Xtreme Eggs

We have nothing but respect for the omelet, but sometimes an egg ought to raise eyebrows. Below, top L.A. chefs apply a little imagination to the centerpiece ingredient of the midday repast.

Ludovic Lefebvre > Bastide

Eggs at 65 degrees Celsius

Eating is about texture. With eggs, the white coagulates at 62 degrees Celsius, and the yolk coagulates at 68. When I cook eggs at 65 degrees, the white and the yolk are the same. I learned this technique from Japan. I bring chicken stock to a boil with foie gras and port and poach my egg at 65 degrees. I put toasted spices and bread crumbs on top and pass it through the oven for one minute. Then I put it in a bowl, pour in my broth and add turnips. It’s all these wonderful textures in your mouth.

Suzanne Goin; A.O.C. and Lucques

Brandade cakes with arugula, roasted cherry tomatoes and a fried egg

The brandade is made with salt cod poached in milk with potatoes, garlic, herbs, onions and carrots. We blend it with a wooden spoon and finish it with olive oil and cream. It’s cooled, shaped into cakes and sauteed until crispy. Then I scatter arugula and roasted cherry tomatoes around the plate and top it with a fried egg. The key is to start with a great farm egg, and don’t ever overcook.

Kazuto Matsusaka; Beacon

Deconstructed fried rice

When my wife [Beacon general manager Vicki Fan] and I were consulting for Hilton hotels in New York, we made a fried rice dish as a brunch item. I take a ring mold and layer it with rice and slices of cha siu pork. Then I soft-scramble eggs with garlic chives, a little salt and pepper, and put the eggs on top. When I take the mold off, you can see all the layers. Sometimes I drizzle it with tonkatsu sauce.