Have you ever had a seven-minute egg? Wait. Have you ever heard of Nevada County? Well, it’s between Sac and Tahoe, and if you’re up for about a seven-hour road trip and you're willing to believe me that this place is nicer than Tahoe, and about an hour closer, well, perhaps you’ll give it a try.

Anyway, Nevada County’s got the Yuba River and a nice vintage store called The Parlour, and now, wonderfully, Three Forks Bakery & Brewing Co. Three Forks makes its own beer and pizza (and everything else) from scratch and it is also is the home of Three Forks cook Jes Taber and her delicious and inventive (but not annoyingly so) salads, many of which feature a seven-minute egg.

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Taber's 7-minute eggs; Credit: Jes Taber

Taber's 7-minute eggs; Credit: Jes Taber

Taber just turned 32 and has cute bangs and friendly blue eyes. “I have always been in love with egg yolk,” says Taber, a Nevada County native who has worked in San Francisco, at Tartine and the Richmond’s Village Market. “I’ve always wanted to package egg yolk by itself and just put in on everything, and the seven-minute egg seems the best vehicle.”

Here’s the recipe: Boil water to fit all the eggs you want to fit. When it boils put the eggs in. Set a timer. Meanwhile, set up an ice bath. When the seven minutes are up, shock them, 1-3 minutes depending on the number of eggs. Cut on the bias and garnish with sea salt and pepper.

Seven-minute eggs are eggs the way they are meant to be. “The white is perfect and the yolk is in this dreamy, sexy, molten state,” says Taber. “Doesn’t everyone want to put that in their mouth?”

Taber eats them with toast and jam — she makes her own blackberry-lemon jam, from the fine Nevada County berries she’s been picking since she was a child. I like seven-minute eggs with toast and jam too, but I really like them on Three Fork’s house salad featuring local greens, sweet corn, cherry tomatoes, toasted almonds, with a Green Goddess dressing. It’s well worth the 444-mile drive.

Taber would like to see the seven-minute egg become a standard. “This is a very simple way to make a perfect egg. If you have a timer, and you have ice, you can make the perfect egg, every time.”

Sarah Miller is a comedy writer and former Angeleno who thinks L.A. is the greatest city on earth. Want more Squid Ink? Follow us on Twitter or like us on Facebook.

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