As a chef I am constantly asked, “What’s your favorite thing to cook?” Sometimes I am vague with my answer, depending on who I am speaking to and whether I think I may need to cook for them, but when I let myself speak honestly, with no agenda, the answer is 100% without a doubt: BREAKFAST. I love, love, LOVE breakfast. I love eating it, I love making it, I sometimes convince myself to go to sleep just so I can get up and eat it. Now, I am not talking about pouring myself a bowl of cereal and falling in love. That’s not breakfast, that’s being hungry and on a budget. When I say breakfast, I am talking about pancakes, biscuits, French toast, waffles, and of course, eggs. Anyone that knows me knows that I have an obsession with eggs. When I was in culinary school, I was told that there are over 100 ways to cook an egg in the culinary world. Legend has it, those funny tall chef hats you’ve seen, specifically, the 100 folds in the hat (think the little mean guy in Ratatouille), represent the 100 ways there are to cook an egg. The more folds in the hat, the more experienced the chef. So it’s no wonder I love them the way I do, the versatility alone keeps my wandering creativity at its peak. Poached, fried, scrambled, quiche, frittata… my list could keep going and there isn’t really a way I haven’t tried when it comes to this protein packed goodie. Oh did I mention the health benefits?? I won’t. You can google it later, this is not about that. Not saying that I don’t think about those things, because I do, but I’m talking pure pleasure here. The way when you fry an egg and you get the bite of yolk that coats your mouth, its richness covering every last taste bud and you think maybe, just maybe, this is what heaven would feel like. Okay I realize that may be a little dramatic. But hey, if you can’t have that much pleasure from what you eat, then what's the point? So that brings this piece to the even bigger question: What's my favorite way to eat my eggs? Answer: Tortilla. In or on it, doesn’t matter. Huevos or a breakfast burrito, once again, either way. Throw in some green salsa, or better yet, green chile, some cheese, and some avocado and you’ve got my go to breakfast. There’s something so blissful about sliding your fork through the yolk of a perfectly fried egg and taking that perfect bite that combines all those ingredients! If you do it right, the richness cut by the acid of the salsa and the chewy texture of the tortilla is (with the full intention of being dramatic here), heaven. Sure, I like to eat eggs other ways too. I’ll do them plain or with cheese but in a tortilla is my first choice always. My second choice is in a sandwich, but there is a stipulation about a sandwich: If I don’t have French bread or some other type of really great crusty bread, I won’t make it in a sandwich. There is nothing worse than making this amazing egg sandwich and having to put its deliciousness in between mediocre bread. It will ruin it, so you start with the best ingredients and you’ll have the best product (don’t worry I will always tell you when you can cut corners). So with no restrictions, here are the details of my second favorite way to eat eggs. In between two slices of crusty bread (like French that’s toasted or sourdough also toasted). Layer that with peach or apricot preserves, brie, and a little fresh basil, and you have the most amazingly decadent egg sandwich. Given that those are just two ways of over 100 ways to prepare them, you can imagine why I love one of the most versatile foods we have on this planet.
So I am going to give you the easy recipe for my go to breakfast, my #1 egg dish, but first, let’s talk about cooking eggs.
#1: Eggs are a protein, but a delicate protein, please watch your heat. I see so many posts where the eggs look like they have been cooked at a super high heat. This is going to leave you with rubbery eggs. If you have a fried egg and the edges are crispy your pan was too hot-stop it! Just because it’s called a fried egg doesn’t mean we are literally frying the thing to death. If you have scrambled eggs and they immediately sizzle and start cooking in your pan, your pan is too hot. Start at a lower temperature like a medium low. No need to go high right away.
#2: Use butter or some form of fat. When I make scrambled eggs I always put a bit of butter in the eggs themselves. I will put a bit in the pan as well but I think the butter in the scrambled eggs just adds the extra richness. I always add a splash of milk, or better yet cream if I have it, to the eggs. Trust me on this. This will make your eggs creamy and delicious.
#3 Use a non-stick pan with either butter, or some form of fat. A side note here: if you are using a non-stick pan please do not use pan spray. It ruins the non-stick coating on your pan! I also don’t use soap or a scrubber on my non-stick pans, I clean my non-stick pan with very hot water and a rag. Be gentle with the pan and it will not let you down.
So I am going to give you the easy recipe for my go to breakfast, my #1 egg dish, but first, let’s talk about cooking eggs.
#1: Eggs are a protein, but a delicate protein, please watch your heat. I see so many posts where the eggs look like they have been cooked at a super high heat. This is going to leave you with rubbery eggs. If you have a fried egg and the edges are crispy your pan was too hot-stop it! Just because it’s called a fried egg doesn’t mean we are literally frying the thing to death. If you have scrambled eggs and they immediately sizzle and start cooking in your pan, your pan is too hot. Start at a lower temperature like a medium low. No need to go high right away.
#2: Use butter or some form of fat. When I make scrambled eggs I always put a bit of butter in the eggs themselves. I will put a bit in the pan as well but I think the butter in the scrambled eggs just adds the extra richness. I always add a splash of milk, or better yet cream if I have it, to the eggs. Trust me on this. This will make your eggs creamy and delicious.
#3 Use a non-stick pan with either butter, or some form of fat. A side note here: if you are using a non-stick pan please do not use pan spray. It ruins the non-stick coating on your pan! I also don’t use soap or a scrubber on my non-stick pans, I clean my non-stick pan with very hot water and a rag. Be gentle with the pan and it will not let you down.
Simple Huevos 1 egg
1 tsp butter
1 small tortilla (I use flour but have also used whole wheat)
¼ avocado, sliced
1 oz shredded cheddar cheese
¼ cup green tomatillo salsa (you can make your own or use a really high quality tomatillo salsa)
Dash of salt and pepper
1-2 sprigs of cilantro leaves chopped (for garnish)
In a non-stick skillet, on medium heat, heat tortilla for about 1 minute flipping halfway through. Remove from heat and put tortilla on plate. Turn heat down to medium low. (Make sure if you’re using an electric stove to use a different burner, or give it time to adjust the heat!)
In the same non-stick skillet on medium low add butter. Let melt. Gently crack the egg into the skillet, add salt and pepper, and let slowly cook until the white is no longer opaque. This should take about 3 minutes. Flip the egg with either a spatula or (if you’re a bad ass) with the flip of your wrist. Let cook approximately 30 seconds just until you don’t see any more opaqueness but the yolk has not cooked.
Slide egg onto tortilla and top with cheese. Fan out avocado and top with tomatillo salsa and cilantro. You can also add refried beans to this dish, just layer on tortilla before adding the egg and cheese. It adds protein, fiber, and a nice rich bed for the yolk to soak in to.
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