Gordon Ramsay and Bobby Flay swear by adding a little crème fraîche to their scrambled eggs. Alton Brown’s unconventional approach calls for extra mayonnaise and egg yolks.
Ina Garten, however, puts her own Italian-inspired twist on the breakfast favorite.
The key to perfect scrambled eggs is ricotta cheese, the “Barefoot Contessa” star recently told the Wall Street Journal.
“How you cook the eggs also makes a big difference,” Garten said. “If you cook them over a very low heat and add ricotta to give them creaminess and a little texture, it’s a whole different thing.”
She added: “It’s like custard rather than scrambled eggs.”
Garten also recommends adding whatever herbs you have on hand. “I put chives in it,” she said.
His method has one thing in common with that of Ramsay: both chefs rely on gentle cooking to keep the eggs soft. Ramsay adds the cold crème fraîche at the end of cooking to stop the cooking and add richness to the dish.
Garten instead incorporates the ricotta into the eggs while cooking, leaving some small curds visible, according to the Journal.
Her recipe, adapted from her cookbook “Simply Ina”, for four people, contains eggs, milk, butter, olive oil and ricotta.
She heats the butter and olive oil over medium-low heat and lets the eggs, beaten with milk, salt and pepper, sit briefly around the edges before stirring constantly until soft and creamy.
Garten suggests serving the eggs on buttered toast, with chives, parmesan and red pepper flakes.
She also shared other simple tips for elevating everyday dishes beyond breakfast.
For last-minute appetizers, she makes an “emergency blue cheese dip” with blue cheese and mayonnaise, then serves it with whatever vegetables she has in the fridge.
Potato chips, olives, salami and cucumber slices are also on her list of easy-to-go snacks.
For dessert, Garten told the Journal, she’ll buy a cheesecake from a good bakery and make a quick raspberry sauce to go with it.
“No one will ever know,” she said. “You’re relaxed. The dessert is delicious. Everyone is having a good time.”
Garten shares more of her cooking and entertaining tips on her new video podcast, “Happy Hour With Ina Garten,” which she films in her Manhattan apartment.
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