Eggs Are A Delicious Meal Any Time Of The Day

“Eggs in the morning? Michael, do I look like an athlete in training?”

That was Huguette’s response when I asked her if she ever prepared eggs for breakfast.

“I serve eggs to the family for dinner,” she said. “Sometimes I’ll order an omelette for lunch, but only in very expensive restaurants where they know how to prepare them. There’s nothing more horrifying than a poorly cooked egg, don’t you agree?”

I agreed.

“Maman had a whole mythology about eggs. She claimed that eggs should never be eaten before noontime. She would permit a rich egg dish midday - eggs baked with sauce in a ramekin, or an omelette, or even fried. But if they were served for the evening meal, they’d have to be lighter.

“She would have the cook make scrambled eggs for Papa if he had had a particularly difficult day, because she claimed they had a soothing effect. I have no idea how she came up with her system, but she was a woman with a particular sensitivity to things, especially the effects of certain foods on one’s psychological well-being.”

Huguette’s attitude made sense. Eggs are soothing food. They make a quiet meal. Why relegate them to breakfast? Who needs soothing before beginning the day?

And what’s more, if one adheres strictly to the current dietary guidelines, why not feature them, make them a special meal? After all, two per week is the limit.

When properly executed, eggs scrambled the French way - “French oeufs brouilles,” (literally, agitated eggs) - bear little resemblance to American scrambled eggs. The result should be small, tender clumps of eggs suspended in an almost saucelike background.

Most people prefer them creamy, with the consistency of oatmeal. Cooked dry, they’re more like small-curd cottage cheese but still springy and light.

Use a small pan rather than a skillet for French-style scrambled eggs. For each egg, add 1 tablespoon water, teaspoon salt and teaspoon butter. Beat mixture lightly, using a wooden spoon for beating, and a whisk for scrambling. Scramble the eggs over low heat, whisking all the time.

When the mixture begins to coagulate and form lumps, begin a little dance of removing and replacing your pan from the heat, scraping the bottom and sides with the whisk to detach the particles that form there.

It’s pointless to cook fewer than six eggs. In fact, the larger the quantity, the better the scramble. If you loosely scramble 6 eggs in less than 8 minutes, you have not done it properly. For richer scrambled eggs, beat in 1 teaspoon cream and 1 teaspoon butter for each egg at the end of the cooking.

Scrambled Eggs with Tomatoes, Shallots And Garlic

Some people fancify the presentation of this dish by serving it in puff pastry shells that they buy from the pastry shop. Or you can serve them on thick slices of buttered brioche toast.

1 pound plum tomatoes

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 cup thinly sliced shallots

2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

2 sprigs fresh thyme or 1/4 teaspoon dried

2 teaspoons salt

Freshly ground black pepper

10 large eggs

10 teaspoons water

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Core tomatoes and cut an X at the tips. Bring pan of water to boil and add tomatoes, in batches, without crowding. Remove tomatoes as skins begin to crack. When cool enough to handle, peel skins and discard. Halve tomatoes crosswise and squeeze out seeds. Dice flesh into small pieces.

Heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Add shallots and garlic and cook and stir 2 minutes. Add tomatoes, thyme, 1 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste. Cook until mixture dries out, about 10 minutes.

Break eggs into bowl. Add half the tomato mixture, water, butter and remaining 1 teaspoon salt. Beat with wooden spoon. Pour eggs into pan and cook over low heat, whisking continuously until desired doneness. Remove from heat. Mix in parsley. Transfer eggs to large serving bowl. Mound remaining tomato mixture in center.

Yield: 4 servings.

Eggs Baked in Madeira Sauce

You’ll want individual ramekins or souffle dishes to present this dish with the importance that it deserves; although easy to prepare, the eggs require a few minutes of the cook’s vigilance.

3 tablespoons butter

2 shallots, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon flour

1/4 cup Madeira wine

1 teaspoon tomato paste

1 cup low-sodium beef broth

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper

1 bay leaf

4 large eggs

4 sprigs fresh thyme

To make sauce, melt 1 tablespoon butter in saucepan over medium heat. Add shallots and cook 1 minute, stirring. Stir in flour and cook another 1 minute, stirring.

Add Madeira and tomato paste and cook another 1 minute, stirring to dissolve paste. Add broth, salt, pepper and bay leaf and cook until mixture thickens and reduces by one-third, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Remove bay leaf.

Meanwhile, bring 1 quart water to boil and set aside. Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in another saucepan or in microwave. Divide sauce among 4 ramekins and place ramekins in 2-quart baking dish.

Break 1 egg into small bowl, then carefully slide it into 1 ramekin. Repeat with other 3 eggs. Spoon a little melted butter over each egg. Carefully fill baking dish with boiling water halfway up sides of ramekins. Place baking dish in oven. Bake at 375 degrees 10 to 12 minutes, or until whites are just set.

Remove ramekins from baking dish and place on underliners. Place 1 sprig fresh thyme on each egg and serve immediately.

Yield: 4 servings.

Omelette Plate aux Poireaux et aux Fines Herbes

Comparing a flat omelette like this one to scrambled eggs with a skin is the only way I can describe what it’s like. You’ll have the most success if you use a 9- to 11-inch Teflon skillet; you want the nice mass of eggs to cook slowly.

1 large leek, light green part only

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup white wine

1/2 cup whipping cream

2 tablespoons butter

10 large eggs

3 tablespoons water

1 teaspoon chopped fresh tarragon

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

1 teaspoon chopped fresh chervil

1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Remove green part of leek, root tip and discard. Quarter light part of leek, then cut quarters crosswise into 1/4-inch pieces. Fill sink with water and add chopped leeks. Remove leek from water and dry on kitchen towel.

Combine tomato paste, salt and wine in saucepan. Place over high heat and boil 2 minutes. Add cream and cook until mixture reduces to saucelike consistency, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and keep warm.

Melt butter over medium heat in 10-inch nonstick skillet. Add leeks and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, break eggs into mixing bowl. Add water, tarragon, parsley, chervil, chives and pepper and beat together. When leeks are cooked, pour egg mixture into skillet. Cook, covered, without stirring, 2 minutes.

Remove cover. Shake pan vigorously in circular motion 1 minute. Replace lid and cook another 2 minutes. Remove lid and shake skillet again and cook 1 minute. Replace lid and cook 1 minute or until center of omelette is barely set.

Remove skillet from heat and remove lid. Invert large plate over skillet. Grab skillet handle with inside of your wrist facing up. Place your other hand on plate and turn upside down to remove omelette from skillet. Drizzle tomato cream over omelette and serve immediately.

Yield: 3 to 4 servings.