Use the Good China Eggs, Homage to Richard Olney

Author Notes

One of my favorite dinners is breakfast. The first few months after my son left for college, my daughter and I played with many variations on the theme. There is a comfort factor to breakfast outside its usual context that I suspect we truly needed because we were so far outside our usual context.

This is a variation I come back to often. For one thing, it comprises staples always on hand. It can be changed up and never suffer: no tomatoes, use mushrooms, or peppers; no basil, use parsley, rosemary, whatever. Not only is it an economy of ingredients, but also of preparation and of washing up. At the end of a complicated day, the last may be its greatest blessing.

And it's easy to eat. You can go outside, balance the plate in your lap, and hold a book. And it goes with whatever wine you have to hand.

Richard Olney. I'm not going to go all Julie and Julia here, but his dictum of simple, magnificent, pleasurable is nowhere more perfect than in his description of how to scramble an egg. If you've not read it, it's well worth hunting down. Brace yourself; it is one of the most sensuous pieces of writing ever. - boulangere

—boulangere

Test Kitchen Notes

I dusted off a china plate and got out one of my silver forks in preparation for these eggs. Boulangere's recipe is so easy to follow; she explains everything step by step, it's like having a private tutor. I had some beautiful heirloom cherry tomatoes and used herbs from my garden, basil, parsley and chives. After cooking the tomatoes and herbs, I fried some bread which soaked up the juices in the pan—so delicious! Then I started the eggs. I moved them around the pan, oh so gently, with a wooden spoon as Boulangere, who had to have channeled Olney, described. I have to admit I have been guilty of overcooking my scrambled eggs and promise I will never do it again. I poured a glass of whatever I had laying around and sat down to enjoy this delicious and satisfying meal that cost next to nothing. These eggs were downright sexy. —sdebrango