Categories: breakfast
Ingredients
- 4 fresh eggs
- Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Hot sauce (optional)
- 2 ounces (60g) butter
- Large clove garlic
Directions
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Break the eggs into a small bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste and, if you wish, a dash of a good hot sauce, just enough to contribute a haunting piquant note. Stir briskly with a fork or small whisk until the yolk and the white are well blended and the egg slightly frothy, but you don’t really need to overdo it. Beating the egg up into a foam won’t really accomplish anything.
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NOTE: You may notice that I did not add any liquid. Most recipes suggest whisking in a tablespoon (15ml) water, milk or cream for each egg, and there’s certainly no harm in this. The water may make the eggs slightly lighter, and the dairy products may add a touch of creaminess. After having tried ‘em all, repeatedly, I’ve come down on the side of simple purity: Just-plain egg with a little butter and light seasoning works best for me.
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Put a skillet over medium-high heat and add the butter and the peeled, smashed garlic clove. Cook, stirring occasionally until the butter melts and stops bubbling (indicating that the water it contains has boiled off) and the garlic is aromatic.
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Discard the garlic, reduce the heat to medium-low and pour in the eggs.
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Now, here is the secret to tender, creamy scrambled eggs: Unlike omelets, which want high heat and quick cooking, scrambled eggs are best cooked gently and fairly slowly, so they don’t scorch and harden. Let the eggs sit in the melted butter for a moment without stirring – if you can hear them sizzling, lift the skillet off heat for a few seconds until the sizzling stops. When you see the edges of the egg starting to cook, use a wooden spoon to gently stir them, from the edges toward the center. Try to allow the forming curds of egg to stay in large pieces; there’s no need to stir vigorously and break them up. Keep stirring, gently, folding the curds over and allowing any remaining egg liquid to flow onto the hot pan. As soon as it’s all solidified, stop immediately and scrape the eggs onto a warm plate; they’ll continue to cook a little more from retained heat, so you want to stop a moment before they’re done, to avoid hard, overcooked egg. The entire procedure shouldn’t take more than a couple of minutes.