The Secret to Making Perfect Eggs, According to Lucky Peach

Lucky Peach
Photo: Courtesy of Clarkson Potter

As you may have heard, the beloved food magazine Lucky Peach will soon close. It's a great loss, but before Lucky Peach officially bids us all adieu, it has a few final tricks still up its sleeve. This week, one of those tricks, a swan song of sorts if you will, was released. All About Eggs is a cookbook that gathers the best and the brightest egg recipes that exist today. Excerpted below are three such recipes, each of which is from one of New York City's top chefs. First up, Buvette’s steamed scrambled eggs, which the cozy French restaurant is known for making with an espresso machine. Next, Daniel Boulud’s Omelette Farcie. The “stuffed omelet,” which is filled with scrambled eggs, is a complex dish, and is not something that Boulud serves in any of his restaurants. Finally, Michael Anthony of Gramercy Tavern shares his take on traditional Japanese tamagoyaki. Anthony’s choice of recipe may come as somewhat of a surprise, but as he explains to Genevieve Ko in the book of his time in Japan, “I was interested in learning how people ate at home, from a cultural perspective as well as a culinary one. . . . I’d go to my friend’s house and she and her friends would teach me the basics of home cooking. Tamagoyaki was the first dish they taught me.” Fitting perhaps then, considering that Lucky Peach has been consistently bringing recipes into our own homes for the last six years.

Buvette’s Steamed Scrambled Eggs

Makes 2 servings

4 large eggs 2 T butter, cut in two salt and freshly ground black pepper soft cheese (optional) chopped herbs (optional) crème fraîche (optional) smoked salmon (optional)

  1. Crack the eggs into a porcelain pitcher. Using a fork, give the eggs a quick scramble, making sure to puncture all the yolks. Add the butter.

  2. Using the steamer attachment of your espresso machine, submerge the wand into the egg mixture in the pitcher. Open the valve and steam the eggs, moving the pitcher in a circular motion, until curds start to form, 60 seconds or so.

  3. Spoon the eggs onto two plates and season with salt and pepper. Top with cheese, herbs, crème fraîche, smoked salmon—anything you like, really!


Daniel Boulud’s Omelette Farcie

Makes 1 omelet (2 to 4 servings)

8 eggs salt and freshly ground white pepper 3 T cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes 3 T super finely sliced chives, plus more for garnish clarified butter

  1. Beat 5 eggs with a fork to blend, season with salt and white pepper, and beat again to mix. Don’t beat any foam into the eggs. Set aside.

  2. Bring 2 inches water to a steady simmer in a saucepan that will hold a large metal bowl snugly.

  3. Whisk the remaining 3 eggs in the metal bowl to break, then whisk in a pinch of salt and a twist of pepper. Set the bowl over the simmering water and whisk constantly, adjusting the heat to keep the water just simmering and to prevent the eggs from curdling too fast. The eggs will foam on top, then the foam will subside and the eggs will start to thicken and become opaque and creamy. This process will take 20 to 30 minutes. You will whisk them steadily and constantly the entire time.

  4. Once the scrambled eggs coalesce and form tiny curds—they’ll resemble a loose porridge—remove the bowl from the saucepan and immediately add 2 tablespoons of the cold butter to slow the cooking. Whisk in the butter until melted, then fold in the chives. Set aside.

  5. Heat a 12-inch black steel or nonstick omelet pan over medium heat until hot. Add enough clarified butter to the omelet pan to coat the bottom and the sides, then add the remaining 1 tablespoon cold butter. As soon as it melts, add the reserved beaten eggs. Swirl to coat the bottom and ½ inch up the sides of the pan. Let stand until the edges are just set, then immediately pull in the edges with a fork and beat the eggs by moving the fork in a circular motion while vigorously swirling the pan in the opposite direction. When the eggs are barely set but still runny, slam the pan flat against the stove grate.

  6. Use an open palm to forcefully rap the pan’s handle near where it meets the pan. The egg should slide and roll a bit. Repeat the tapping until the egg has rolled three-quarters of the way. Spoon a line of the scrambled eggs onto the open flap, leaving 1 inch on all sides. Tap the pan again for the final roll, then flip the omelet onto a dish, seam side down.

  7. Drape a clean kitchen towel over the omelet and gently encourage it into a torpedo shape. With a sharp knife, cut a slit down the center, leaving 2 inches uncut on both ends. Use the tip of the knife to carefully open the slit an inch wide, and spoon the remaining scrambled eggs in and on top of the slit. Garnish with chives and serve immediately.


Michael Anthony’s Tamagoyaki

Makes 1 omelet (2 to 4 servings)

5 eggs 3 egg yolks 2 T sugar 1 tsp. kosher salt 1/2 cup Dashi (recipe follows) 2 T white soy sauce, plus more for serving 2 T fresh mitsuba leaves or flat-leaf parsley leaves, finely chopped grapeseed oil daikon radish, peeled baby green radish (optional), peeled baby white turnip (optional), peeled and trimmed microgreens (optional)

  1. Mix the whole eggs, yolks, sugar, and salt in a medium bowl with chopsticks until well blended, but not foamy. Mix in the dashi and soy sauce until incorporated, then stir in the mitsuba or parsley.

  2. Heat a well-seasoned 8-inch square copper makiyakinabe or 10-inch nonstick or cast iron pan over medium heat. To check if the pan is ready, draw a line of beaten egg in the pan. It should coagulate on contact. When the pan’s ready, soak a paper towel with oil and rub a generous coating all over the bottom and sides of the pan. Pour in enough egg to form a thin layer, swirling the pan to evenly coat the bottom.

  3. Cook the eggs, tapping down any bubbles with chopsticks, until the bottom is completely set and golden brown and the top is glossy. Pick up one far corner of the egg and pull it in 2 inches and fold it over. Repeat on the other far corner so that there’s a 2-inch strip of golden brown egg folded over the remaining omelet. Let it set for a second, then grip the center of the fold with the chopsticks and gently lift and roll it over while pushing the pan away from your body and bring it back more gently in a circular motion. So, you’re simultaneously pulling the egg toward you while rotating the pan away from you. Repeat until the omelet is fully rolled and snug against the handle-side of the pan.

  4. Gently scooch the roll to the far side of the pan and press it firmly against the side. Soak the oiled paper towel again and lube the pan, letting oil seep under the roll. When the oil’s hot, add another thin layer of egg. Lift the roll to let the wet egg run under it. Once this layer is set, repeat the rolling and rotating technique. Keep adding egg and rolling until all the egg is used up. Be warned: the rolling gets harder with each layer as the roll gets heavier.

  5. When the roll is complete, carefully turn it out onto a sushi mat. Wrap the mat around the roll and press it gently, squaring off the edges. Transfer the roll to a cutting board and cut it into 1-inch slices. Transfer to a serving dish. Tamago also tastes good cold or at room temperature, though it is best hot.

  6. To garnish, grate the daikon on a Japanese grater or fine Microplane. Squeeze out any excess liquid, then press into a little snow hill on the dish and drizzle with soy sauce. If using, cut the radish into paper-thin slices and the turnip into wedges. Arrange on the plate like a zen garden with the microgreens and serve.


Makes 1/2 cup

2-inch square of kombu 2/3 cup water 3 T loosely packed katsuoboshi (dried bonito flakes)

  1. Simmer the kombu and water in a small saucepan for 20 minutes. Remove from the heat.

  2. Discard the kombu and add the katsuobushi. Stir well and let stand for 15 minutes. Strain through a strainer into a bowl.
