It’s time for another giveaway.The fine folks at CSN Stores got in touch with me. CSN has all sort of online shops – they supplied the Rowallan jewelry keep last year. The company also sells mattresses, garden furniture, and things like TV stands. They appear to do almost no marketing, except this bit where they contact bloggers and offer to give goods away. It’s an interesting business model, were I still in the business of business models. But I digress.
This giveaway also boasts a harmonic convergence of epic proportions. In this case, a reader request for my simple spinach and goat cheese omelette recipe, and recent forays to France, converge at an All-Clad, copper-covered, 8-inch frying pan. I have one just like it. You also get some cleaner. Because you may like to keep your copper looking like, um, copper.
All you have to do is leave a comment below telling us about the first omelette you ever ate. Or your favorite omelette recipe. Or, what else would you use an 8-inch frying pan for? Imagination is a good thing.
The first time I ever had an omelette was on Mont St. Michel, in France. The year must have been 1977. Yes, some of us were alive and eating omelettes back then. My sister and I spent that summer traveling through France. We took a train out from Paris, if I remember, to see the small island. Omelettes were famous on Mont St. Michelle. Still are, although now it’s quite a tourist industry. My sister and I just sat, and ate the souffled omelettes, in wonder at how delicious they were. Then we got back on the train, if I remember, and went back to Paris.
Nowadays I eat omelettes because they a) are full of protein b) make a good container for vegetables c) use few dishes d) are easy to make, after 30 years of practice.
Omelettes are also the key to entering the kingdom of High WASPs. Surprised? Have you ever watched the original Sabrina? (*cue sound of 15-year old Lisa, sighing*). Audrey Hepburn comes home from Paris, having learned how to cook an omelette. Which causes Humphrey Bogart, eldest son of the estate, to fall in love with her. Oh, indeed, it’s a terrible story from the perspective of class and gender. But what do we know at 15?
Do you need any more encouragement? Here’s my recipe.
Ingredients:
3 eggs
(1 tbsp of water or milk is sometimes advised. I fail to notice any impact whatsoever)
Some goat cheese from California. Just because.
Two handfuls of frozen or fresh spinach
Butter
Salt
Pepper
Required Tools:
8-inch frying pan
Fork or spatula
Small mixing bowl
Strainer
Steps:
Let me say first that despite my experience in Mont St. Michelle, I don’t cook souffled omelettes for myself. Jan does, here. I will be trying this recipe, and it may change my life forever.
Neither do I like the thin rectangular egg sheets that pass for omelettes at many diners, nor the masses of compacted scrambled eggs often seen in Northern California breakfast havens. I like my omelettes tender, moderately fluffy, and cooked all the way through. Just like salmon. Except the fluffy part.
So the entire art to omelettes is what you do in the 45 seconds between when the egg hits the pan and when you fold the resultant material over whatever filling you’ve put inside.
First, get your goat cheese out of the refrigerator, where you keep it, although you wonder if you’re doing something declasse keeping cheese too cold. Unwrap it. Put it on a cutting board. Wonder why on earth no one has solved the problem of good/reusable cheese packaging. Separate 4-5 clumps of goat cheese from the mother ship, each about the size of a teaspoon. Put the cheese back in the refrigerator and quiet your inquiring mind.
Second, take out the butter, and some spinach. If you are using fresh spinach, be virtuous, take out olive oil which is good for your heart, and saute at low heat until wilted. Not your heart, the spinach. Then dump said spinach into a strainer. Probably good to squish a little, overly wet fillings are anathema to omelettes.
If you are using frozen spinach, put it in a glass bowl with a little water, cover with a paper towel, and microwave it for a minute until thawed. Then dump the spinach into a strainer and proceed to the squishing.
Third, take that SAME glass bowl from the microwaving process, (you see, the goal is to have as few dishes to wash as possible), once it’s cooled down, and crack in 3 eggs. Some people will tell you to use 2 eggs. In my opinion, 3 is perfect, leading to the right balance of you-can-cook-all-the-egg and the-resultant-egg-layer-is-substantial. Mix until whites and yolks are one yellow mass. If you don’t, you’ll get streaks of egg white – like fried eggs – in your omelette. To me that is a sign of a Diner Omelette and is not my preferred mode. To each his or her own, however. In all my 30 years of cooking the Omelette Police have never paid me a visit. I believe them to be apocryphal.
Fourth, light a medium-high burner under your frying pan. Go get slice a tablespoon of butter off a stick and walk across the kitchen balancing the butter on your knife, hoping it doesn’t slip. Throw it into the pan. Let it melt, then foam up, but not burn. As you can see, sometimes one forgets to pay attention and butter browning commences. Forgive yourself. This is not the worst thing one can fail to notice in a lifetime.
