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Jacques Pépin turns scrambled eggs into an elegant appetizer by preparing and plating them carefully.
The chef shares how he makes creamy, ultra-soft scrambled eggs and serves them in individual spoons with caviar and truffle oil on top.
Even if you don’t serve scrambled eggs at a party, Pépin’s method will show you how to produce the perfect soft scramble every time.
Jacques Pépin’s favorite ingredient isn’t a fancy French cheese or herbes de Provence, though I’m sure he appreciates both. Instead, this culinary legend has declared eggs his “dessert island food” and even said he’d want them to be part of his final meal.
Pépin has shared many of his favorite egg recipes over the years, including a classic French omelet, a less traditional picnic omelet, and the stuffed-and-seared eggs Jeannette, a dish his mother often made for him. The French chef has demonstrated that eggs can be treated with the same creativity and technique we bring to other ingredients in the kitchen. His most innovative example is Pépin’s unexpected yet delicious scrambled-egg appetizer.
In a video posted to Facebook earlier this summer, Pépin demonstrates how to make “scrambled eggs as an appetizer for parties.” If you’re picturing a large plate of scrambled eggs, that’s far from what the French chef has in mind. Instead, he transforms this humble ingredient into an elegant hors d’oeuvre.
To prepare his scrambled egg appetizer, Pépin starts by melting a tablespoon of butter in a small pot. (The pot is important because you’ll be whisking vigorously inside it and don’t want to splash over the sides of a pan.) While the butter melts, he beats three eggs in a small bowl, seasoning them with salt and pepper. Pépin emphasizes that many people don’t beat their eggs thoroughly enough and says you should keep mixing until no streaks of egg white remain.
Once the butter is melted, Pépin pours the beaten eggs into the pot. Have a whisk at the ready, because the second the eggs hit the cooking surface, you’re going to start stirring. Whisk vigorously as soon as the eggs go into the pan to prevent them from cooking too quickly. Pépin explains that the goal is “to get the smallest possible curd.”
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To make the chef’s appetizer, it’s crucial to produce a soft, creamy scramble. Too much heat can cook the eggs too quickly, which won’t yield the tender, almost spoonable results you’re looking for. Pépin recommends keeping a little extra raw egg off to the side so you can add more if you notice the scrambled eggs are cooking too quickly.
When the eggs are set — forming soft curds that hold their shape but aren’t dry, with no wet strings of raw egg — remove the pot from the heat. Pépin transfers them to a glass bowl immediately to prevent the eggs from cooking any further. The chef then pours in two to three tablespoons of heavy cream (yes, after they’ve already been cooked!) and whisks it into the eggs. The result will be ultra-creamy and almost spoonable.
Before plating the eggs at room temperature, Pépin adds one more ingredient: chopped chives, stirred in. (He notes that fresh tarragon would be great, too.) However, it’s the serving setup and garnishes that truly make this dish a party-worthy bite. The chef places dollops of the soft eggs into Chinese-style soup spoons, carefully lined up on a platter. If you don’t have Chinese-style soup spoons, which have a broad bowl and a short, thick handle, you could serve the eggs in shot glasses or atop crostinis instead.
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To finish, Pépin drizzles one or two drops of white truffle oil over each spoonful of eggs, then adds a small scoop of caviar on top. Granted, most of us don’t have truffle oil or caviar on hand. If you’re serving Pépin’s appetizer at a special event, it might be worth splurging on them — when else would you buy caviar? — but you can also make more affordable substitutions, such as a tiny scoop of crème fraîche and a sprinkle of chives.
Even if you’re not hosting a happy hour or dinner party soon, you can still make Pépin’s soft scramble just for yourself. Instead of serving it on individual spoons, enjoy it with buttered toast — and maybe a scoop of caviar.
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