More than seven years ago I attended my first ever cooking class. Actually, it was a week long “Introduction to Cooking” class at the Institute of Culinary Education (ICE). My husband (then fiance) was studying in New York and that time I visited him he had accepted a summer internship which meant long days (and nights) at his new office. I was starting to take an interest in cooking and decided a crash course at ICE would keep me occupied during the day.
The course was spread over five days – each day a new technique was introduced – for example pan-frying, braising, roasting, baking etc. The first hour of the usually six to seven hour class was having our instructor talk through the logic behind why a certain technique was used for cooking. For instance, pan frying was used when you wanted to cook something very quickly, usually reserved for the more “expensive cuts” or fish. Braising was used to ensure a very tough piece of meat was cooked long enough to break down tough connective tissue and usually reserved for the “cheaper cuts”.
I still remember how in awe I was when our instructor would take us around the kitchen and show us different ingredients and equipment.
On the second day she gathered us around the kitchen and showed us a basket of freshly picked herbs. There were over ten different herbs that day and she asked for each one:
“Can anyone tell me what this herb is?” she asked.
Believe it or not, I could not identify a single one! Everyone else in the class was so switched on and I could only wonder how they managed to identify each herb with ease.
Finally, she took out one that I thought I almost recognized. It was a dark green herb, long and slim. “Scallion!” I shouted. Finally glad to have contributed to the day’s discussion.
“Actually, very close, from the same family, but these are chives” replied our instructor.
Even the one I was fairly certain of, I got wrong!
That day, after class I decided that I would stay back and ask Ms. King to help me identify each and every herb and in order that I wouldn’t forget, I drew each one in my little notebook, certain that I would never again forget.
The only thing that I didn’t realize is that when I got home, I guess in part due to my really bad drawing skills, almost all the herbs looked exactly the same!
In was only years later, with constant practice, that I managed to learn and identify every herb by heart.
Another thing I learned in Ms. King’s class was how to make scrambled eggs, french style, with soldiers. That day she took out an egg topper and showed us how to cut the tops of eggs so that we could re-use them and fill them with scrambled eggs. I think that day’s lesson may have been how to use the stove top and so she taught us how to scramble eggs over a bain marie. While the resulting eggs were fantastic, I honestly taught that the extra 20 or so minutes spent watching the eggs turn into a soft and buttery mass was not worth the effort.
What was worth the effort though were the adorable and buttery “soldiers” that was used as a “spoon” to dunk into the scrambled eggs.
On our last day I learned that our instructor, Ms King, had written a cookbook called Fish. I asked her if she could kindly sign my copy.
“Sure. Is there anything in particular you want me to write?” she asked.
“If you wouldn’t mind, could you put ‘To my best student’?” I replied.
She just gave me a big laugh and said to collect the book after the class.
At the end of the class, I collected my book, and found she had kindly written the dedication I asked for!
Scrambled Eggs with Caviar and Buttery Soldiers
Recipe (serves 2)
- 4 fresh eggs
- 1 teaspoon chives
- 3 tablespoons milk or cream
- large dollop of butter for the scrambled eggs and for the soldiers.
- salt and pepper to taste
- dollop of caviar for topping (optional)
- 4 slices of white toast, edges removed, and cut with a serrated knife into 4
- Using an egg topper, cut four eggs open and empty the contents onto a bowl. If you don’t have an egg topper, I have seen people use a serrated knife before, just be careful when doing so.
- To clean the egg shells, bring a pot of water to the boil and carefully submerge each shell for a few seconds. Remove and allow to dry.
- Now, lightly beat the eggs, chives and cream into a bowl.
- In a pan, heat the butter until melted and quickly add the eggs.
- Over low heat, gently stir the eggs until they come together in a soft mass. Be careful not to overcook the eggs (as they won’t taste as good and they will be difficult to spoon back in to the shells)
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Spoon the eggs back into the shells and top with some caviar.
- To make the soldiers (this can be done before the eggs are made), heat some butter in a pan and then add the pieces of toast. Heat the toast until nicely browned and then remove the toast, add more butter to the pan and heat the other side.
This looks soooo yummy! Thanks for sharing. I just might make it tonight.
Amazing presentation, i wonder how to cut the egg with egg topper, i have no idea what a egg topper, could you take a pic for me so that i try to buy one for this egg, in addition, soldier is a piece of roasted bread, isn’t it?
