A few months ago, when Rodney Williams of the Strawberry Creek Inn B&B contacted me about shooting recipes for his upcoming cookbook, I jumped at the chance. Not only was it an opportunity to cut my photographic teeth for print, but an opportunity to work with a talented inn owner/chef who shared my vision of creating beautiful, unfussy food and feeding people well. Little did I know I would learn so much in such a brief amount of time.
From an easy but unique method that makes vegetarian sausage taste as good as it looks, to cheery pancakes, tasty muffins and a guest-pleasing entree, I’ve learned countless tips & tricks to up my culinary ante, including methods for incorporating unexpected ingredients that add unparalleled dimensions to otherwise common flavors.
Following suit comes Strawberry Creek Inn’s method for making basic, French Scrambled Eggs: it produces moist, creamy, soft scrambled eggs with a delicate texture and consistency like no other method I’ve tried. Next time scrambled eggs top your breakfast menu, I invite you to experiment with the following technique and see if you, and your guests, don’t agree.
French Scrambled Eggs
(featured on Inn Cuisine, method courtesy Strawberry Creek Inn B&B)
Yield: 2 servings (double, triple or halve recipe as needed)
- 5 large eggs (free-range organic if possible)
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- kosher salt
- fresh ground pepper
- 2 tablespoons fresh, chopped basil or chives
- 1/2 cup extra sharp Cheddar cheese (optional)
Make a double boiler by setting a (preferably glass) bowl down into a saucepan so that the rim of the bowl rests on the rim of the saucepan. Place enough water in the saucepan so there is plenty of space between the bottom of the bowl and the top of the water.
Crack eggs into a separate bowl and beat with a fork until yolks and whites are combined.
Place butter in the double-boiler bowl and bring water to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to a simmer, swirl melted butter around in bowl to coat the sides. Pour beaten eggs into the double boiler, using a silicone spatula (heat-proof, since you will be using it later to stir the eggs) to get all the eggs from the bowl into the double boiler.
Watch the eggs very carefully and periodically run the spatula along the bottom to see if they are beginning to coagulate. Don’t be tempted to turn up the heat if the eggs seem to be taking forever to coagulate. The slower the eggs cook, the better.
Once the eggs are coagulating, continue running the spatula along the bottom of the bowl, creating folds of eggs and allowing the liquid eggs above the coagulated ones to come into contact with the bottom of the bowl. When you have more coagulated than liquid eggs left in the bowl, turn the heat off.
Add salt and pepper to taste, then cheese if using, and continue stirring until eggs are mostly coagulated, but still too soft for your taste (the eggs will continue to cook for a while after being removed from the heat). French Scrambled Eggs will remain moister than eggs cooked in a pan, so be careful not to confuse moistness with rawness.
Use the spatula to scrape the eggs onto a serving plate or into a bowl, sprinkling chopped, fresh herbs on top. Serve immediately with toast, grits, and/or your desired breakfast meat. These eggs also pair perfectly with a small steak and some fresh strawberries or other fruit.
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I will try and remember this method for cooking eggs. It makes perfect sense. Congratulations also on the project.
confession–i usually make my scrambled eggs in the microwave. i can’t even tell you how much better these look (shocker!!).
I do know that “low and slow” is the best way to cook eggs, but I’ve never tried the double boiler method. Great idea, especially because the glass bowl will really let you see what’s happening.
i love eggs… and scrambled eggs are like the best… i have never done it this way thou…will try for breakfast tomorrow
awesome idea for a blog, I am really enjoying reading it
I am not a huge egg fan, but this looks great. B&B food is always soooo yummy. I havent stayed at many, but the ones I have stayed at have had lovely local foods and homemade or locally bought items. Breakfasts and brunches are seriously the best meals!
The chives or basil look black in the image – tis the only thing putting me off, some finely diced red tomatoes would be good color. or remove it altogether and leave the basil garnish on the side. Sorry to bring attention to it, it is just not appetizing after all that hard work to make them and photograph them
Oh how I love fluffy and buttery eggs! Perfection, indeed!
My husband made our scrambled eggs this way this morning and oh, Lordy, they were good. I don’t think I want to eat them any other way ever again. Congratulations on the photography project! Your photos are always amazing, I’m not surprised they asked.
Val – This method really does produce moist, delicious scrambled eggs—do try it sometime. Thanks also for your well wishes, I appreciate them!
Grace – I’ve heard of microwaved omelettes, but not microwaved scrambled eggs. Interesting. That said, I’m also glad to hear this version comes out more attractively—phew!
Lydia – These were my thoughts exactly! From the first time I tried Rodney’s recipe, the double boiler w/ glass bowl method has been a godsend—it makes it so easy to see what’s going on and judge timing/doneness.
BNDQ8 – Thanks for stopping by. I hope you enjoy(ed) experimenting with this cooking method as much as I have!
Denise – That’s part of the reason I appreciate B&B meals so much. As you mentioned, many inns incorporate local foods & ingredients in their meal, and eating becomes more than just breakfast or a snack—it becomes a culinary tour of the area!
Shellie – The basil pictured in these images is actually a combination of freshly chopped green & purple basil (hence why some of it appears darker). Basil is the one fresh herb I always keep (grow) in my kitchen, and I find the purple basil adds an interesting dimension (color) to many foods, though it’s not quite as sweet as standard, green basil. While more of a deep burgundy color than true purple, it’s certainly not black (although I can see why the darker color may be off-putting to some). That said, it is delicious and an interesting plant to grow in your herb garden, whether outdoors or on your window sill. For more info on purple basil, check out this brief article from the National Gardening Association:
http://www.garden.org/plantguide/?q=show&id=2081
Chef Aimee – I’m with you on the fluffy & buttery eggs! And to think—at one time I preferred my eggs as dry & overcooked as you could make them without burning! How my tastes have evolved over the years
Dana – Thanks so much for your sweet comment! I’m so glad to hear your husband made these eggs for breakfast this morning and you enjoyed them so much. Comments like that always make my day!
And thank you too, for your well wishes on the cookbook project. I appreciate your kind words.
The eggs looks perfectly scrambled!
Thanks for the details in instructions.
Hi! Just found this recipe – and your blog – through your photo on Serious Eats. Am pretty sure this is the way I’ll do breakfast tomorrow.