Steam Scrambled Eggs with an Espresso Machine (or Your Stovetop)

Buvette chef Jodie Williams shares the secret of making her favorite eggs
On a quiet, leafy West Village street in New York City, there's a Buvette restaurant that defies classification. This is a restaurant, cafe and bar all rolled into one. Chef Jody Williams calls it a gastropub. Valentina Rice, author of Recipes for Many Cuisines, believes that it was Buvette's technique of steaming scrambled eggs in a coffee maker that gave Williams the status of a true genius in her view. The chef's inspiration for steaming eggs came while working for Thomas Keller at his Rakel restaurant in New York in the 1980s. One of the signature dishes was a cappuccino with mushrooms, cooked in steamed milk on top of a thick consomme and supplemented with grated black truffles. Imaginatively, Williams began experimenting with the powerful Gottino steamer on her Faema espresso machine. The result is a plate with the most magnificent eggs in the world.Excerpt from recipes from many cuisines: Famous local chefs share their signature dishes prepared by Valentina Rice.Whisk all the ingredients in a tall porcelain jug.Turn on the double boiler of your espresso machine at full power and pour all the water into the cup, then pour it out.Insert the stick into the egg mixture and slowly stir with a fork until the eggs are creamy and soft.Remove it just before cooking (after about 30 seconds), as it will cook a little more on the remaining heat.Of course, not everyone has a commercial espresso machine at home, so here's how to get a similarly creamy result on the stove.Whisk the eggs and salt in a bowl.Put a heavy saucepan on low heat and add half the butter. Once the butter has melted, add the egg mixture.Use a wooden spoon to continuously scrape off the bottom of the pan so that when the eggs start to cook, a new layer of raw eggs will form.Remove the pan from the heat just before the eggs are ready, 5-10 minutes in advance, as they are still slightly cooked. They should be incredibly creamy and just starting to harden.Add the remaining butter and mix well.Serve immediately on sourdough toast drizzled with olive oil. Sprinkle the eggs with fresh grated parmesan cheese, a little salt and a pinch of pepper.