breakfast

Cloud Eggs

Name: Cloud Eggs
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 8 min
Total time: 18 min
Yield: 2
Ingredients: 4 large eggs, whites and yolks separated; 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese; 1 tablespoon fresh chives, finely chopped; Kosher salt; Freshly ground black pepper

Cloud eggs separate the egg into components and treat each differently before recombining them. The whites are whipped to stiff peaks with a pinch of salt, then piled into a mound on a parchment-lined baking sheet with a depression pressed into the center. The mound bakes at 230 degrees Celsius for three minutes until the outside is set and lightly colored, then the yolk is placed in the depression and the whole thing returns to the oven for two to three minutes more. The yolk must go in gently, intact. The whites must be fully stiff before baking or the nest spreads flat and the yolk has nothing to sit in. The finished dish is textured and crisp on the outside of the white, with a custardy layer underneath and a warm, barely set yolk in the center. It is a technique exercise with a functional result. The separation of yolk and white, and the distinct treatment of each, is the entire point of the dish.

Prep: 10 min Cook: 8 min Total: 18 min Serves: 2

Ingredients

4 large eggs, whites and yolks separated
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon fresh chives, finely chopped
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Preheat oven to 450°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Whip egg whites with a pinch of salt using a hand mixer or stand mixer until stiff peaks form, about 3 minutes.
Gently fold in the Parmesan and chives.
Spoon the whites into 4 mounds on the baking sheet. Use the back of a spoon to create a well in the center of each mound.
Bake for 3 minutes until the whites are set and just beginning to turn golden.
Remove from oven. Carefully place an egg yolk into each well. Season with salt and pepper. Return to oven for 3 more minutes, until the yolks are just warmed through but still runny.
Serve immediately — these wait for no one.

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