Scrambled Eggs from Bobby Flay's Gato

One of my favorite dinner experiences ever was my trip to Bobby Flay's Gato in New York City. The meal was absolutely amazing and the one dish that stuck with me in my memory was the scrambled eggs starter. It's a simple idea: eggs with romesco, goat cheese and a lot of dairy.

Bobby Flay has never published his recipe but I thought that I could do a little guesswork. A little help from the internet went a long way:

Gato Scrambled Eggs

• 1 thick slice of crusty bread torn into 1-inch pieces
• 1 large tomato
• 1/2 cup maracona almonds
• 2 dried ancho chilies
• 3 to 4 garlic cloves
• 2 roasted red pepper bodies
• 2 oz. olive oil
• 2 tbsp. sherry vinegar
• 1 tbsp. smoked Spanish paprika
• two-fingered pinch of kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 2 tbsp. butter, softened
• 3 tbsp. crème fraîche
• 4 eggs
• 6 oz. boucheron cheese, rind removed and cut into small chunks
• 1/4 cup chopped chives

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

On a large baking sheet lined with foil, place the almonds in a single layer on one side, followed by the bread pieces and the tomato. Roast 15 minutes, or until the bread and almonds begin to brown. Remove from the oven and set aside. Place the tomato in a small bowl and cover with plastic wrap for 5 to 10 minutes.

In the meantime, toast the chilies in a small skillet or frying pan over the medium-high heat. The chilies will expand like a balloon while toasting. Turn them every 30 to 40 seconds to toast evenly but not burn. Remove from heat and submerge in hot tap water for 10 to 15 minutes. Drain from the water, trim the ends with a knife or kitchen shears, and remove the seeds. Set aside.

Remove the tomato from the bowl, and peel and discard the skin off the fruit. Combine the bread, tomato, almonds, chiles, garlic, roasted red peppers, oil, vinegar and seasonings in the bowl of a food processor. Puree until there are no more large chunks of bread or tomato. Pour into a bowl and set aside.

In a medium, high-walled mixing bowl, add the eggs, crème fraîche and butter. Beat vigorously with a whisk until the eggs and creme begin to form tiny curds.

Heat a medium skillet over high-heat until bottom of the pan is so hot that you cannot hold your hand over it. Reduce the heat to medium and add the egg mixture. Let the bottom set, then scrape it up with a spatula. Flatten out into an even layer and let the bottom set again before scraping the pan. Repeat until the eggs are just cooked through.

Fold in 2 tbsp. of romesco sauce, the boucheron cheese and half of the chives, cooking until the cheese has melted. Transfer to a medium serving bowl, top with remaining chives and serve immediately.

Story and photos here: http://ift.tt/1QE4PYL

bon appetit