Thanks for sharing, kp
Usually I just skim through these blogs and only read ones that -jump- out at me and yours did. Thanks for it – it is actually a real good read! Do you have a subcribe area so I can link to it to read again another day? Let me know – thanks.
Hannah
*phew* I’m not the only one who doesn’t know my herbs =]
this egg looks so good! Such a shame I’ve laready had breakfast or I would make it right now!
Wow – This looks super delicious! Love your blog. // Jennie
Have you been playing around with dark background? Cuz this looks amazing!!!!!
Wooo looking sooo good!
I know I want to try cooking something like this, but I’m too clumsy to handle fragile egg shell LOL
Such beautiful photography!! I always enjoy your blog, though I’m somewhat jealous that I cannot figure out your photography lighting tricks. Any tips?
You are too good! Something so simple made so luscious! genius!
I live a few blocks from ICE and have seriously considered going there for culinary school. Sadly, the cost is a bit of a deterrent. But someday…
These egg pictures are so pretty and very creative presentation!
Gastronomically envious experience Triss. Love how beautifully you shared it. Beautiful pictures … GORGEOUS post!
{HUGS}
..err, I mean I can totally relate with you..I can’t identify most herbs too..:)
How elegant Trissa..picture perfect! I hope I can make this someday, maybe on a very special day I will, my family would be impressed for sure!! ..I enjoyed reading your story too, I can totally relate with the herbs.. 🙂
Beautiful presentation! I still can’t identify all the herbs =P
I am SO jealous you spent a week at the ICE! I was thinking of doing a couple months in cordon bleu this year but a surprise job opportunity derailed my plans.. sigh…
This dish you made is just SO beautiful I can’t take my eyes off the pictures. Wow.
The presentation of scrambled eggs is very unique and gorgeous. You’re so keen to learn cooking, no wonder your dish is so tempting.
This is the most sophistticated scrambled eggs i’ve ever seen. The egg container, the caviar ahhh… I want to surprise my family with this food presentation… i’m excited to see their faces hehehe! I hope I’m not gonna break the egg… Thanks for sharing Trissa!
OK..OMG again. I’d like this for breakfast, lunch and dinner and the chocolate pistachio pillows for dessert. BTW, your photos are spectacular!
This looks so professional! Scrambled eggs is such a simple dish that so many do badly because they don’t pay enought attention to the process…unlike you who has done these eggs proud! I love softly scrambled eggs…and with caviar? Pass me one of those toast soldiers! 🙂
This is a work of art! always admired your food styling and photography 🙂
Lol I love that Trissa! “To my best student”. How fun. I find it hard to believe you couldn’t identify an herb at the time. I know we are start somewhere, but I just assume you were born knowing all this stuff lol.
Laura
I love this post, so funny! I bet you were the best student 🙂 And I love your scrambled eggs. I’ve never heard of egg topper. I should buy it and try to server scrambled eggs in egg shells. So cute! 😉
Wow, this egg with caviar look so pretty…I am sure that taste exceptional…nice pictures!
I am amazed at your presentation! It’s so beautiful, but so simple. I can’t wait to try this! Why is the toast called “soldiers” though?
Great story!
Sounds simple yet look professional! Talk about herbs, they just blow my mind. Like you said, they all look the same to me initially. Thank goodness I have learned some. My favourite ones are coriander and mint.
Hee hee, I wonder why she laughed 😉 I love dishes like these – I’m not a big yolk fan but I’m slowly getting converted. Also, I’m slowly getting used to all the different herbs too!
very cute! however.. this is very inconvenient for me to eat (cos i usually eat 3 eggs at a time haha) so id prob prop it onto a nice plate or something 🙂
just looking at the eggs in an eggshell makes me hungrier cos its so small
Looks like another of your wonderful recipes. I recently made your recipe for Vanilla mousse with Berries. It was absolutely gorgeous.
Thanks Trissa for your inspiring blog.….beautiful stories (shows a woman with true depth and sensitivity), stunning photography, and truly sensational recipes.
Simply THE BEST!
Angela
You………..you,………….you…………..I have caviar in my fridge but I haven’t so much as dreamt of anything as stunning as this to make. Superb!
Wow. Not only visually beautiful, but I bet it tastes divine! I am so impressed!
Ms. King can easily say you are the best!
A very elegant presentation, Trissa!! We also eat solders with our eggs in the morning, here in Belgium. To dip them into the goeyee egg,…
MMMMMMMMM,…
I just gave you an AWARD!!! yeah!!
