Crisp-edged, tender inside, and just sweet enough to eat plain with coffee. Baked in a hot cast-iron skillet so the bottom crackles.
Put a 10-inch cast-iron skillet in the oven and preheat to 425°F with the skillet inside, so it's screaming hot by the time the batter goes in.
Whisk the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl.
In a separate bowl, whisk the buttermilk, egg, and 3 tablespoons of the melted butter until smooth.
Pour the wet mixture into the dry and stir just until combined — a few lumps are fine. Overmixing makes it tough.
Carefully remove the hot skillet, swirl in the remaining butter to coat the bottom, then pour in the batter. It should sizzle. Bake 18–20 minutes until golden and a toothpick comes out clean.
Let it sit 5 minutes in the skillet before slicing into wedges. Serve warm, ideally with more butter.
Cooked low and slow off the direct heat, stirred constantly, for eggs that are custardy instead of rubbery.
Crack the eggs into a cold, heavy-bottomed saucepan (not yet on the heat). Whisk until fully combined with no visible whites.
Set the pan over the lowest possible heat. Add a third of the butter. Stir constantly with a rubber spatula, pulling the pan off the heat every 30 seconds to control the temperature.
As the eggs begin to thicken into soft curds, add the remaining butter a bit at a time, still stirring continuously.
Remove from heat while the eggs still look slightly underdone and glossy — they'll keep cooking from residual heat. This should take 8–10 minutes total.
Stir in the salt and crème fraîche off the heat to stop the cooking, then top with chives and black pepper. Serve immediately.