Scrambled Eggs à la Portugaise

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •10-inch heavy skillet
• •Flexible heatproof spatula or wooden spoon
• •Small saucepan for the meat glaze
• •1-quart porcelain timbale or deep serving bowl
• •Slotted spoon and paring knife

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the tomato concassé

   Score a shallow cross in the base of each tomato. Lower them into simmering water for 20 to 30 seconds, just until the skins loosen, then move them into cold water. Peel, quarter, and remove the seeds and watery pulp. Cut the flesh into small, roughly chopped pieces and drain it on a clean towel. This is concassé: the tomato keeps texture because the excess water and seeds are gone.

   Blanch only long enough to loosen the skins. The tomato will cook in butter afterward, and overblanching turns its edges soft before the sauté begins.
2. 2

   Sauté the tomatoes

   Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a 10-inch heavy skillet over medium heat. When it foams, add the tomato concassé with 1/4 teaspoon of the salt and a pinch of the white pepper. Sauté for 3 to 5 minutes, folding gently, until the pieces glisten and no watery puddle remains, but they still hold their shape. Transfer them to a small bowl and keep them warm. If the tomatoes release too much liquid, lift out the pieces, reduce the juice quickly until syrupy, then fold the tomato back in. Ça se rattrape.

3. 3

   Ready the finish

   Warm the meat glaze over the lowest heat in a very small saucepan until it flows from a spoon in a fine line. Do not boil it; concentrated glaze catches quickly and becomes salty. If it is too tight to pour, loosen it with a few drops of hot water. Fill a 1-quart porcelain timbale or deep serving bowl with very hot water, then empty and dry it just before the eggs are ready. Set the tomatoes, parsley, and glaze beside the stove. The eggs come last.

4. 4

   Scramble over low heat

   Crack the eggs into a bowl, add the remaining salt and white pepper, and whisk only until the whites and yolks are united. Wipe the skillet clean, set it over low heat, and melt 2 tablespoons of the butter without letting it color. Add the eggs and stir continuously with a flexible spatula or wooden spoon, sweeping the bottom and sides into the center. Keep the curds small and the heat gentle, lifting the pan off the burner whenever they begin setting faster than you can stir. Expect 5 to 7 minutes; patience, not a hotter flame, makes them creamy.

   A thin film of egg setting hard around the edge means the pan is running too hot. Pull it completely off the burner and keep stirring until the heat settles.
5. 5

   Finish the eggs

   When the eggs form soft folds but a little uncooked egg still runs between them, take the skillet fully off the heat. Fold in the remaining cold tablespoon of butter and the cold cream; they enrich the eggs and arrest the cooking. If the curds have begun tightening too quickly, set the pan on a cool damp towel and immediately stir in a teaspoon of the measured cream before adding the rest. Ça se rattrape, provided the eggs still glisten. Taste once, then stop cooking. They should be spoonable, not pourable and never dry.

6. 6

   Dish and serve

   Spoon the eggs into the warmed timbale and shape a generous hollow in the middle. Heap the sautéed tomato concassé into that hollow, sprinkle the parsley only over the tomatoes, and draw the warm meat glaze in a fine thread around the eggs. Do not stir the garnish through; the contrast of mild curds, bright tomato, herb, and concentrated glaze is the preparation. Carry it straight to the table. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Plum tomatoes are the sound choice because they carry more flesh and less water. Outside tomato season, use 1 cup (240 ml / 240 g) good canned whole peeled tomatoes, drained, seeded, and cut into concassé. An honest preserved tomato beats a pale fresh one.
• •Look for prepared unsalted meat glaze from a good butcher or specialty grocer. It should taste of concentrated roasted stock and set firmly when cold, not taste like salty bouillon paste. Keep the thread fine; it is punctuation, not sauce by the ladle.
• •Use a heavy skillet and the lowest steady heat you can manage. The cream and finishing butter stop the cooking, but they cannot turn dry curds soft again. Pull early and trust the residual warmth.
• •A warm serving bowl matters more than it sounds. Soft eggs cool quickly, and a cold timbale steals the tenderness before the first spoonful reaches the plate.

Advance Preparation

• •The tomatoes can be peeled, seeded, and cut into concassé up to 6 hours ahead. Drain them well, cover, and refrigerate, then sauté them shortly before cooking the eggs.
• •The meat glaze can be portioned and frozen in tablespoon amounts for several weeks. Thaw one portion and warm it gently while the tomatoes cook.
• •Set the table and ready every garnish before scrambling. The finished eggs cannot be held or reheated without becoming firm, so they should move from pan to timbale to table at once.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 175g)