add water, milk, or cream—cream, of course, for creamy-rich flavor. Add just a bit more liquid if you think the eggs are too dry and to avoid overcooking.
Large, fluffy curds come with long strokes of a wooden spatula or spoon—pushing the eggs from the bottom of the pan up and being careful not to let the pan grow too hot.
Creamy, Large-Curd Scrambled Eggs with Flavor Choices
Yield 2 servings
Here is a recipe for moist, large-curd scrambled eggs along with thin slices of mushrooms and simply garnished with chives. Below this recipe you’ll find a selection of seasonal flavor add-ons—you won’t have to eat the same dish of scrambled eggs for some time.
Ingredients
- Four large eggs
- 1 or 2 tablespoons of olive oil or butter
- 1 to 2 tablespoons water, milk, or cream
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 3 or 4 medium cremini mushrooms, sliced
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- ½ tablespoon or a bit more minced garlic (about 2 cloves)
- Chives—a small bunch or 2 green onions, chopped
Instructions
- Warm a medium non-stick skillet over low heat for a couple of minutes; when the pan has warmed add the olive oil or butter and swirl it around until the oil has warmed or the butter just melted, about 1 minute. Add onion, mushroom, and salt and pepper to taste and stir often until the onion is translucent, about 5 to 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, crack the eggs into a medium bowl and lightly beat them until the yolks and whites are just combined. Beat in the liquid—water, milk, or cream.
- Increase the heat to medium-low and add the eggs-liquid mix. Allow the eggs to cook for a few moments then begin to push them around the pan with a wooden spatula or spoon with long, slow strokes—don’t beat the eggs once they are in the skillet. Allow the egg-liquid mix to spill out over the skillet, but do not allow the eggs to stick. Curds will begin to form in about 10 minutes. Add fresh chopped herbs: tarragon, chervil, and parsley. Add additional salt and pepper to taste if you like.
- Continue stirring breaking up long curds as they form until the mixture is a mass of soft curds; in all this will take an additional 15 to 20 minutes. Push the eggs from the bottom of the pan up in long strokes; increase the speed of your strokes as the pan grows hotter; lift the pan off the heat if it grows too hot.
- Remove the scrambled eggs from the heat just before they are no longer runny or loose; they will continue to cook once off the heat. Add a bit of liquid if you fear they have overcooked. Spoon the soft curds onto warm plates for serving. Garnish with chopped chives. Serve with hot sauce if you like.
Notes
Seasonal Flavors Add-Ons for Scrambled Eggs:
- Sausage: Before adding eggs to the heated pan, cook about 1 cup (about 6 ounces) of thinly sliced Andouille sausage on medium-high heat, stirring often until the sausage has browned slightly and released some fat, about 5 minutes. Pour off the fat then stir in the eggs and follow the direction from step x above.
- Bacon or Ham: Add ½ cup crisp bacon bits or finely diced ham.
- Chipped Beef: Strips of chipped beef, blanch 3 minutes in boiling water before adding.
- Cheese: ½ cup grated Cheddar or Swiss cheese
- Sour cream, cream cheese, or goat cheese: ⅓ cup
- Fish: 1 cup flaked, cooked codfish
- Shrimp: ½ cup diced, cooked shrimp
- Herbs: chopped fresh herbs, one teaspoon for stronger herbs, one tablespoon for milder herbs
- Tomatoes: 2 ripe tomatoes, chopped; sauté in 3 tablespoons butter, and add salt, and better and basil to taste before adding to scrambled eggs.
- Peeled, seeded and diced tomatoes up to one cup; one-quarter cup reconstituted sun-dried tomatoes
- Corn: 1 cup whole kernel corn and 3 tablespoons melted butter in addition to butter in pan; prepare before adding eggs.
- Spinach: ½ cup cooked spinach (about 6 ounces fresh spinach–wash well, dry thoroughly, and remove stems before cooking); press all the liquid out of the cooked spinach and chop fine before adding to eggs.
- Red peppers: ½ cup roasted and chopped
- Scallions or onions: ½ cup minced
- Salsa: ½ cup prepared salsa
- Sun-dried tomatoes: ¼ cup reconstituted sun-dried tomatoes
- Pickled jalapenos: minced, add to taste
- Tabasco, Worcestershire or other sauce
Courses Breakfast