Now pour in all the eggs. If there’s an art to omelettes, here’s the moment. This is my way – taught me by my mother. There are other ways, and other mothers in the world.
- Let the egg cook for 5 seconds. You will see the edges foam and puff a little bit.
- Start to shake the pan gently. The egg mass will loosen. Move it from side to side inside the pan just a bit.
- Take your fork and hold its tines horizontal to the layer of egg that has cooked, stirring the uncooked liquid. Do this for 5 seconds.
- Now move your fork down towards the pan, keeping the tines horizontal. Do this in an area halfway between the center of the pan and the edge. Use the flat fork to press on the cooked egg layer and pull it away from the edge, towards the center.
- Tilt the pan so the edge you’ve pulled the egg away from is down.
- Liquid egg will run into the now-empty part of the pan.
- Repeat all around the egg mass, fairly quickly, making sure you are creating a circular form of cooked egg, and letting the uncooked egg run UNDER and AROUND the cooked part, so that it gets cooked in turn.
- Once the egg is mostly done, you can pick up the edges of the cooked circle here and there so the last bits of liquid egg run out and cook. If you’re obsessive about raw egg, *raises hand*, you can scrape any liquid left over the edge of the cooked mass onto the pan surface.
Turn off the heat, leave the omelette to sit in the pan for a minute so the cheese will mostly melt. Salt. Pepper. Serve. Goes well with whole grain toast.
Now I’m hungry. The winner will be drawn next Tuesday, June 7th. Please enjoy.
BTW, The Cape House is ALSO hosting a CSN giveaway, in her case for a gift card. Go here and double your chances.
Images:
Frying pan from CSN
Mont St. Michel
Omelette in process, me
73 Responses
I am not the one who usually makes the omelets in my home. That honor goes to my husband. I tried –it didn't work. I love to have mozzarella cheese and spinach and a bit of Canadian bacon in the omelet.
oh i have the most wonderful memories of my mom making omelets for me as a child. nothing fancy, just eggs and cheddar cheese. i liked to put salsa on top of them. it was one of the first things i learned to make for myself and i still LOVE them!
I am now hungry and laughing in agreement about the problem of cheese storage. Should I be so lucky to win the copper pan, I will make omelets for my son when he visits from college for the first time. He tends to like the "kitchen sink" variety.
I don't like omelettes (perhaps I should try yours to change my mind!), but I would use the pan to make "tortilla de papas" or crêpes!
I forgot to comment the other day, when you mentioned that your son landed in Buenos Aires and that he is studying literature and Spanish. If I may recommend him something it is this: dulce de leche granizado icecream from Un'altra volta, any time of the day; to have breakfast (café con leche y medialunas) at any café, but if he likes history, Café Las Violetas, o La Biela; choripan con chimichurri ( a sandwich made of sausage, bread and a hot sauce, to be eaten preferably outside of a football stadium ;) Xul Solar Museum (a painter who was a great friend of Borges), Victoria Ocampo's house (another museum, and she was not only a writer herself but a patron of many artists), and to read El Aleph (by Borges) and Rayuela (Hopscoth, the book by Julio Cortazar). Experiencing the World Cup there is going to be quite an experience, he may want to watch the matches at a bar to feel the tension ;)I really hope he'll have a great time there!
Ooh, All-Clad COPPER! I have a kitchen full of All-Clad stainless but no copper… YET. :-)
Omelets are a favorite for me because my dad always used to make them for me. My mom was the cook in our household, but on weekend mornings, it was my dad at the stove, and I loved the omelets all the more because of that.
My favorite omelet: spinach, tomato, and feta. Heaven!
That's a beautiful pan! As well as omelettes, I'd also use it for crepes. Plain crepes, served with lemon juice and a light dusting of caster sugar.
My favourite omelette recipe is tomato and mushroom (both thinly-sliced) with grated cheddar cheese (as mature as I can get), a sprinkling of black pepper, and torn fresh basil leaves.
I also visited Mont St Michel in the 1970s, but didn't have an omelette there. Looks like I really missed out.
I'm starving now. Might have to go make an omelet, although I don't (yet) have the fancy pan! No idea when I first had an omelet. They're one of my favorite things, but it seems as if I've always eaten them. Wracking my brain right now to remember where I recently had a fantastic omelet — seems as though it had thinly sliced ham, roasted red peppers, goat cheese and maybe asparagus? Yum. Anyway, thanks to CSN, whoever wins!
