The Softest Scramble

By LRay

These scrambled eggs bear little resemblance to the rubbery ones dished up by short-order cooks. Jean-Georges Vongerichten makes his practically pourable, with tiny, fluffy curds, all without using excess butter or doctoring them with heavy cream. Instead, he does as his mother taught him: He whisks eggs continuously in a saucepan over medium-low heat until they achieve a texture like soft polenta. At Jean Georges in New York, he serves them in eggshells topped with whipped cream and caviar. Re-create his four-star version (watch a video here), or skip the embellishments for a simply excellent scramble.

4 servings

Recipe by Jean-Georges Vongerichten

Photograph by Peden + Munk

April 2012

Ingredients

• 4 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, divided
• Cayenne pepper
• Kosher salt

Details

Servings 4
Adapted from bonappetit.com

Preparation

Step 1

Preparation

Combine eggs and 1 1/2 Tbsp. butter in a small room-temperature saucepan and season lightly with cayenne and salt. Place over medium-low heat and cook, whisking gently and constantly while scraping bottom and sides of pan, until eggs are just thickened, creamy, and small curds begin to form, 3–4 minutes total. (If mixture begins to stick to pan while cooking, remove from heat; whisk gently for 30 seconds, then continue cooking over heat.) Remove from heat.

Add 1/2 Tbsp. butter; whisk until melted. Season with salt; divide among small bowls. Top with whipped cream and caviar, if desired.

Hungry for More? If you have a question about this recipe, contact our Test Kitchen at [e-mail]. To see more recipes like this one, check out our Eggs Slideshow.