A Culinary Surprise from the Past
When it comes to preparing scrambled eggs, a dish celebrated for its versatility, chefs often bring their unique touches. However, a recipe shared by culinary icon Mary Berry in 1975 offered a rather unexpected addition to the classic preparation.
The Vintage Recipe Revealed
Featured in her 1975 cookbook, “Beating The Cost Of Cooking,” Mary Berry’s version of scrambled eggs included a surprising ingredient: sweetcorn. While common additions like cheese, spring onions, or chilli oil are familiar, sweetcorn was a distinctive twist for the era.
Berry’s Instructions for the Unique Dish
Introducing the recipe, Berry described it as “A quick supper dish from the larder shelf.” She emphasized the importance of draining the sweetcorn thoroughly, noting, “Make sure to drain the corn well, otherwise the consistency of the scrambled egg will be too runny.”
The Recipe Breakdown
The vintage recipe calls for:
- Six eggs
- Six tablespoons of milk
- Salt
- Pepper
- 15g of butter or margarine
- 175g of sweetcorn kernels
Preparation Method
The preparation begins by whisking the eggs in a bowl, seasoned with salt and pepper. Butter or margarine is then melted in a pan, and the eggs are added, cooked as one would for standard scrambled eggs, with a caution against overcooking. Just before the eggs reach full doneness, the drained sweetcorn is incorporated and heated through. The dish is recommended to be served immediately on toast.
A More Modern Approach
While this 1970s recipe stands out for its inclusion of sweetcorn, Mary Berry has since shared more contemporary versions of scrambled eggs. A more typical recent recipe involves just eggs, butter, and crème fraîche, seasoned with salt and pepper.
Contemporary Scrambled Egg Technique
For this refined method, butter is melted in a pan, and eggs are stirred in over medium heat. Once the eggs are lightly scrambled, crème fraîche is added, along with chives if available. The pan is then removed from the heat.
Berry explained the technique for achieving perfect results: “Remove the eggs from the heat while they are still slightly runny. They will continue to cook in the residual heat, giving you perfectly soft scrambled eggs.”
