Do you look up and use a recipe when you make an omelet? I never did until now. This recipe comes from David Lebovitz’s My Paris Kitchen. Starting with the right size nonstick skillet, I chose a 10-inch skillet to make a two-egg omelet for one person. Stirred the eggs with one teaspoon of heavy cream briskly with a fork. Then added fresh finely chopped chives, one of my favorite herbs to use with eggs. Seasoned the egg mixture with salt and pepper. So far so good.
I messed up the next step: pour in the eggs into the sizzling hot pan coated with butter over moderately high heat. The butter never sizzled, it turned golden brown. So the resulting omelet was golden-browned and overcooked. (I used European-style butter, which has higher fat and lower water content, which can be attributed to the lack of sizzling under heat.) Well, I had to start all over again. To avoid making the same mistake, I poured in the eggs as soon as the butter started to foam. The resulting omelet was much better the second time around.
The rest was smooth sailing after I gained some experience on the optimal time to pour in the egg mixture given the ingredients, skillet and the gas stove I used. Another crucial technique to master in making a good omelet: tilt the pan as the eggs start to set on the edges to allow the uncooked eggs from the center to flow underneath. The next step is to sprinkle the cheese over the mid line when the omelet is completely set. Lastly, fold the omelet in half and plate it.
It feels like taking a cooking lesson 101. Believe me, I needed it.
As simple as making an omelet, there were unexpected pitfalls. Now I see why there are so many manifestos from chefs to decode this most basic cooking technique.
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| Fresh chives and Comte Omelet |
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11 Comments
EmilyC
January 6, 2017 at 6:26 amWas it an omelet or scrambled eggs which was the deciding factor in hiring a chef in the book/movie 'A hundred step journey(?)'!!? LOL, yes I too had the book open to the page in the kitchen, and consulting it every step of the way!
Mardi (eat. live. travel. write.)
January 6, 2017 at 6:27 amHa! I found it REALLY hard to follow the recipe here. We all have our own techniques for omelettes (and some of us are writing our own for our own books too…) and as you say, I don't think I have ever looked up a recipe for this – except maybe to see what Julia has to say. Your final attempt looks so good!
Nana
January 6, 2017 at 8:39 pmSo very true, I followed his instructions to the end and enjoyed a delicious omelet. I'm glad this was a easy one for the beginning
of the year, just to unwind after all the holiday meals.
KB from Prof Who Cooks
January 7, 2017 at 3:00 pmI agree–have never, ever looked up how to make an omelet. Maybe used someone else's additions ratios or something, but not the actual directions. I also had the book open right next to the stovetop to make sure I followed what he said since it comes together so quickly. It sure was delicious and I also used chives in mine!!
Betsy
January 8, 2017 at 2:10 amI never used a recipe for this either, but I did learn something from following instructions. Your chives and comte look like a winning combination!
Teresa
January 8, 2017 at 2:43 amThis was a first for me, too – my mother explained how to make an omelette when I was little and I never looked back, until now. It was interesting. Yours looks great!
lisa brown
January 8, 2017 at 2:42 pmI too never used a recipe. I did learn some things though, like tipping the omelet!! I too used chives, your omelet looks great.
kitchen flavours
January 8, 2017 at 3:34 pmYour omelete looks great, love the colour! Got to agree with you, I think no one hardly ever open a cookbook to make an omelet. And when we do, looks like we do learn something from it!
flour.ish.en
January 8, 2017 at 3:36 pmVery interesting to see that most of us have not used a recipe to make omelet. But a good recipe from a seasoned chef can be helpful, if not illuminating.
flour.ish.en
January 8, 2017 at 3:44 pmGood to read about all the techniques out there, especially those from Julia. The best of luck in writing your own cook book. Hope you'll finish it soon!
Mary Hirsch
January 12, 2017 at 3:47 amI never knew why European-style butter was different and better. Nice to know that about the higher fat % when cooking instead of baking. I've made few omelets but eaten many and this is a favorite, for sure. Easy and simple to put together and although I liked the plain cheese filling, anything goes. It is especially good for a easy lunch or even better, dinner for one with a tossed salad and good bread (now is the time for European butter!) Yours looks very pretty. Thank you for making it twice!