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Here are the absolute best fried eggs. This
method is adapted from the ultra-meticulous French chef Fernand
Point (1897-1955). The Point approach involves gently, slowly
cooking the egg to retain its delicate purity. A technique
that is somewhere between frying and poaching in hot butter. This
technique makes one spectacular fried egg and demonstrates that simplicity
and purity often yield the best dishes of all.
First let's talk about the perfect fried eggs. A French technique that very slowly cooks the eggs in
butter. This method was developed by Master French Chef Fernana Point (1897-1955) at his three Michelin Star rated restaurant La Pyramide in
the 1950’s. According to the book,
The Perfectionist - Life and Death in Haute Cuisine,
By Rudolph Chelminski, Fernana Point's favorite saying was:
"Du beurre! Donnez-moi du beurre! Toujours du beurre!" Point insisted:
"Butter! Give me butter! Always butter!"
In the
first chapter, Luxe, Calme et Volupté,
Chelminski details how Loiseau’s mentor, the
infamous Chef Fernand Point would test visiting
chefs with a challenge to show him how they fried a
simple egg, declaring that the easiest dishes were
often the most difficult to prepare. When,
inevitably, the chef insulted the egg with the
sizzling hot surface of a frying pan, Point would
cry, "Stop, unhappy man - you are making a dog’s bed
of it!" And then he would proceed to demonstrate the
one and only civilized manner of treating an egg.
Very slowly, very gently, and swimming in butter of
course.
Following is Chef Fernana Point's recipe:
Place a lump of fresh butter in a pan or egg dish
and let it melt - that is, just enough for it to
spread, and never, of course, to crackle or sit;
open a very fresh egg onto a small plate or saucer
and slide it carefully into the pan; cook it on heat
so low that the white barely turns creamy, and the
yolk becomes hot but remains liquid; in a separate
saucepan, melt another lump of fresh butter; remove
the egg onto a lightly heated serving plate; salt it
and pepper it, then very gently pour this fresh,
warm butter over it. - Fernand Point
Perfect Fried Eggs - How To Make Perfect Fried Eggs
Now for the modern version (rather my version) of the above recipe:
Recipe Type:
Eggs,
Brunch and Breakfast
Yields: makes 1 serving
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 5 min
Ingredients:
1 fresh large egg*
3/4 tablespoon butter
Salt and freshly-ground black pepper
*
Use the freshest and best eggs you can find.
Preparation:
Very fresh eggs produce the best shape when frying eggs.
Place a small non-stick frying pan over the lowest
possible heat on your stove (if using gas, you should barely see the blue flame.)
Add the butter and let slowly melt, making sure it doesn't foam and is not sizzling
When all the butter has melted, crack the egg into a small
bowl, dish, or saucer (taking care not to break the yolk and to remove any shell fragments).
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Using gas, you should barely see the blue flame.
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Butter in the pan waiting to slowly melt.
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Egg on small saucer.
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Gently slide the egg off the dish into the frying pan and cover with a lid.
Continue cooking approximately 5 minutes until the egg white solidifies from transparency into
snow-white cream; the yolk will thicken slightly as it heats. How quickly the egg cooks is dependent on how low you have the heat.
Do not flip the eggs but leave the egg sunny-side up and natural.
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Egg in frying pan before placing lid on top
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Pan covered with lid.
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After approximately 5 minutes, fried egg is cooked.
Time to remove from pan. |
When your egg is done, slide cooked egg onto a serving plate.
Sprinkle with fresh cracked pepper, salt, and serve.
 Basic Fried Eggs:
Heat a non-stick skillet (or a regular skillet greased with a small amount of butter, margarine,
or cooking oil) at medium heat until just hot enough to sizzle a drop of water. Or use a regular skillet and add a small amount of butter or oil.
Break eggs and gently slip into the skillet.
Immediately reduce heat to low.
Cook slowly until whites are completely set
and yolks begin to thicken but are not hard (turning eggs gently to cook both sides
or adding a small amount of water and covering with lid to cook tops of eggs).
Season with salt and pepper as desired.
Steam-Fried Eggs:
Reduce butter to just enough to
grease pan or use light coating of cooking spray and/or nonstick pan.
In a frying pan over
medium-high heat, heat butter until just hot enough to sizzle a drop of water.
Break and slip eggs into pan.
Immediately reduce heat to low.
Cook until edges turn white, about 1 minutes.
Add 1 teaspoon water (for more eggs, decrease proportion slightly for each
additional egg being cooked). Cover pan tightly with lid to hold in steam.
Cook until whites are completely set and yolks begin to thicken but are not hard.
Remove from pan and season as desired.
Egg Cooking Techniques:
Learn All About Eggs & How To Cook Them -
Lots of interesting information regarding eggs.
Baked (Shirred) Eggs -
In France, this basic methods of baked eggs is called oeufs en cocotte.
Boiling Eggs - According to the American Egg Board, the terms “hard-boiled” and “soft-boiled”
eggs are really misnomers, because boiling eggs makes them tough and rubbery.
Instead, these eggs should be “hard-” or “soft-cooked” in hot (still) water.
Coddled Eggs- Coddled eggs are made by very briefly immersing an egg in the shell in boiling water (to cook in water
just below the boiling point) to slightly cook or coddle them.
Deviled Eggs - Deviled eggs have their roots in ancient Roman recipes with the
first published recipes for stuffed, boiled eggs were from medieval Europe. In the 17th century, this was a common way to prepare eggs. they were not called
"deviled" until the 18th Century, in England.
Fried Eggs - Perfect Fried Egg - A French technique that very slowly cooks the eggs in butter.
Microwave Eggs - How to microwave poached eggs, fried eggs, scrambled eggs, and boiled eggs.
Poached Eggs - The best eggs for poaching are the freshest eggs you can find.
If eggs are more than a week old, the whites thin out. Whites of fresh eggs willgather compactly around the yolk, making a rounder, neater shape.
Scrambled Eggs/Omelets - Scrambled eggs make a delicious and quick meal, but there is a little science to getting them just right.
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