Low & Slow Goat Cheese Eggs

I’m not sure what’s worse than dry scrambled eggs.

I make very few exceptions in regards to my distaste for scrambled eggs and largely because they are often overcooked, becoming rubbery chunks I simply do not find appealing. Two notable exceptions however are 1) Australian Folded Eggs, gifted to my consciousness via The Kitchn and 2) Bobby Flay’s eggs at his now closed New York restaurant, Gato. Although these two dishes are made using differing techniques, what they share is the resulting soft, custardy deliciousness that can be scrambled eggs, when cooked the right way.

Borrowing from Gato’s addition of creme fraiche, goat cheese is mixed into these eggs before they’ve started to cook, and going slow allows you to make sure the eggs come off the heat just when they’ve transformed from raw to deliciously custardy.

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Low & Slow Goat Cheese Eggs

• 4 eggs

• 1.5- 2 Tbsps Soft Goat Cheese, preferably from a log and not precrumbled

• Freshly ground black pepper

• Butter or Extra virgin olive oil

• Sea Salt

• OPTIONAL: sprinkle eggs with your favorite finishers, I like chives and aleppo pepper

Take goat cheese out to bring to room temp.

Whisk 4 eggs together with a few cranks of freshly ground pepper and about ¼ tsp of sea salt.

Over low heat - start a non stick pan with a little pat of butter, or olive oil.

Once butter has melted or oil is warm, add eggs. The pan shouldn’t be so hot that the eggs start cooking when they hit the pan. Add about 1.5-2 Tsps softened, crumbled goat cheese.

With a spatula, start gently mixing the eggs in the pan. The idea is to create folds of softly cooked egg. Continue folding in a circular manner until the eggs are gently cooked with creamy layers in between. Put into a bowl and top with fresh chives and any of your other favorite toppings.

Goat Cheese & Honey Breakfast Toast

One of my all time favorite breakfasts.

If you follow me over on my Instagram, you see me eat this constantly, in a million different ways. The ingredients you can’t do without out? The goat cheese & the honey.

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Goat Cheese & Honey Breakfast Toast

• 2 whole eggs

• 2 slices of good bread, I like a great sourdough

• 1 - 1.5 Tbsps Goat cheese

• 1 ripe avocado

• Maldon salt or kosher salt

• Freshly ground black pepper

• Aleppo pepper or red chili flakes

• Extra virgin olive oil

Take out your goat cheese to give it time to soften at room temperature. Toast the bread in a toaster or in a hot pan with a little bit of cooking fat, flipping after the first side is golden. In a non-stick pan, add olive oil and allow to get hot, waiting until it shimmers.

In the meantime, crack eggs carefully into a bowl, making sure no pieces of shell have fallen in. When your pan is hot add the eggs, being careful not to break the yolks. Sprinkle with a little sea salt and black pepper.

Spread your goat cheese on the warm toast and then place half of a sliced avocado down on each piece of bread.

When the white of your eggs has cooked through almost completely and isn’t looking wobbly, flip the eggs carefully, allowing it cook for just a moment more, and then immediately remove from the heat and place on your toast. If you like a more well done yolk, give it an extra minute over the heat.

Drizzle with honey and sprinkle with my favorite, aleppo pepper, or red chili flakes, and a bit of Maldon salt (kosher salt works here too). Eat promptly while warm and delicious.

Crispy Aleppo Chickpeas

Spicy, crunchy chickpeas with a hint of citrus…

Speckled with the beautiful flavor and color of Aleppo pepper. I will summarize if you don’t feel like reading on: these chickpeas are always a good idea. They have become a weekly staple in my fridge because of their versatility. I eat them on their own. I eat them in salads. I eat them under a fried egg. I eat them in the morning or late at night. Lest this turn into an ode to chickpeas à la Green Eggs and Ham, let’s cut to the chase. You should make these chickpeas … soon.

The key ingredient may require a little forethought: aleppo pepper. While this isn’t a spice most of us have lying around next to the salt and pepper, it absolutely should be. Hailing from Syria and Turkey, this beautifully hued pepper is, according to Healthyish, “…about half as hot as crushed red chile flakes…”. So, bring this dish to your next dinner party and it will easily accommodate both your friends who like heat and those who don’t. Plus it will sound impressive when you announce that it’s your new favorite spice.

I encourage you to be heavy handed on the Aleppo pepper and on the lemon. Let the chickpeas cook longer than you think, giving them ample time to get crispy. Make the dish even more savory by adding some chopped baby bella mushrooms and letting those cook down in the mix — a drizzle of yogurt on top and it’s all dressed to impress. Or make them simply like I did here for a perfect brunch, paired with garlicky kale and a fried egg.

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Crispy Aleppo Chickpeas

• 1 can of chickpeas

• 1 medium lemon

• 3 garlic cloves

• Extra virgin olive oil

• Aleppo pepper

• Sea salt

• OPTIONAL: Kale, eggs, garlic, baby Bella mushrooms, yogurt for drizzling, wildbrine Kimchi Sriracha (available at most Whole Foods)

First make the spicy chickpeas. You can make these in advance and use them for up to a week in salads, with eggs or as a side to any breakfast, lunch or dinner. Reheat them in a pan and serve crispy and warm.

In an 11’ frying pan, heat 2 Tbsps of olive oil over medium heat. Thoroughly rinse your chickpeas in a strainer of all the liquid from the can. Pat dry with a kitchen towel or paper towels. Add clean, dry chickpeas to the pan, patting them down into a single layer. After 2-3 minutes, add ½ tsp of sea salt,1 heaping tsp of aleppo pepper and 2-3 finely chopped garlic cloves. Mix frequently to make sure nothing is burning and to scrape crispy aleppo pepper and garlic from the bottom of the pan. Pat chickpeas back down into a single layer. If your garlic or spices are starting to burn, turn the heat down a little. Cook another 5 or so minutes, until golden.

If you want to add chopped mushrooms, add them now, allowing them to become tender and then adjusting seasoning as needed.

Remove pan from the heat and add juice of half a large lemon and mix, scraping the bottom of the pan.

Serve chickpeas warm on their own, topped with another good squeeze of lemon juice, and maybe a drizzle of yogurt.

For a perfect breakfast, move your cooked chickpeas to a bowl and cover to keep warm. Clean and use the same pan to cook up your garlicky kale and a fried egg.

Clean and cut kale: remove the tough stem by cutting the leaf away from the spine on each side with a sharp knife. Fold leaves and roughly chop.

In your clean pan, heat 1 Tbsp olive oil over medium heat until it starts to shimmer. Add at least 1 large handful chopped raw kale to the pan and let it begin to soften, about 2 minutes, stirring often to cook evenly. To the pan add 2 finely chopped garlic cloves. Cook a few minutes more until wilted, sprinkle with sea salt to taste, then remove from the heat and put on a plate. Again in the same pan, add a splash of olive oil and allow to get hot so you can fry your egg: add egg without breaking the yolk to the pan - it should sizzle a bit when you drop it in. You want the bottom to get crispy and the whites to set, while the yolk remains runny. Monitor the heat so it doesn’t cook too quickly, and use a cover to use the power of steam to set your whites if they’re taking a bit of time. Just keep an eye so you don’t cook your yolk. Gently remove the egg and place on top of greens. Spoon chickpeas onto the plate. Serve with condiments of your choice. I love pairing it with spicy, tangy wildbrine Kimchi Sriracha (available at most Whole Foods).