About Chef Glen L. Davis II Expertise I am familiar with a wide array of herbs/spices and techniques from around the world. I can answer questions about how to use spices/herbs, both classical and modern applications; I can also answer questions about substitution and application of herbs/spices.
Experience I Have worked as a chef for about 14 years and have written over 400 original recipes.
Organizations Virginia Chefs Association
Publications V.I.M.S. Sustainable Resources Symposium Cook Book 2004
The Free Lance Star
The Richmond Times Dispatch
Education/Credentials I attended J. Sergeant Reynolds CC where I majored in Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management.
Awards and Honors Virginia Chefs Association "Jr Iron Chef"
Question Chef Davis,
On Sundays we go to a little cafe where I always order
scrambled eggs with home fries because they are so delicious. I can't figure out what makes the eggs taste
so savory, a hint of peppery, do you have any idea what
spices they could be using? Thank you!
Sara
Answer Unfortunately I can not really tell you for sure what is in them; But what I can do is tell you a few of my tips for delicious scrambled eggs.
First off I like to use brown eggs or if you can find them duck eggs. Both of these different eggs have higher fat content than the regular white eggs. Because of the higher fat content they have a much richer flavor. I also like to use "double yolk" eggs. They are usualy hard to find but they do actualy contain 2 yolks per egg, again that gives them a higher fat content.... FAT = FLAVOR.
A way to make a white egg more flavorful is to add either 2 tbsp of whole milk or even better heavy whipping cream per egg. The cream works a little better than milk because it has a lower fat to water ratio than the mik does. You can also try adding a TINY splash of butter milk. This will help to enhance the flavor of the eggs as well, but use it sparingly.
As far as seasoning the eggs salt is a must, I prefer "flake" kosher salt or fine grain sea salt. I also like to add herbs to my scrambled eggs. My favorites are fresh thyme, basil, rosemary or tarragon. When using herbs in scrambled eggs I prefer to use fresh as apposed to dry, the flavor is more pronounced with fresh herbs and they will add a nice green "confetti" look to the eggs. One tip i will share about fresh herbs is to blanch them before chopping them up. Simply boil a few cups of water, dip the herbs into the boiling water for about 3-4 seconds and then dip them into ice water. just pat them dry on some paper towels before you chop them.
The blanching will really "wake up" the flavors of the herbs. Also be sure to chop them fine especially if you are using rosemary.
As far as spices go I like the flavor of white pepper or peppercorn medely, I always use fresh cracked peppercorns because they have a stronger and more sophisticated flavor. You could also thry cayanne pepper, chili powder, or almost any seasoning blend that you like. I would just stay away from seasonings with citrus flavors, but thats just me if you thin that sounds good by all means try it. Play around with different spice and herb combinations there are litterally thousands of ways you can season your eggs.
To make te scrambled eggs light and fluffy I like to whip them in a copper bowl with a wire wisk. Of course you can use any kind of bowl you like I just find that it helps the eggs accept more air when your whipping them. Using heavy cream will also help them become more "fluffy".
The final flavoring I always use is real butter, not that margarine garbage. Using butter adds a great flavor to the eggs, especially if you dont over heat the butter. The temperature I like to cook my scrambled eggs at is 325 F. I also find that it is best to cook them on a flat-top grill. This makes it easier to controll the temperature because they usually have a control that you can use to get them within about 5 or 10 degrees of your target temperature. I also like to cook scrambled eggs just long enough to firm them up, just a few secons after you stop seeing runny parts.
I hope this has helped to answer your question. Please let me know if there is anything else I can help you with and HAPPY COOKING!!
