Chef Palak's Fancy, Fluffy Scrambled Eggs

Chef Palak Patel elevates the everyday egg with creme fraiche and caviar.

Epicurious' 4 Levels series features amateur and advanced cooks preparing classic dishes alongside a professional chef from the Institute of Culinary Education and a food scientist. In the latest episode, Chef Palak Patel prepares an upscale take on scrambled eggs — served in the eggshell.

By Palak Patel — ICE Chef

A New York City chef known for Indian and plant-based cuisine, Chef Palak changed careers from marketing, trained at ICC and gained cooking experience traveling around the world to more than 50 countries. She won "Chopped" and "Beat Bobby Flay," competed on "Food Network Star," and spent time as a personal chef and cooking school teacher. Read more about Chef Palak.

February 19, 2020

"My scrambled eggs have a very unique technique — the eggs never hit a pan," Chef Palak entices, challenging us to see if we ever make the go-to dish with a pan again. She uses an egg topper and paring knife to present her recipe in a picture-perfect eggshell vessel, and stabilizes her cream mixture with a secret ingredient: vodka.

Watch the video to see her demonstrate the techniques to achieve airy, soft eggs, and get the complete recipe below.

Recipe

Scrambled Eggs

Yields 4 servings

Ingredients

2 large farm fresh eggs
6 cups water
1/2 cup creme fraiche
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon vodka
1 Meyer lemon
1 pinch cayenne pepper
Fruity olive oil, to taste
Maldon sea salt
Caviar, for garnish
Chives, for garnish

Directions

Boil water in a small saucepan. Using an egg topper to carefully remove the tops of the eggs and empty into a bowl. Look for the egg whites to be thick, which means the eggs are fresh. If you see thin whites, place the egg into a slotted spoon: The thick part will stay on top while the rest drips through. Add empty shells to boiling water to sterilize, and boil for 5 minutes. Place shells upside down on a wire rack to dry.
Add creme fraiche to a bowl with Meyer lemon zest.
In a cold bowl over ice, add heavy cream, whip gently until soft peaks form. Add the vodka and pinch of cayenne pepper and salt. Gently fold cream with creme fraiche and add to pastry bag with a small tip and set aside.
Use a fork to beat the eggs for 30 seconds. This brings the whites and yolks together and brings a lot of air into the eggs.
Bring a saucepan of water to a boil. Stick a fork into the boiling water and move it around in a clockwise direction to make a whirlpool. Pour the eggs in and put the lid on the saucepan. Count to 20. Turn off the heat and remove the cover. The eggs will have set like a "raft" on top of the water.
To remove the eggs, gently pour out most of the water, then place the eggs in a fine mesh strainer. Place on a plate with a paper towel.
Gently add eggs to the egg shells with a small spoon. Drizzle olive oil, Maldon salt, Top with whipped cream, caviar and chives.

Study egg cookery and specialties in ICE's Culinary Arts program.