In a small mixing bowl, use a fork to beat together the eggs, milk, salt, and pepper. Mix until the eggs are an even light yellow color, but don't go out of your way to incorporate any more air than you need to. (That's one reason to use a fork instead of a whisk to mix.)

Set a small, good-quality nonstick pan over low heat. For four to eight eggs, an 8-inch pan works well. It's easier to control the heat when you have a bit of depth to the eggs rather than a very shallow layer.

Add the butter to the pan and swipe it around with the spatula to lightly coat the whole pan. When there's a light layer of melted butter on the pan but most of the butter is still solid, pour in the egg mixture.

From now until approximately INFINITY, stir the eggs constantly with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula. This will take about 15-20 minutes total, depending on the heat of the low setting on your stove. (For reference: On my professional gas range, I use the low setting rather than the even lower simmer. On the little electric burner that I use to make videos, I started on the low setting and ended up turning it up just a touch to somewhere between low and medium-low.) For the first four to five minutes, it will seem like nothing is happening. The eggs will remain liquid with no curds forming. But slowly bringing the eggs up to temperature will make all the difference in the final process, so don't rush it. Just keep stirring constantly, running your spatula around the entire bottom and sides of the pan. The color will go from brighter to darker yellow over these first few minutes, but you might not notice since it will be very gradual. If nothing at all has happened after about five or six minutes, raise the heat very slightly and note that you can start on that slightly higher setting next time.

At some point, very small curds will start to form. Just keep doing the same thing you've been doing — stirring until death do us part — while the eggs begin to thicken into a silky, custardy scramble. Keep going until the eggs are just thick enough to stay for a moment on the side of the pan that you push them toward. You can watch the video for visual cues.

Off the heat, stir in the cream.

Slide the eggs on to serving plates (or into small bowls if you like) and serve. We like to garnish ours with flaky sea salt, more freshly ground black pepper, and maybe a sprinkle of minced chives, ramps, or parsley if we're in the mood.