Why do the French use only one egg for an omelet? Because one egg is "une oeuf!"
It is not "enough" for an omelet though, for that normally takes 3 eggs and sometimes more. An omelet can be presented with some pride almost any time, whereas an offering of scrambled eggs (no matter how delicious) always requires an apology, except at 5 A.M. An omelet with a salad may be palmed off as lunch or dinner when there isn’t the time or inclination to cook. It's fast, pretty to look at, and infinitely diversified by whatever bits of vegetables or cheese or leftovers one finds in the fridge. Fillings for omelets should be flavorings, not great masses of stuff spilling out of the ends. Omelets should be soft and creamy, actually runny as they are folded, because they continue to cook on residual heat.
The best way to master the few little treacheries of omelets is simply to sacrifice a dozen eggs to perfecting this most useful of cookery skills. Then make one every day for at least a week, varying the fillings. A simple, nonstick aluminum skillet or an expensive, heavyweight "omelet pan" will do depending on your preferences. Use an 8 or 9 inch omelet pan for three egg omelets and a 10 inch omelet pan for four egg omelets.
Three eggs are the number used in the classic French omelet, but you can reduce it to two if this number seems excessive. You can use 1 whole egg, 2 egg whites and 1 egg yolk if you are concerned about the yolk being on you. You may use egg substitute as well. Don't expect your omelet to look the way they do in restaurants where often four eggs are used to make those big, plump, luscious, golden creations.
Of several techniques for making omelets, this is one of the easiest. The Showbiz technique involves a lot of pan shaking and hitting your left wrist (holding the sliding pan over the flame) with your right fist to cause the omelet to "jump" into a roll. This does indeed work but it's the sort of showboating that you have to try out of town for weeks before unleashing it on your public. So here is the less flashy but more instantly gratifying method for preparing a single omelet.
3 U.S. Grade A Large eggs
1 tsp. water
1/8 tsp each salt and pepper
Minced herbs (optional)
1 Tbsp. sweet butter
Filling (optional)
Break the eggs into a bowl; add the water, salt, pepper, and herbs, and beat together thoroughly. Two table forks held slightly spread in one hand do the best job of preparing eggs for omelets or scrambling because this system avoids over-aerating the eggs as a wire whisk tends to do. Put the butter in the cold skillet and melt it over medium heat until frothing. Just as it settles down and begins to clear, pour the eggs directly into the middle of the pan, turn up the heat, and, after a few seconds, begin moving the egg mass around with the flat of two forks held tightly spread in one hand. Or you may use a plastic spatula to lift the omelet first on one side and then the other to let the uncooked eggs run under the cooked surface. This should take no longer than 10 to 15 seconds. Omelets are supposed to be yellow, not browned.
Shake the pan back and forth over the flame while you're stirring or lifting. It's sort of like patting your head and rubbing your stomach. Lift the pan from the heat from time to time so that the omelet doesn't brown. When the omelet is soft, creamy, and slightly set, lay your precooked ingredient or cheese across the center of the omelet. Grab the pan handle from underneath with the left hand, and with the right hand flip one third of the omelet over the center. Tilt the omelet pan up, and roll the omelet onto a waiting warmed plate. Although this sounds complicated, it really is not. Speed and high heat are the chief requirements for successful omelet making.
A pretty variant on the rolled omelet is to fill it after it is cooked by making a long incision on the top and placing the filling inside. This is the way to make a sour cream and caviar or smoked salmon omelet. Lumpfish or smelt eggs are delicious poor-man's caviar.
Cheese must be grated or it won't melt properly in the brief time an omelet is cooked. An exception is cottage cheese which should be beaten into the eggs along with herbs before cooking. Any other fillings must be precooked and hot. The more delicately flavored vegetables, such as peas, spinach, artichoke hearts, asparagus, and mushrooms sautéed in butter or mixed with a bit of cream are delicious in omelets and only a soup spoon of any of these things is necessary for each omelet. Try chicken livers, sautéed onions and/or potatoes cut in tiny cubes, croutons, stewed tomatoes with garlic and herbs, sweet (or hot) pepper strips, chili with or without beans, creamed chipped beef, crumbled bacon or a julienne of ham or salami, or a fine dice of tongue, veal, or lamb kidneys. These are just a few possibilities and, if you're of a mind to throw all caution to the wind, hollandaise sauce spooned over the top of a plain or vegetable-filled omelet is sublime.
The play Tamara included a scene in which a monologue was timed by the preparation of a zucchini omelet.
Here are some other ideas.
1 oz Cranberry sauce, crushed
1/2 tb Brown sugar; packed
1/8 ts Rum or Orange extract
1/16 ts Nutmeg, ground
2 oz Brie cheese
1/2 tb Pecans; chopped
Combine cranberry sauce, brown sugar, extract and nutmeg.
Prepare omelet. Spread 1 oz brie down center of omelet and fold into omelet then top with cranberry mixture and sprinkle with chopped pecans.
Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.
