Over the summer, my daughter and I ate at a café in the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Once the famed spot of immigrants beginning a new life, now the gentrifying area takes in young kids trying to begin a new life. And next door to Russ and Daughters, traditional Jewish appetizer store (which means lots of smoked fish) sits Good Thanks, a café which has the best scrambled eggs that I’ve ever eaten.

Oddly, not knowing that I was going to write about these eggs this week, my daughter happened to go there for brunch last weekend, so I was able to get this handy picture.

Scrambled eggs are a food that if you like, you probably have a certain way that you want to eat them. I happen to like mine soft and fluffy. These are the perfect example of ethereal scrambled eggs.

But anyway…

Since I ate these eggs, I have been trying to recreate whatever magic they put into them.

Which means I’ve eaten a lot of eggs, with some results being better than others.

I haven’t exactly recreated the beauty of sitting in an outdoor cafe, sun at my back, taking bites of the rich yet light slightly peppery, slightly salty, creamy decadence that these mere eggs have become. (serious kudos to food reporters who are able to describe what food tastes like because it’s harddddddd)

But…

I’m getting there.

First of all: creme fraiche. I mean the real stuff that is probably three times the cost of sour cream, but no lie…the slightly thicker, slightly less sour of creme fraiche is clearly one of the keys. I mix the cf a little bit before I add the eggs. First off I think it takes out the initial chill, and secondly I don’t have to whisk the eggs as much.

Speaking of whisking- use a small one. It’s all about delicacy. Forks need not apply.

Sea salt and just a crack of pepper into egg mixture.(you add more pepper upon completion)

Small non stick skillet, but you still add butter to the pan. The buttery taste is something that you want- so make sure bottom of pan is coated…

The lightest of flames under the pan. If I could heat the pan using a low wattage blow dryer I would: that’s how low I want the flame. You want these eggs to cook slowly.

Put egg mixture into barely warm pan. Let them set for about five seconds. Then you slowly push the mixture into the center, letting the runny parts of the egg escape into the pan. You gently keep doing this so the eggs in the pan start to resemble a rose.

Do not flip the eggs!!

you cook them through by slowly releasing the loose parts to the pan…

Cover them briefly at the end to give them a finish…

It’s not perfect, but I’m going to keep trying.

Now I know you’re asking yourself: Does LA really want us to recreate the eggs the way she likes them?

Nope.

Make your eggs any way you want to.

What I want is for you all to just keep going.

I want you to figure out what you need to do to get you to tomorrow.

Other parts of the country, the world, are experiencing what I felt back in March and April. And it sucks. My friends from other parts of the country were texting yesterday about how bad their areas are getting, and I had nothing positive to add. I can empathize, but that doesn’t do anyone who is in the moment one bit of good. Everyone’s personal experience and viewpoint are different…and frankly, I’m not ready to relive these memories especially as they can reoccur at any time…

But…

You just have to keep going, trying, doing… Whatever it is that makes you smile…just keep trying. Get a goal in mind and just do it…keep your head and your heart going…figure out the ingredients, check your utensils, find the right temperature…and do what you need to in order to get to the place that you want to be.

Because then you realize that the destination might not be the most important thing…that the way we handle the journey means more…

73 thoughts on “My Egg Challenge”

  20. Honestly those eggs look piped. Me I crack eggs in a medium high pan with chopped sweet onion, minced garlic and spinach, then mix all together in the pan as it’s cooking…Far from creamy, but that’s just me. But I will agree avocado and eggs is divine. I prefer over hard but sometimes in the mood for over easy eggs Benedict

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  22. As far as food is concerned, I’ve perfect my homemade pizza and dessert coffees, among other dishes. But those eggs . . . ethereal is the absolutely best way to describe them and I must try it now.

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  25. I’m not a huge egg fan and I can’t do dairy, but, I like the description of your method…..creating a “rose”. I will have to try that the next time I do eggs. What I mostly like is your overarching theme of finding interesting things to get you through these tough times. 🙂

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  26. Scrambled eggs are just about my ultimate favorite food! So I’m thinking two things.
    1. I’m coming to NYC to eat eggs with you.
    2. I’ll be trying your scrambled egg cooking suggestions.
    ❤️

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  28. I love scrambled eggs! Adding red peppers, onion, cheese and ham makes them “special eggs” as Entrepreneur calls them. 😃 I call that a deconstructed omelette.
    …the destination might not be the most important thing…that the way we handle the journey means more… That is a beautiful way to look at what we’re going through right now. And, this mindset applies to all our journeys. Our struggles and challenges refine our character and reveal so much about ourselves. Here’s praying your journey leads to a wonderful destination! xoxo

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  31. I like what I like, but have abandoned the pickiness of my childhood. It was fun to read about your journey to make perfect scrambled eggs. I am glad they are not on the ever-changing “bad for you” list anymore. My favorite eggs are New Mexican style huevos rancheros. The eggs are a backdrop for the green chile (or red, if you prefer) sauce. I agree (and this goes back to motorcycle riding) that the journey is more important than the destination. At the same time, however, we need to read history and guard our freedom carefully.

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  32. I generally see food as sustenance. Maybe that’s because I don’t really like to cook and, especially recently, don’t have the patience to try to perfect any recipe. I stopped cooking quite a while ago because I felt my family didn’t appreciate any new dishes that were appealing to me and that I tried on them. They generally preferred the simple, tried and true. If there’s a certain entree that I really like, want or crave, and oddly most are egg based dishes, then I go to a restaurant where I know I have a good chance of procuring this dish prepared by a professional.

    As far as the way most of us are feeling these days i.e. nowhere to go and no progress being made, I’ve observed that this feeling is more applicable in cities than rural areas. Probably it’s just that, especially now, there is just more freedom and opportunity in the wide open spaces, especially since social distancing should be a lot easier to accomplish out there!

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    1. It’s true about rural communities. One of my best friends lives rural and they’ve experienced almost no change in behavior or patterns except maybe delayed shipments

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