scrambled eggs

I have been on the quest for wonderfully scrambled eggs since I was about 7 years old. Once, sometime between the age of 5 and 8 we stayed with some of my parents friends from their years in seminary. I don’t remember much about this visit – what town it was in, how well we knew them, why we were there etc. I just remember the house, that it was Fall and that she (being the wife) made the most amazing scrambled eggs of all time. I have since been on the hunt for those eggs. And for years, whenever someone would offer me scrambled eggs I would eagerly anticipate that these eggs, would be THE eggs. But they never were.

That is until Nathan, my Sweet Man, on his oft mentioned Julia Child kick discovered the scrambled eggs of my dreams, Julia’s oeuf’s. I have since taken over the spatula and become the reigning Scrambled Egg Champion of the Greer Household, even over taking my Sweet Man, gourmet that he is. It is all in the wrist you see. As it turns out scrambling eggs requires the same range of motion that glittering circle after circle does.

Here is how I scramble eggs (modified slightly from Julia)

1 iron skillet

coat skillet with butter – about 1-2 tbsp

turn on burner under skillet to medium heat (I usually set mine around 5 or 9)

break 4- 6 eggs into skillet

leave on medium heat

break yokes and mix eggs all together using rubber spatula (like the kind you use for baking)

keep stirring slowly, slowly over low-medium heat, as eggs start to lump up, curdling almost. Cook eggs until they are no longer liquid like – but not until they are dry. They should still be glossy and buttery looking. You might be worried they are not done, but I promise they are. You do not want your scrambled eggs to look (as Julia describes in her book) like a “yellow dish sponge” after all.

Immediately remove from heat and stir in 2-3 tbsp of cold heavy cream (sour cream will do in a pinch, but reduce amount by half.) This will add the final bit of creamy deliciousness to your eggs that cannot be beat.

Serve with salt, pepper and chives.

So yummy I promise.

And if you want a fun egg book to read with your kids, try this one: Tillie Lays an Egg .
This precious & clever work is by cookbook author Terry Golson and all the hens in the book belong to her, as do all the adorable props. The pictures (by Ben Fink) and artwork are very vintage in feel – they convey a fun “50’s Farmhouse” vibe complete a cool vintage red truck – the only prop Terry says isn’t hers – and other hens with names like Prudence and Marge, whom I can just imagine sipping lemonade in their apron strings while playing gin rummy on the back the porch. If chickens played gin rummy that is.

I would love to have fresh eggs daily and Tillie Lays An Egg only makes me want a chicken coop out back that much more…

As long as someone else would tend to it (and the snakes that would come with it) of course.

PS – if you want to get a sneak peek at Tillie and her gal pals you can check out Terry’s Hen Cam here for live viewing: http://www.hencam.com/index.php