1 tablespoon aquavit
1/8 pound thinly sliced smoked salmon, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/8 cup thinly sliced scallion
1/8 cup sour cream plus additional as an accompaniment
Whisk into the eggs before cooking, the aquavit, salt and pepper. Arrange the smoked salmon on the omelet, sprinkle it with the scallion, and spoon 1/4 cup of the sour cream over it. Cook the omelet for 10 to 15 seconds more, or until the underside is golden, fold it over, and slide it onto a heated platter. Serve the omelet with black bread as an accompaniment with the additional sour cream.
Try a green salad with Champagne vinaigrette on the side, and some dinner rolls. Serve miniature fruit-filled pastries after.
3 ounces crimini mushrooms, finely chopped
1 tablespoons
3 tablespoons chopped green onions
1/8 cup dry vermouth
6 large eggs
1 tablespoon water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Melt butter in medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and onions; sauté 3 minutes. Add vermouth and boil until evaporated, about 1 1/2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Cook according to basic recipe. When eggs are set add onion, mushroom mixture and fold eggs over.
1 teaspoons chopped fresh chives
1 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon
1 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup (packed) grated Gruyère cheese (about 2 ounces)
Whisk 3 eggs, chives, tarragon and parsley in bowl. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook according to basic recipe. When omelet is softly set, sprinkle packed 1 oz. cheese down center of omelet. Roll up omelet; place in broilerproof baking dish large enough to hold appropriate omelets. Sprinkle remaining 1 oz. cheese over each omelet.
Broil omelets until cheese is bubbling and slightly brown, about 2 minutes.
Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.
1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt
2 scallions, minced
1 pound red potatoes
1 tablespoon salmon roe
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon unsalted butter
In a small bowl stir together yogurt and scallions. Cut potatoes into 1/4-inch-thick slices and in a large saucepan of boiling salted water cook until just tender, about 5 minutes. Drain potatoes and return to pan. Stir in all but 2 tablespoons yogurt mixture with salt and pepper to taste and keep warm, covered. Into remaining yogurt mixture stir salmon roe.
Spoon half of roe-yogurt mixture down center of omelet and fold omelet into thirds over filling and keep warm while making more omelets in same manner.
Serve omelets with potatoes.
Makes 8 omelets
1 pound ground beef
1 small onion, diced
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 cup prepared hot or mild salsa
2 2/3 cups grated cheddar
Sour cream
Cook beef and onion in heavy large skillet over medium heat until brown, stirring frequently, about 10 minutes. Pour off drippings. Add next 4 ingredients and cook 4 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in bell peppers and salsa. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Rewarm over low heat before continuing.)
Spoon 1/2 cup meat filling over center of each omelet and fold over. Sprinkle 1/3 cup cheese over. Repeat process for remaining 7 omelets, adding more oil to skillet as necessary. Top each with a dollop of sour cream.
This delightful open-face omelet is aptly named; it's bursting with flavor and style.
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
6 eggs, beaten to blend
2 green onions, sliced
2 ounces cream cheese, cut into small pieces
2 ounces smoked salmon, chopped
1/3 cup (about 1 1/2 ounces) grated mozzarella
1 ounce caviar
Preheat broiler. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and sauté until translucent, about 4 minutes. Transfer onion to small bowl. Melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter in same skillet. Add eggs to skillet and season with salt and pepper to make a 6 egg omelet. Cook until edges of omelet are set, about 1 minute. Lift edges of omelet and tilt skillet, allowing uncooked eggs to flow under cooked edges. Continue cooking until eggs are almost set, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle sautéed onion, green onions, cream cheese, smoked salmon and mozzarella over omelet. Broil until mozzarella melts, about 3 minutes. Cut omelet into wedges and top with caviar.
1 oz Scallions -- chopped
2 tsp Butter
1 oz Green pepper -- chopped
2 oz Canned corn -- drained
1 1/2 oz Ham -- diced
1 slice Beefsteak tomato
Brown scallion and green pepper in butter; add corn and ham. Keep turning with a spatula, browning lightly. Remove to a warm place. When omelet begins to set, spread scallion and green pepper mixture over surface and fold. Top with a tomato slice.
1 oz cubed ham
1 Tbs minced red bell peppers
1 Tbs green bell peppers
1 tsp onions
1 Tbs cheese of your choice.
Spread on half of omelet and fold other half over.
The Spanish Omelet is not a traditional French omelet but a mixture of sautéed potatoes with egg poured over and cooked to set.
1 c Potatoes; *
1 oz Onion; Chopped
1/4 ts Salt for both potato and egg mixture.
1/4 ts Hot Red Pepper; Crushed
NOTE: Potatoes should be peeled and finely chopped. 2/3 Large Potato should give you the 1 cup needed.
Combine the potatoes, onion, 1/8 tsp salt and the crushed red pepper. Heat the oil in a 10-inch ovenware skillet (cast iron). Add the potato mixture to the skillet, cover and cook over medium heat until tender, about 12 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Combine the eggs, milk, the 1/8 tsp salt and pepper. Pour the mixture over the potatoes in the skillet. Reduce the heat, cover and cook over low heat for about 8 to 10 minutes or until the eggs are nearly set. Uncover the skillet and place under the broiler, 3 to 4-inches from the heat, for 2 to 3 minutes until the top is set.
© HWS, 2001