I am shamelessly in my egg sandwich era, but I’ve never enjoyed packaged bread with a never ending shelf life. Although I could, with little to no convincing, get down with bologna and mayo on two thick slices of Arnold Country White or take my Skippy PB with Welch's Grape Jelly on Wonder bread - all in the name of nostalgia. But, for now, I prefer to keep it classy with breakfast for dinner.

I have always loved a soft scramble, frankly, anytime of day. I’ve said it many times, and I would never retract on the statement, eggs truly are the perfect food. Bright, filling, not heavy, and can be served with nearly any grain, pasta, bread or vegetable. It might seem simple or, even silly, to anyone who cooks professionally, but the art of cooking a perfectly scrambled egg is a true skill - especially for a home cook to master and serve others. When a woman lives alone and finds herself in pain, and needs to cook herself dinner, cue a soft scramble to the rescue. A soft scramble takes a certain level of patience and grace. The ability to let the eggs sit in the pan, moving with them with tenderness and watching the flame so as to not overcook or brown the eggs. A soft scramble is a labor of love. A labor of love with a little cream and butter added, for good measure.

On my second return to Oaxaca, I taught my students to make a soft scramble after they shared some news in our conversation class. Apparently they had eaten many brown, dry, scrambled eggs. I mean, it happens, I guess. Cooking scrambled eggs seems easy, like something that can be done casually and without much time or care, but I told my students the truth. Scrambling eggs is an art and then assembling the perfect egg sandwich, well, that’s also art.

i had the kids begin by whisking 6 eggs with a touch of milk. Once they were airy and light, they would be ready to be cooked. We added a few pats of butter to a large frying pan and placed it over a low flame. The girls were about to experience their first moment with their new friend, patience. I told them we need to allow the butter to slowly melt, teaching them how to pick up the pan and carefully sway the butter side to side so it could slow dance around the circumference of the pan. They did well. The butter danced and created a pool of love over black non-stick teflon, how romantic.The eggs were ready to be added. With a slow pour, the eggs swished into the butter, breaking it apart and spreading wide into the pan, covering the full base. I told them “The trick to perfectly soft scrambled eggs is to cook them low and slow. Now that the eggs are in the pan we wait. We do not disturb the eggs. We patiently observe as they set over the low flame.” The wait was torture as their little hands picked up the spatula and I gave them a soft side eye. They immediately put the spatula back down on the plate. “You see how they are starting to very slightly solidify, now you can pick up the spatula and start moving the eggs from the outer edge to the center in a consistent and gentle motion, stirring and keeping them moving.” They asked, “What’s next?” “Well, that’s it, I said, we do this movement until they are bright, creamy and soft, like a custard. Now we remove them from the heat so they stop cooking. When the eggs sit too long, or sit over a high flame, you get those brown, tough eggs that you don’t like.”

Added to a plump morning bun with seeds, with a touch of homemade hummus, tomatoes, arugula and radish - dressed with salt, a touch of lemon and olive oil, dinner was served. This sandwich was prepared on my own and without the girls. On a recent evening during class, Aida wrote the below answer to our conversation starter class prompt. I hope Aida gets to have many mornings waking up in premium hotels, surrounded by friends and with these very scrambled eggs she now knows how to make. This one’s for her.

Soft Scramble

6 eggs
1-2 T. milk or cream
1-2 T. butter
Salt
Patience

-Whisk eggs with a touch of cream or milk, until light and airy
-Heat a large pan over a low flame, adding the butter and allowing to melt
-Add eggs to the pan and let sit for a moment, slowly begin moving the eggs toward the center of the pan until they begin to take shape and form
-Remove from the heat once they are of a custard like / creamy consistency
-Salt
-Plate and serve
*I made sandwiches, but I generally love my soft scramble plain with a side of toast, enjoy!

A Soft Scramble