French Scrambled Eggs with Truffle Oil & Parmesan...Trying Exotic Ingredients On The Cheap!

I know, they look just like any scrambled eggs...They're fooling you.

I had the absolute best eggs ever!  It's a bold claim but it's true.  This story has several elements so please bear with me and I'll get the to recipe.

I'm cheap, thrifty, frugal, and penny-pinching,  but I love luxury.  How does that work?  Shopping at some unexpected places for high-end finds and low-end prices.  Case in point: Home Goods.  Did you know that besides lovely housewares, bedding, towels, and brick-a-brack, they have some serious condiments?  Things like smoked sea salt, basil oil, quince preserves, and more line their shelves.  If I were looking for a trendy condiment, I'd definitely try them before paying top dollar for that new 'candied pink peppercorn oil*" that's all the rage.  On a recent shopping trip to Home Goods, I scored on Vanilla Bean Paste, Black Truffle Oil, and Saffron.

Which one to use first?  I just received a copy of Tate's "Baking For Friends" new cookbook to review and there's a recipe that calls for Vanilla Bean Paste.  I'm so making it but, for a later post.  Saffron =  Paella!  Since I didn't have everything for an awesome pan of paella, I went with the Black Truffle Oil for my first dish.

I love the flavor of black truffle, especially on popcorn, french fries, and mac & cheese.  Opting for a pasta dish, I decided on working with penne pasta, mushrooms, bacon, and parmesan cheese, finished with a drizzle of the black truffle oil.  Delicious, but this post is about the eggs!

Later, I searched out recipes using black truffle oil.  I found several but, the simplest one caught my eye, Food & Wine's French Scrambled Eggs with Truffle Oil. Eggs gently scrambled with butter in a bowl over boiling water and drizzled with truffle oil...Completely luxurious!

I altered the recipe by adding parmesan cheese, spring onion, and marinaded red pepper flakes.  I also changed the cooking technique by using an omelet pan over a pot of boiling water.  Served with toasted croissant slices and bacon, it has been requested every day since!

Disclaimer:

I completely promise that this is not a sales pitch for Home Goods, World Market, or Tate's.  

They don't know me and they ain't paying me squat!  

*Candied pink peppercorn oil is completely made up...

at least, I've never heard of it!

French Scrambled Eggs with Truffle Oil & Parmesan

Adapted from Food & Wine

Serves 2

4 eggs

2 tablespoons mineral water(yes, like Pellegrino)

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

1 green onion/scallion, chopped

1 teaspoon black truffle oil

1/4 teaspoon salt(I used black truffle salt-purchased at World Market)

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes(I used oil marinated pepper flakes-purchased at a local Asian Grocery)

Whisk eggs and mineral water together in a bowl and set aside until ready to use.  Set an omelet pan/skillet atop a pot of boiling water. (Make sure that the pan bottom fits to cover the pot but, allows the "bowl" of the pan to fit within the pot. I used a 2 quart saucepan and a 8-inch omelet pan) Place the butter in the pan and allow to melt completely, shifting to coat the pan/skillet sides with melted butter.  Add eggs and use a large spoon to gently stir every 2 minutes for a about a total of 6 minutes, adding the Parmesan cheese halfway through the cooking process.  Remove from heat, drizzle with black truffle oil, chopped onion, pepper flakes, and salt.  Serve with toasted bread.