Photo by Sarka Babicka
I call these scrambled eggs “loved-up” because of the amount of time, love and care I invest towards their perfect development. It’s a slow process, without the addition of cream or butter, just a generous dollop of butter, on very low heat, and lots of stirring. The lavender pepper is inspired from a similar blend I came across when living in Maui, Hawaii. There was a nearby lavender farm that made delicious edible concoctions with their homegrown herb, which the local goat farm made good use of too, by incorporating their lavender into an unforgettable goat’s cheese spread; which I became rather obsessed with. And so lavender became a regular guest in my kitchen.
If used sparingly, the lavender brings a subtle, floral note that confidently stands up to the bold peppery bite. Whoever did come up with the idea of mixing lavender with pepper is somewhat of a culinary genius.
So here you have it; eggs so good, don’t just think of having them for breakfast, they make for a fine lunch and even a satisfying spring supper.
- 2 tsp of black or mixed peppercorns
- 1 tsp of fennel seeds
- 1 tsp of Aleppo pepper
- 1 tsp of dried tarragon
- Pinch of allspice
- A pinch of dried lavender buds
- 10 medium free range eggs
- 30g/ 1 oz butter
- Place the spices into a spice grinder and pulse a couple of times, until they are of a medium to fine coarseness. Alternatively, add them to a mortar and then use the mortar to crush them to desired coarseness.
- Crack the eggs open into a measuring jug, add a couple of pinches of the spice blend (best to begin with a little as lavender can easily overpower) and a pinch or two of salt and then whisk them together until all the ingredients are well combined and air bubbles have developed.
- Meanwhile, place a non-stick pan on medium heat and begin melting the butter. Do not forget and leave the butter to brown as it will alter the flavour and colour of the end result. Whisk your egg mixture again as you pour it into the hot pan. Reduce the heat to low, allow the edges to set a little bit (about 20 seconds) and then begin stirring. It's important to repeat the stirring at a maximum of 20 second intervals to ensure the eggs are not drying out. You want to avoid that white layer of dry egg mixture that tends to develop on the pan. Make sure you're there ready to stir as soon as it looks like it's starting to develop.
- Continue this process for about 3-5 minutes until the eggs look like they're about to set but still a bit underdone. You want them to still be runny as the heat of the pan will continue to cook them after you remove them from the heat. I prefer my eggs a little wet, so this is the ideal cooking method to achieve them. For drier eggs, don't bother with all the stirring (a few times will suffice) and cook them a little quicker on medium heat.
- Taste the eggs and adjust lavender pepper and salt seasoning if preferred. Serve immediately, with a side of greens, toast, sausage, bacon, or whatever you fancy.
Lavender pepper sounds absolutely delightful. 🙂 I will have to make some post haste. 🙂
These look so delicious! I have used lavender in chocolate but now have found a new a way to use some that I have leftover. Thanks for sharing, the eggs look so fluffy!