Many restaurants will judge a new chef by how he or she cooks scrambled eggs or an omelette and there’s a really good reason for that. If you care enough to learn how to cook these two dishes AND you get it right, you’re going to do a good job on everything else.
I went to a cooking demonstration today and I got home and had to try the fluffy omelette for my husband. I’ll be honest here, last night there was a fair slosh of the bottle on his side of the table at dinner and I thought some nice bacon with an omelette on the side would sit well on his stomach. I’m the sort of person who would point her finger and say, “serves you right!” but instead I felt sorry for him. He’s taking me to a Thermomix demonstration tomorrow and I wouldn’t want to hurt my chances on getting one. heh
Now about this omelette. The trick to a great omelette is really simple – separate the eggs, whip the whites then add a tablespoon of water and whip to incorporate it. Whisk the egg yolks to make them an even consistency and then fold the egg yolks into the whites, being careful not to deflate the egg whites you’ve so lovingly whipped the heck out of.
Add the herbs if you want them, a pinch of salt & pepper and place into a pan that you’ve melted some butter til it’s frothy. Smooth the top of the mixture and cook on medium heat for about 30 seconds then place in a 200°C (400°F) oven til the omelette is set and just beginning to turn golden.
Take it out and fill it with whatever you want. If I were making it for me I would sauté onions, peppers and mushrooms and then add a cartload of cheese and stuff my omelette. Since I was making it for J I cooked up some onions, garlic, diced tomatoes, chives and parsley. He said it was really good and then he said something I nearly fell over about.
“You know, a bit of cheese would have been good with this,” he said.
He doesn’t even eat cheese on a hamburger! Cheese is expensive, eaten on its own and every bite is enjoyed – if you ask him. So, next time he’ll get cheese and I’ll try really hard not to roll my eyes in his direction.
Now if you’re wondering why there isn’t a beautiful photo of that omelette cut in half there’s a really good reason. I’m an idiot. If you have a skillet in the oven at 200C and you take it out and put it on the stove and then grab the handle (all the while holding the heavy towel under your arm) you’re gonna really piss yourself off. So while I was holding my left hand under running water I took the photo above.
J took the photo of the omelette that he’d cut into and frankly it was too wobbly to post. I can’t complain because he did try and it was his omelette to eat and he was hungry. I’ll try again one day.
p.s. the hand is fine. Running water for longer than you think you need to and then aloe vera from the plant does wonders for burns.
- 3 eggs
- 1 tbs water
- herbs or cheese or both
- 1 tsp butter for the pan
- Preheat oven 200C/400F
- Whip egg whites until stiff but not dry
- whisk egg yolks
- Pour egg yolks into egg whites and fold in
- Add herbs if you're using and salt and pepper to taste
- Heat a frying pan that can go into the oven
- Add butter
- add omelette mixture and smooth the top
- place on the stove for about 30 seconds and then into the oven until golden brown and set.
- Plate and stuff with cheese, tomatoes, mushrooms or anything you like