Carles Abellan, chef-owner of Comerç 24, a designer tapas bar in Barcelona, is nuts about eggs, treating them to all kinds of whimsical preparations. His revueltos—sometimes featuring truffles, other times caviar or cèpes—are presented in hollowed-out eggshells nestled in an egg carton. The trick is wonderfully simple to reproduce at home; all you need is a cardboard egg carton that holds six eggs. It never fails to bring smiles to people’s faces, making an adorable little tapa. For a more casual meal, the revuelto is delicious served on plates with a simple green salad, though you will probably want to double the recipe. If you happen to have truffle oil, a few drops will make the revuelto truly luxurious.
Ingredients
- 6 jumbo brown eggs
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, or more if needed
- 2 medium-size garlic cloves, crushed with a garlic press
- 6 ounces assorted wild and cultivated mushrooms (porcini, chanterelles, cremini, oyster, and/or morels), trimmed, wiped clean with a damp cloth, and finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh chives
- Coarse salt (kosher or sea) and coarsely ground black pepper
How to Make It
- Prepare the egg cups: Hold an egg, pointed end up, in the palm of your hand. Invert an empty spice bottle on top of the egg and secure it with the thumb and forefinger of that hand. With the other hand, using a heavy wooden spoon, hit the bottom of the spice bottle. The shock will create a crack around the top of the egg. Remove the top of the eggshell and discard it. Pour the egg into a bowl. Repeat with the remaining eggs, placing 2 more eggs in the bowl, setting the remaining eggs aside for another use. You will need 6 eggshell cups for serving but only 3 eggs for the revuelto. Rinse the eggshells under warm running water. Turn them upside down on paper towels to dry, then place the empty shells in a 6-egg cardboard carton.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in an 8- or 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the mushrooms, raise the heat to medium-high, and cook, stirring, until they have released and reabsorbed their liquid, about 5 minutes, adding a little more olive oil if the skillet looks dry. Stir in the chives and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil to the skillet. Working quickly, pour the 3 eggs into the skillet. As soon as the egg whites turn opaque, about 20 seconds, vigorously stir and scramble the eggs with a wooden spoon or spatula until they are barely set, 45 seconds to 1 minute. (Do not let the eggs overcook!) Quickly spoon them into the prepared eggshells. They will continue to set on the way to the table. Serve at once, with little cocktail forks.
