Easy Weekend Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs with Smoked Salmon and Cream Cheese















Brunches are one of my favorite meals to host. The requisite dishes are usually simple, quick, and easy, leaving you plenty of time to relax with your guests, and there's just something great about starting the day off with good, home-cooked food and lots of friends around you. Also, brunch drinks are the most fun alcohol category around--sparkly champagne mixed with fresh OJ, a tomato-juice-drenched Bloody Mary with lots of spice--how could you go wrong?

This no-fail scrambled eggs dish from Gwyneth Paltrow's cookbook is a total crowd-pleaser, and takes about 10 minutes to whip up. All pictures by Mark Iantosca.

Scrambled Eggs with Smoked Salmon and Cream Cheese
Serves 4
Ingredients:
8 organic large eggs
Splash of milk
Big pinch coarse salt
A few fresh grinds black pepper
Big knob unsalted butter
1/3 pound smoked salmon, torn into bite-sized pieces
1/3 cup cream cheese
2 teaspoons finely sliced fresh chives, for serving

Directions:
Whisk the eggs together with the milk, salt, and pepper. Melt the butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the eggs, let them sit for 1 minute, turn the heat to medium-low, and push them gently with a wooden spoon for 1 1/2 minutes, or until very soft curds form. Fold in the salmon, dot with the cream cheese, turn the heat as low as it can go, and cover the skillet for 1 1/2 minutes, or until cheese begins to get oozy. Sprinkle with chives and serve.