Food & Wine (January 2012)
We like to think we're pretty good at scrambled eggs. We have a particular way of doing it that makes eggs just the way we like 'em: creamy and soft and delicious. Essentially, it involves cooking them over very low heat and stirring almost constantly. (Also, we picked up a tip a very long time ago from an otherwise ridiculously over-the-top omelet recipe: Stirring eggs with a chopstick or the thin end of a wooden spoon yields perfect fluffy eggs every time.)
We love the way we make scrambled eggs. The only problem is that it can take 15 or 20 minutes of near-constant stirring.
So we were more than a little intrigued by this recipe, which promises perfectly scrambled eggs in only 40 seconds. FORTY. SECONDS.
We've actually heard people talk about this method (or a similar one) before. We've heard these called "vortex eggs" or "tornado eggs."
Here's the gist: Heat a saucepan of water to a simmer. Stir it rapidly to make a little whirlpool. Turn off the hear and drop in the eggs. Cover and wait for 40 seconds. Voila!
Could it possibly be that easy?
Answer: Yes! As impossible as it seems, these eggs are perfectly light, creamy and fluffy. Unbelievable!
This recipe includes a goat cheese sauce, which is also really delicious. One note: We think this makes way more sauce than you'll use. We barely used half of ours. We're going to use the leftover sauce in a salad dressing or something, but if you want to halve the sauce recipe, we think you'd be A-OK.
And as you can see from our photo, we forgot the final drizzle of olive oil. We didn't miss it, but we're sure it would add a nice finishing touch to these eggs.
So call 'em whatever you want -- vortex eggs, tornado eggs, whirlpool eggs, "poached scrambled" eggs -- consider us convinced!
Poached Scrambled Eggs with Goat Cheese Sauce
Food & Wine (January 2012)
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(This photo: Michael Turek/Food & Wine)
TIPS FROM ZACH & CLAY OF THE BITTEN WORD:
At the end of this recipe, there are two points at which you drain the eggs. The first is with a slotted spoon, while the eggs are still in the saucepan. Then the eggs are transferred to a strainer. Once you put the eggs in the strainer, we suggest you move them around substantially so that as much of the water as possible drains away. This will prevent having runny or watery eggs.
INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
1 teaspoon chopped rosemary, preferably flowering rosemary
4 large eggs
4 ounces soft fresh goat cheese
2 ounces aged hard goat cheese, such as Etude or goat Gouda, shredded ( 1/4 cup packed)
DIRECTIONS
In a small bowl, whisk the fresh goat cheese with 1/4 cup of warm water until smooth. In a small saucepan, bring 3/4 cup of water to a simmer. Stir in the aged goat cheese and Parmigiano until melted and smooth. Whisk in the fresh goat cheese sauce and season with salt and pepper.
In a medium bowl, beat the eggs for 20 seconds. Bring a large saucepan of water to a simmer. Using a wooden spoon, stir the water vigorously in a circular motion to create a whirlpool in the center. Reduce the heat and stop stirring. Immediately pour the scrambled eggs into the center. Cover the pot and cook for exactly 40 seconds. Using a slotted spoon to hold the eggs back, tilt the saucepan and pour off the water.
Transfer the scrambled eggs in one piece to a strainer and let drain for 10 seconds. Season well with salt and pepper. Spoon the eggs into 4 bowls and spoon the goat cheese sauce all around. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Garnish with rosemary and serve at once.