My first omelette was made by my mom. I am fairly certain we learned shortly after that I was, when young, extremely allergic to eggs (pleasant for her, I am sure…) I've grown out of it, which is good because eggs are excellent protein. Particularly with cheese. Lots of cheese.
Thanks for the chance!
Another Lisa — kotharil at gmail.com
Yum, great omelet recipe and great giveaway!
My mom makes the best scrambled eggs and omelets and her secrets is that she stops cooking the eggs *just before* they are totally dried/done-looking, when they're still a bit moist. Don't worry, they continue to cook on your plate from their warmth, and they are very good.
my email for the contest:
minerrvas (at) gmail (dot) com
scrumptious souffle omelette!
Anything with butter & cheese~ I'm there!!
YUM*
Yum!
My boyfriend is the cook in the household but omelets are actually something I can make (out of about three dishes total) so if I happen to pick up this gorgeous pan I will have motivation to contribute more regularly. Actually just the recipe will probably motivate me, but the pan would be a nice bonus, we don't currently have anything just that size. :)
What a nice prize! I don't cook and I don't eat too many omelets, so I'll take myself out of competition, but I did so enjoy your omelet making lesson.
We used to get cream cheese omelets at the White Plains Diner in college – this was before goat cheese was invented ;-)
My first omelet (omelette?) must have been from Julia Child, since that was my first exposure to exotic food – exotic by Midwestern standards in the 1960's, anyway. Between your recipe and Marcela's descriptions of what to eat in Buenos Aires, I'm starving!
Believe it or not, I learned to make an omelette from the mechanic who worked on our family's cars. (My parents were part of a car club for 55-57 T-birds, as was he.) He taught me how to lift the sides and let the runny bits out, and when to add the filling. None of this flipping like a pancake the way the brunch buffet guys do.
I like to make omelettes with whatever leftovers I have – the 1 slice of cheese when you would need 2 for a sandwich, some feta cheese which we always have on hand, spinach, tomato, mushroom, leftover ham maybe.
"A good container for vegetables" HAHA! You crack me up!!
I can't say that I remember my first omelette. I do know that my favorite place to eat an omelette is a wonderful little diner in my college town. The food is delicious, the service always colorful, and the close seating lends itself to turning strangers into friends. The prices also are just right for the budget of a college student. I also made a lot of omelettes at home when I was in school. When I think of omelettes, I always think of Ernies. I just made one this morning and considered that I need a new pan, so this is perfect timing.
I grew up on a chicken farm. So with 3500+ chickens running around we ate lots of eggs. I don't remember my first omlette but it would probably have been something I tried after watching Julia Child on a Saturday afternoon.
Yum. Yours looks delish!
I would use it for sauteing mushrooms. This has become a new thing for me. Mushrooms as a side dish instead of greenbeans or peas. :)
Eggs are the perfect food and an omelette is a lovely way to eat them. In my home, my husband rolls the perfect omelette and his touch just makes everything seem to taste better. The omelette pan would be his.
A tasty favorite is an omelette filled with leeks sauteed with dill and grated lemon zest. Add a little zingy feta before rolling and it's heaven.
oh, the first omelette! I was in college–I am a year or so older than you–so this was in the "back before dirt" era! I believe spinach was involved…
That was so beautifully written.
Hmm, my first omelette let me see, I think it was in Paris at about the age of ten but it had truffles shaved over the top so my palette was not quite developed that far!
Mmm, what a scrumptious recipe. Thank you for sharing! As charming as a bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch is, I do believe my breakfast fare is in need of some more style.
As for my omelette story… I must have been around ten or eleven. Your typical precocious, overly-verbose child. One afternoon, on the way home from school, I turn to my father and say, "Daddy, I want an omelette." Sensing that my request might be granted, I continue, "we could get one at IHOP! They serve breakfast 24/7!" My father, being no small fan of breakfast, approves my bizarre craving, and off to IHOP we go.
About fifteen minutes later, I ask "Daddy, what IS an omelette?"
I had some ham-and-cheese concoction; I was slightly disappointed in it; I made amends with omelettes once I was living alone in San Diego and had actually learned how to cook. Suffice it to say that the family can no longer mention omelettes without later asking what exactly an omelette is.
I love omlettes but I cannot eat them anymore as I am allergic to eggs. I cannot remember my first omlette it's been so long ago. I would use this pan to saute mushrooms, peppers and onions. Yum.
What a gorgeous omelette pan!
