THE MOST EXTRAORDINARY SCRAMBLED EGGS YOU'VE EVER HAD

Serves: 6

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THE MOST EXTRAORDINARY SCRAMBLED EGGS YOU'VE EVER HAD

Ready in: 10 MinTotal time: 10 Min

A couple of eggs can save the day. When you're at a loss over what to make, just crack, beat, scramble and you've got a meal pronto. But, if you slow things down a bit, you can turn scrambled eggs into something spectacular: Cooked very slowly, and stirred constantly, scrambled eggs can be a dish that's creamy, rich and luxurious enough to serve as a first course at an elegant dinner.

Ingredients

• SEE THE INSTRUCTIONS BELOW

Instructions

1. Try it once, and you may never do the quick scramble again. The trick to the magical transformation of the slow scramble is simple enough: Lower the fire and stir with a patient hand.
2. Just remember that a beaten egg behaves differently at different temperatures. Cook it over high heat and the egg's protein bonds seize up and tighten quickly, squeezing out the moisture as the egg cooks. You'll end up with large, tough curds.
3. But switch to gentler heat and the protein bonds stay more relaxed as the egg cooks. You get divinely tender curds; the constant stirring keeps them tiny.
4. Be sure to use the best and freshest eggs possible. The eggs can be at room temperature or straight from the fridge, but cold eggs will mean a slower slow-scramble. (Slow-scrambled eggs take at least 10 minutes and up to 20 minutes, depending on the temperature of the eggs, the pan and even your kitchen.)
5. To get started, break a few eggs into a bowl, season with salt and pepper, and add a little bit of fat (such as butter, oil or creme fraiche). Whisk the mixture to blend completely.
6. Then place butter or oil in a nonstick skillet over low heat. Once the butter has melted, the pan is ready for the eggs. Pour them in, making sure the heat is at the lowest possible setting. Immediately begin stirring; you'll be doing this constantly, with just a few pauses, varying your strokes to prevent large curds from forming.
7. In the first few minutes, it might seem as if not much is happening. But the eggs are actually thickening slowly. Curds will soon begin to form; they should be small, like cottage cheese curds. A few large ones may develop but will break up as you continue stirring.
8. Once you have a panful of curds that are still just a little glossy, take the eggs off the heat so they don't overcook. Continue to stir for a minute or so. The eggs will lose a little more of their shine, but should still be moist and creamy when you serve them.
9. For accompaniments, spread the eggs on toasted slices of rustic bread, for example, and top with a slice of prosciutto.
10. Or add fresh herbs, stir in creme fraiche or shave truffles over the top for pure indulgence. The beauty of slow-scrambled eggs is that you don't need fancy ingredients to make a luxurious dish. And once you've made them part of your repertoire, eggs won't just save the day. They'll make your day.

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