...how do you like your eggs ?

I know that there is no difference between brown eggs and the others...
but I grew up with white store bought eggs...
[except for my first 3 or 4 years of life...when we had chickens...]
and when I could first get fresh organic eggs...
as an adult, out on my own...
they were brown... and the die was cast....



I grew up eating eggs,"over easy"...
dipping toast or bacon into the yolk... yumm...
so if it was too cooked, I wouldn't eat it...
I dislike hard cooked yolks to this day...
[reason #1 that I don't eat breakfast sandwiches with egg...]



I like scrambled eggs if they are well prepared...
but more on that later...



in my humble opinion, eggs "sunnyside up"...
are raw...slimy and nasty...
I have eaten them only under duress...
[my host family in the Netherlands
thought it the perfect "American" breakfast...]
I will eat eggs poached, coddled or "over hard"...
before "sunnyside"...



well prepared scrambled eggs are ambrosial...
I first ate them at the Ahwanee Lodge in Yosemite...
then used the Food Network web site...
to figure out HOW to make them...

Ambrosial Scrambled eggs for 2
4 - 6 large eggs[depends how hungry you are...]
using a balloon wisk, whip eggs until they are a frothy pale yellow...
use a tablespoon of cream [or half&half...]...for every 2 eggs...
add to eggs, blend in with wisk...

have a 10" or 12" skillet over medium heat...
take a stick of butter and rub the hot pan surface with it...
the butter should not brown[if it does, pour it out,turn down heat & wait...]
once the butter melts, but doesn't brown, as you move the stick around...
melt about 4 TBLSP of the butter this way...

then add the eggs and cream mixture...
this is the time for freshly ground pepper ...
and salt [Kosher or ground sea...]to your taste...

then...LEAVE IT ALONE...
depending on the size of the pan...
and depth of the egg/cream mix...
it may take a couple of minutes to start to set...
using you spatula, test for setting by going around the edge
of the pan, loosening the mixture as it starts to set...
folding the outsides "in"...

once "curds" form in the pan [lumps of setting egg...]
use your spatula to make continuous figure 8's
in the pan, keeping the eggs moving as they set...
when all the extra moisture seems incorporated...
and you can see pan bottom when you stir...
remove from the heat...[or turn off the gas...]

the residual heat will continue to solidify the eggs...
you DON'T want to see "water"...
then the eggs will be overdone...
"dry"...nasty... what I used to make...

before plating...sprinkle on just a bit ...
of the finely shredded cheese of your choice...
[bits of goat cheese or blue cheese would work too...]
and snip on fresh chives...
[VERY important...]

my favorite accompaniments ...?
farmer-style hash browns, crispy bacon...
and a nice, dense, whole grain bread toast...

UMMMM....

for all those of you who are "health conscious"...
you can use "egg substitutes"...
you can use whole milk, or even 2%...
and you can use olive oil...or canola instead of butter...
but WHY would you ?

better to have 1 or 2 eggs cooked this way once in a while...
and then take a long walk...
than to eat rubbery stuff and feel righteous...

after all, the healthiest way to eat ...
and, really, to do anything...
is to do all things in moderation...



Eggs Benedict...not too bad either...
especially this way...
with spinach...[aka Florentine]
again...in moderation...



that brings us to omelettes...
there's an art to them too...
very much like the scrambled eggs...
except you don't continue to stir after they begin to set...
and you fill them with any number of things...

my preferences are for veggie fillings...
especially onion, bell pepper, mushroom...
with cheese...

spinach or mixed veggie is good too...

the one in this picture is more like a fritatta...
that's an omelette that has the fillings added...
and is then baked in the oven...
sort of like a quiche without the crust...

you can make a stove top fritatta/omelette...
by NOT stirring as it sets at all...
and putting all the fillings into the uncooked egg...
finishing the cooking by covering it or turning it...

and this is a vehicle that can be "streamlined"...
egg substitutes... lowfat milk... oil, not butter...
but here... you can cover it with salsa [or ketchup...]
and you won't notice that the eggs have no flavor...

or, again... moderation...

so, if you ask me...
"how do you like your eggs ?'
I could just point to this art piece....



unless you have a kitchen and the supplies handy ...
to allow me to introduce you...
to the best scrambled eggs you've ever eaten...