the recipe

So I'm embarrassed to admit that before this year, I did not own a copy of Julia's Mastering the Art of French Cooking.

The first recipe I tried was her soft boiled egg recipe (or "Oeufs Mollets"). I know this sounds a little nerdy, but I wanted a method that was consistent, despite variable factors such as number of eggs, amount of water or type of stove used.

Tried and true, here is it:

Lower the eggs into the boiling water and boil slowly according to the following table, adding one minute if the eggs are chilled

(* note: her recipe calls for 6 eggs in 2 quarts of boiling water but I've used as little as one egg and the method still works flawlessly!)

US large eggs - 6 minutes

extra large eggs - 6.5 minutes

jumbo eggs - 7 minutes

As soon as the time is up, drain off the boiling water and run cold water into the pan for one minute to set the white and to cool the eggs enough to remove the shells.

Enjoy!

When we were living in Copenhagen this year, we purchased these amazing egg cups designed by Muuto! Only in Scandinavia can they make eating eggs look so stylish!

image by Muuto