I have always felt that in order to truly enjoy a book, a person must see themselves in some part related to the main character.  Big or small, the relation causes you to connect to them and care about their resulting fate.The story of Julia Child  in her biography My Life In France gave me an opportunity to read about the famous cookbook author’s introduction to the world of French cooking.  Once Julia found she had a love and talent for cooking and wanted to share it, she said her goal in cookbook writing became “writing these recipes for myself.  And I was the type of person who wanted to know everything about a dish – what worked or didn’t, why, and how to make it better – so that there would be no unsolved questions in our master recipe.”

Yes, I can relate.  That aspect of Julia’s cooking ‘personality’ definitely hit home, as I am always experimenting with my most frequently made recipes to find ways to make them ‘the best’.  Something as simple as Scrambled Eggs gets the treatment in my kitchen.  I found out in the book that Julia and I make our eggs very similarly, and they turn out light and fluffy and delicious.

All the experimentation in the kitchen can lead to a situation like the one described by a friend and fellow recipe tester of Julia’s, however, when she writes, “I have now got beurre blanc licked to a frazzle . . . Also have put on 5 lb. which on a figure like mine aint good.  It looks all right, but I like to be able to wiggle freely in my clothes instead of bursting out the seams.”  I can surely relate.

Perfect Scrambled Eggs

from Shortbread

serves 4

Ingredients

• 8 large eggs
• pinch of salt
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon heavy cream or half and half (optional)
• additional salt and pepper, as needed

Directions

1. Heat a large non-stick skillet over low heat.
2. Break eggs into a bowl and add a pinch of salt. Gently mix with a fork to blend yolks and whites together.
3. Add butter to skillet and swirl around to coat bottom and sides of pan.
4. Pour eggs into skillet and let sit over low heat for 2-3 minutes until bottom starts to set. Use a wide rubber spatula to lift eggs up from underneath and turn them, breaking them up slightly.
5. Cook and stir gently until eggs are firm but still a little moist. Remove from heat and add cream or half and half to the pan, if desired, stirring once more to combine. Sprinkle with additional salt and pepper to taste.
6. Serve immediately.

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