Stuck in the scrambled-and-fried rut? Today’s cooks are taking eggs beyond traditional breakfasts and all the way to the dinner table. So why don’t you?
For years, eggs have been the subject of arguments. Eggs are good for you, eggs are bad for you, only eat the egg white, never eat raw eggs. For this quintessentially simple food, there is a lot of misinformation out there about eggs. But now experts agree with what most of us knew all along: Eggs are one of the easiest, most delicious and healthiest foods we can eat.
Fried, over easy or sunny-side up; poached, scrambled, soft or hardboiled, shirred or baked—these are familiar ways to cook eggs. But chefs are coming up with new ways or rediscovering old ways to prepare eggs all the time. Here are some new and old favorites.
Scotch Eggs: Soft boil eggs, let cool and peel them. Pat out breakfast sausage into a thin sheet and wrap it around the egg. Dip wrapped eggs in flour, then in beaten egg, then roll them in bread crumbs. Fry the eggs in hot oil for five minutes or so.
Butter-poached eggs: Melt half a stick of butter in a saucepan—do not let it brown. Slide a cracked egg into the butter and let it cook slowly, spooning butter over the egg as it cooks.
Cloud eggs: Separate the yolk from the white and beat the white until stiff. Place a spoonful of whipped egg white on a buttered baking sheet and bake at 450 until barely cooked. Then gently put a raw egg yolk into each mound of egg white, return to the oven and cook until yolks are barely set. Sprinkle with snipped chives, bacon crumbles, Parmesan cheese, harissa …
Smoked eggs: Hard boil eggs, then place them on the grate of your grill. Set it at a very low setting, under 200. Let them smoke for about 30 minutes.
Waffled eggs: Beat a couple of eggs, then stir in chopped scallions, chopped mushrooms, grated cheese, diced pepper or whatever you like. Pour the mixture into a well-oiled waffle iron and cook until set.
Shakshuka: Saute onions, garlic, chopped peppers, half a chopped jalapeno in oil until onion is wilted. Stir in a can of tomato paste and one of peeled tomatoes, stir well and season with black pepper and cumin, a pinch of sugar if the tomatoes are too acidic, salt to taste, and maybe a pinch of cinnamon. Cook until it’s a thick sauce. Crack eggs onto the surface and let the dish simmer until the egg whites lose their translucence.
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