In pursuit of the Perfect Omelette
“The way you make an omelet reveals your character.” ~ Anthony Bourdain
Let me tell you a story. When I was a kid growing up in suburban Northern CA, I hated omelettes. Loathed them. The sight of them at a diner or restaurant made me gag. I could not understand how anyone would willingly subject themselves to such a gross dereliction of good taste as to order, let alone eat one.
Thing is, little kid me should be cut some slack. What passed for an omelette, and the only version of the dish I had ever known, was a leathery, browned, flavourless egg-wallet stuffed with way too much crap, and buried in cheese. Something not dissimilar to this
My parents loved them, and tried to convince me that these abominations were really the best thing ever. Over the years, many more people tried to convince me, and many more failed. I was not to be convinced. The ruinous, burnt taste of the eggs, the over-stuffing of every ingredient in the kitchen, the globbing of greasy cheese. It all stood out (and still stands out, btw) as a failure, a crummy byproduct of generations of bad cooks and low expectations.
If this is your experience of omelettes, these over-cooked fiascos that the English and Americans consider a tasty treat, then you (like me) are about to discover a wonder at the other end of the edible spectrum.
It wasn’t until my early 20s, while living in San Francisco, that I had my first French herb omelette. It was against my will to try it, of course. My date told me I’d love it, it wasn’t like a normal omelette, it was amazing, etc. I was eager to refuse, but she was really, really cute, and I wanted her to like me, so I gave in and had a bite, if only to end the conversation.
And then I tasted it. It was like a revelation. Holy music, light from above, my eyes lit up in culinary ecstasy. I had been lost, but now I was found.
A French herb omelette is subtle, full of gentle flavours. It is folded upon itself, with each inner layer creamier and more characteristic of cheese than of eggs. It is delicate, and aromatic. There is no dish quite like it in the world.
Since that day, I have spent my life in pursuit of not only finding, but of making the perfect omelette. I will continue this pursuit to my last, for to me, there is no greater culinary height to which I can aspire.
The recipe I’m about to share with you is just one of many you can find online. There are any number of variations on this theme, and I recommend you try them each, to find the one which most suits you.
I’ve made this recipe several times, and while my technique is still a long way from perfection, I wanted to share it so as to help others on their journey to the perfect eggs.
If you truly wish to see the very best a herb omelette can be, watch the great master Jacques Pepin, as he makes this signature dish
“When you make an omelet, as when you make love, affection counts for more than technique.” ~ Isabel Allende
Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup cream
- pinch of salt / pinch of pepper
- 1 Tbs minced fresh chives
- 1 Tbs minced fresh basil
- 1 Tbs minced fresh thyme
- Butter (for cooking)
(Note: Freshness is VERY important. Do not attempt this recipe with dried herbs. You will NOT be impressed)
Steps
Mince up your herbs
Crack your eggs into a bowl. Add cream, salt, pepper, and herbs. Now use a fork to whip eggs until frothy
Add the butter to a pan on medium-high heat, hot enough to bring the butter to a friendly sizzle, but not so hot to burn it.
A pan too hot will overcook the eggs, and make it hard to fold them on top of one another. Not hot enough, and the eggs will stick in the pan. Practise, practise, practise.
Give the eggs a whip or two more, then stir them into the pan.
Using the fork, gently stir the eggs about so that much of the eggs are cooked through, and so you can begin folding the eggs into an omelette. Do not worry if the middle is gooey-looking. That’s what you want.
Now for the tricky part. Using either your fork, or a spatula if you need one, begin rolling the omelette into a tube shape, rolling it down to one side of the pan.
Once you’ve rolled the eggs into the omelette shape, let the flame rest a moment on eggs, then flip the omelette one time, and cook another 10 seconds or so.
Do NOT overcook this. It takes practise to get the subtle softness you want, but one thing is for sure, overcooking is infinitely worse than undercooking. What may seem runny, once folded in upon the omelette’s layers will become creamy and almost cheese-like.
Lay the omelette on a cutting board, and slice into bite-sized pieces.
You are ready to serve.
Mine, clearly, is not the sublime perfection it should be, and I accept this. So should you of your own limited creations. This is a life-long pursuit, and one which will always be one step away from the perfection you seek.
I will continue to make this dish at least once a week for the remainder of my days. I hope to reach that omelette nirvana one day, or perhaps it’s simply the act of trying which will forever drive me forward.
Irrespective, bon appetite.