How pretty! The simplest foods are the best. It is luxurious!
Very elegant presentation and I’ve always wanted to learn how to cut the tops off eggs so neatly!
mmm…fancy toast and soldiers! they look delish! nothing better than eggs with tiny eggs on top!
that looks fantastic! oh man now i really want to eat some eggs
I wish I could just take cooking classes again! I miss doing things like that! Lovely looking eggs! The caviar is the perfect topper!
Oh what an interesting presentation! Unique and beautiful!
This looks absolutely divine! I’m just imagining how luscious it must be to spread the egg onto the buttery toast.
They look delicious!! So cute – a Sunday breakfast made posh with a little bit of effort – I love it!! 🙂
I’m going to my first ever cooking class tonight and I’m very excited – my mother-in-law and I are going together – Modern French Cooking…
This looks so beautiful. This looks like something yo would get in a fabulous hotel. REally gorgeous!
Hope you have a wonderful Valentines day.
*kisses* HH
This looks awesome! I could never think of such a creative egg dish. I’m a big fan of egg and this will be a wonderful surprise to everyone I invite for breakfast. And you make me hungry with these splendid pictures!
Trissa, you rock! I know about half of my herbs. I’m sure if (when?) I ever get a pot to grow some in, I’ll learn them better =D. This looks stunning! I never thought about there being different styles of scrambled eggs, but these sure sound heavenly!
I’m sure if she saw what you’re cooking now and your wonderful blog – you’d definitely be her best student!
Awww. Of course she signed it with what you asked for, who could say no to that? You may be the most persuasive person I know 🙂 Like with your Tetsuya booking, and when you got the Mamak guy to give you a piece of dough to play with, haha!
Looks absolutely divine!
Don’t be discouraged about your drawing skills…
I still can not read my own handwriting.
Give one hand and takeaway with the other I suppose…
I really love the picture with the egg floating in black… who knew an egg could look mysterious??
Heheh.. “Best Student” eh?! :))) How did you like the rest of the week?
Trissa, you are hilarious!! I always love your insightful, witty, funny posts. And scrambled eggs never did look so goooood! Holy yum!
In fact I still can’t spell “young”.:)
I’ve always loved this presentation..Yours is absolute perfection..Interesting story.. I wonder if I would have known the herbs so youg? I am sure not:)
How interesting, to do a cooking course while on holiday abroad. Is this the school at Soho /Broadway area? I think I have seen one there… The egg looks fabulous, Trissa. So that little gadget is called an egg topper – I have one but never knew what they are called…:)
You had me at scrambled eggs and caviar!
Bonggang-bongga naman ito…it looks so fab!
You and your stories make me laugh. I love eggs. But eggs with caviar YES PLEASE…
Hee hee go the pro drawing skills ^^! The scrambled egg looks divine mmmm esp with a nicely buttered soldier grrr
Egg and caviar with a spoon solider looks so beautiful.
I couldn’t tell which was what when I first stared at all kinds of different herbs….not sure I can tell all of them now.
i used to think i had a pretty sensitive palate for herbs and spices, but after being stumped time and again, i’ve decided i’m a disgrace to the nation of food-lovers. 🙂
great tale and awesome dish. buttery soldiers–that’s one of the best food names i’ve ever heard. 🙂
Soudns like you had a fun foray into the world of food 🙂 Gorgeous eggs!
Haha… Maybe she even really thought you were the best student… 🙂 You did ask all those questions didn’t you? Which – in my eyes – makes the perfect student anyway. I wouldn’t want to have someone who already thinks they now all the answers (but really don’t)
Love the look of your scrambled eggs and those soldiers look gorgeous!
I so badly want to dip in a soldier and eat the eggy goodness! Please, magic of the internet, let this happen!
Such luxurious treatment of the humble egg! I’m sure Mrs King would be proud of you 🙂
Good scrambled eggs can be difficult to find, I have to say. This looks deliciously extravagant, love that last photo!
grabe, looks so yum!
when ben sees this, he will definitely be requesting this version of the softboiled egg!
You are definitely an exemplary and enthusiastic student!
This is too beautiful to eat. I have not idea what a egg topper is… going to google it now. The true fact is I learn a lot about cooking from you too.
They are absolutely stunning Trissa. Very elegant and sexy. I really love a good scrambled eggs and definitely with butter and cream.