Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Scrambled Eggs, Ramsay Style

I have been experimenting with scrambled eggs recently. Usually, I would beat them in a bowl, slowly pour the mixture into a hot pan with olive oil, and stir continuously with a fork, slowly folding the curds of eggs as they form. If anything, this technique was probably more like an omelet than scrambled eggs, but it was pretty flavorful and the constant stirring ensured that the eggs wouldn't dry out.

However, I stumbled upon a clip posted on Youtube of Gordon Ramsay making scrambled eggs with a technique I had never seen before. What he did was to put the eggs in a pot, put a pat of butter into the eggs, and then begin beating the eggs with a spatula while cooking it over a fairly high heat. You continue stirring, taking the pot off the heat at times to ensure that eggs don't burn, dry out, or overcook. When the eggs have set, you season with salt and pepper and then put in a dollop of creme fraiche in order to cool the mixture and give it richness. What results is a custard like concoction that has a rich, velvety texture. My version above used heavy cream instead of creme fraiche, but was otherwise identical. I also placed some chopped chives on top to give the dish a little bite. The key, I think, is the continual stirring in order to prevent burning or huge curds from forming...not wholly dissimilar to the old technique I used to make scrambled eggs. Anyway, it is good to have something else in my repertoire and I will probably use my old technique solely to make omelets now and use this one when I want to have something a bit more luxurious and rich for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or a late midnight snack.

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