In France as everywhere else, cooks are spending less time in the kitchen and dishes like scrambled eggs and soft-boiled eggs are right in style. In the foothills of the Alps and Savoy in spring, you will find local morels in a brouillade of scrambled eggs, and later in the year, the full range of chanterelles, oyster mushrooms, hedgehogs, and cèpes will be joined together with butter and herbs in one glorious scramble. Serve the eggs with crusty country bread or on a slice of toast.

Serves 4

• 8 ounces/225 g mixed wild mushrooms
• 4 tablespoons/60 g butter
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
• Salt and pepper
• 8 eggs

Clean the mushrooms.  Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a frying pan over high heat. Add the mushrooms and sauté, stirring often, until they are tender and all the liquid they released has evaporated, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the parley and chives and season with salt and pepper. The mushrooms can be cooked an hour or two ahead and left at room temperature.

If necessary, warm the cooked mushrooms. To scramble the eggs, whisk them in a bowl with a little salt and pepper. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a heavy saucepan over low heat. Add the eggs, and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until they begin to thicken. This should take at least 5 minutes. Continue stirring, lifting the pan from the heat as necessary so the eggs thicken smoothly and form quite small curds. In France, scrambled eggs are served soft, but you may prefer them almost set. When cooked to your taste, stir in the mushrooms. Taste, adjust the seasoning, and serve at once on warmed plates.

photo by France Ruffenach
Excerpted from THE COUNTRY COOKING OF FRANCE
by Anne Willan, Chronicle Books, 2007.