Tuesday Morning

Scrambled Eggs on Toast

It's breakfast time at the ranch and I'm the mood for some eggs.

Lately, I've been really getting into making scrambled eggs. For many years, I just whipped them up in a bowl and then fried them in a pan. The results were usually lackluster scrambled egg pancakes. You know, boring, lame and in need of copious amounts of ketchup to make them palatable.

Happily, things have changed.

Take three eggs (farm fresh, please) and crack them into a heavy pan (non-stick works nicely). Turn on your stove to a solid medium high, but don't put the pan on straightaway. First, cut off a knob of butter. How much? Whatever floats your boat. Really need a measurement? Cut off two tablespoons.

Next, chop some fresh chives. Not too much. Just enough. Maybe about one inch of a small bunch will do. Bust out your always present container of creme fraiche - homemade I'm sure. Don't have creme fraiche? Run to the store and buy some, or sour cream will do in a pinch if you're already famished. Be sure to have on hand a spatula (high temp spatulas are a nice tool to have around the kitchen), a tablespoon and the fabulous duo of salt and pepper.

Drop the dollop of butter into your pan and place it on the heat. Start by stirring the eggs and butter with the spatula. Keep stirring. Break the yolk. Keep stirring. As the pan heats, the eggs will start to cook and cook in little slivers - this is ideal. Keep stirring. Think you're stirring a lot? Maybe stirring too much? Keep stirring. As the eggs cook, take the pan off the heat for a few moments. You don't want the eggs to cook too fast, but keep stirring.

Now, back onto the heat (keep stirring) and keep sitting. Arm getting tired? You're doing it right. The eggs will continue to cook. Before the cooking starts to take off and get away from you, take the pan off the heat. Do this on the heat, off the heat as many times as necessary, but always keep stirring - see why I said to get all your stuff together before you started?

You will reach a point where the eggs are cooked through but still remain moist because of the butter. This is moment of truth. In several swift motions, add the chives, keep stirring, pull the pan off the heat, keep stirring, add salt and pepper, keep stirring and then add one tablespoon of creme fraiche. Stir everything together and you should have cooked and moist scrambled eggs. Viola! You're done.

Now, scoop those eggs onto a nice slice of crusty toast and maybe some breakfast meat with a glass of orange juice and you've got a morning feast.

For todays' breakfast, it was eggs from Springfield Farm, butter and creme fraiche from Vermont and struan bread from Attwater's Bakery.