Scramble Your Eggs in a Puddle of Simmering Cream

We don’t generally think of heavy cream as a “cooking fat,” or at least I don’t. To me, it is a drinking fat, a whipping fat, a drizzling fat, and I’m sure it’s all of those things to you as well, but don’t let these cold-temperature applications prevent you from getting heated, especially when it comes to eggs.

Depending on how closely you watch this space, you may have seen our suggestion to fry your eggs in heavy cream. Cream-fried eggs ended up being superb, so it makes sense that J. Kenji Lopez-Alt’s cream-scrambled eggs would also be delicious.

The recipe is paywalled on the New York Times, but lucky for us, The Kitchn outlines the process here:

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Begin by beating eggs, table salt, pepper, and chopped fresh herbs (like parsley, chives, or tarragon) in a bowl until the yolks and whites are completely combined. Set the eggs aside to rest for 10 to 15 minutes. When ready to cook, warm 3 tablespoons of heavy cream or crème fraîche in a small skillet (I used nonstick, although a well-seasoned cast iron or carbon-steel skillet are also recommended) over medium-high heat until bubbling, then reduce heat to medium-low. Pour the eggs into the cream in a slow and steady stream, making sure to cover the surface of the pan. Let the eggs cook for 15 seconds, then stir and fold them to form curds. Once the eggs are cooked to your preferred doneness, remove the skillet from the heat, drizzle in an additional 1 tablespoon of heavy cream or crème fraîche, and stir with gusto until combined. Transfer to a plate and top with more chopped fresh herbs and a few grinds of black pepper.

As you can see, they do not specify how many eggs to use, so I went with three, the number of eggs I always use when making a scramble. I also omitted the herbs, and didn’t let the eggs rest, because my chem degree physically prevents me from changing more than one variable at a time. I wanted to see what the cream could do all by itself, and it did quite a bit.

I started by adding three whole eggs and a big pinch of salt to a jar, then I shook the jar until the yolks and whites were combined. I added three tablespoons of cream to my nonstick skillet, then set it over medium-high heat until it started to bubble. I reduced the heat to medium-low, and drizzled the eggs around the pool of cream until they covered the pan. I let them sit for the prescribed 15 seconds, then scrambled them by making long, sweeping movements with my silicone spatula until they were just set. I transferred them to a bowl, mixed in a final tablespoon of cream, and finished them with some Maldon and white pepper.

These eggs were good. A mass of long ribbons and tender curds, with a creamy, subtle sweetness that was instantly comforting. They feel special, which is appropriate, given how expensive eggs are right now. If you’re going to shell out the cash, you might as well make your scramble as indulgent as possible.