My first omelette was consumed after I left Kentucky for college in Washington, DC. (This also took place in that infamous "back in the dirt" era — LOL!) I traded in scrambled eggs for omelettes and never looked back. It took many false starts and crappy skillets to convince me of the need for a fine pan dedicated to omelette production.
This looks to be such a pan. Ready for an omelette with fresh asparagus, feta, mushrooms and a few scallions.
Yummy!
I've been cooking omlettes ever since Julia Childs tv show in the 50's where she demonstrated how to cook them for a large group.
I seriously need that copper clad pan.
Darla
Oh, good heavens – I can't remember the first time I ate an omelet, although I was probably 13 the first time I cooked one (badly).
So, my favorite omelet recipe? Hard to say, but one of them is here: http://www.jbsitedesigns.com/?p=8020
Yeah, I cheat. :P
Today is one of those days that your writing feels like tea with honey sliding down a scritchy throat. While you say that omelettes are wonderful vehicles for vegetables, I find them to be really excellent ways to transfer butter-soaked mushrooms into my mouth.
I can't remember my first omelette, but I went through a honey-ham plus eggs phase in high school, so hopefully one of those dishes turned into a nice omelette.
Now, I'm a huge fan of bacon + leek omelettes.
This post was a real joy to read, and I'm going to try your technique the next time I'm making eggs, being careful to keep the fork tines horizontal.
Mmm – Spinach omelettes are one of my favs, I will certainly be trying out your receipe.
This copper pan would look great in our almost renovated kitchen.
TV stands ..hmmm I will check that out now.
Cheers, HHL
Ok … just checked out the TV Stands – they also have Plasma TV Lifts – it is worth taking a look… HHL
The last omlette pan I received as a gift was way back in the 70's. It was a divided, hinged pan, the kind where you cook the eggs in each half, add your other ingredients (I usually added cheese, green onion, mushrooms, and black olives in varying combinations), then fold the pan. I made these omlettes for my new husband on the weekends when we slept in and had long, leisurely breakfasts.
If I win the copper-clad pan I will make him one using your recipe with goat cheese and spinach. And throw away the old hinged pan. :)
I ate omelettes often as a child. I grew up in rural NH and my family kept a few chickens, so we had fresh eggs daily and my mother often made us omelettes for breakfast. I've long since become a city girl, but the secret to a really great omelet is still to use the freshest eggs possible. I often have them for a quick dinner and like to add French feta, any fresh herbs I have on hand, and a few cherry tomatoes. Perhaps the next time I make this it will be in a new All-Clad pan!
I love ham and mushroom omlettes. Really any kind of omlette is great.
VictoriaN
chian97@yahoo.com
The first omlette I ever made for my husband was the morning after our first sleep over. 18 years later — he still asks for it every Sunday.
2 T butter
6 eggs
1/2 c chopped ham
1/2 c chopped salami
1/2 c shredded cheddar
1/4 green pepper
1/4 red pepper
2 T cream cheese
1 t parsley
salt
pepper
Salsa
Melt butter until it stops bubbling. While butter melts, separate eggs, whip whites and yolks separately, then combine. Add to pan. Reduce heat to medium low. Let set for 2 minutes. Add ham, salami, cheddar, g & r peppers, generous salt and pepper. Dot with cream cheese, sprinkle with parsley. Let set for one minute or until eggs are set. Add 3 T salsa. Fold onto plate.
As kids, we ate cereal for breakfast on weekdays. On weekends, my mom cooked. One weekend day would be pancake or waffle day, and one would be omelette day. Because it was always so, I can't say I recall my first omelette specifically. But recalling mom's omelettes in general is a very comforting memory.
And oh yes, we kept chickens too, so our eggs had the most incredible orange yolks.
My first omelette was at my grandparents' country club on Easter. Cheddar cheese, ham and an amazing cook who could flip them in the air. I've been hooked ever since!
I would use it to cook and serve more of my dignity for the man who just broke up with me. ; )
Oooh. I do not like eggs, but I was just lamenting that I really need a new frying pan, and I cannot afford one. I would use it for softshell crabs, sauteed kale, pan-fried steaks, the possibilities are endless…
Having grown up in the world of Privilege, I have no idea when I ate my first omelette. Like fresh artichokes, smoked salmon, and prosciutto, I thought this was how everyone ate. My favorite easy omelette when I need a quick dinner is with spinach, pickled cherry tomatoes, and a little gruyere melted in. My favorite if I plan ahead is with a slice of smoked salmon and a slice of cream cheese. (I just have to remember to buy the smoked salmon!).
I am also always looking for a pan for Spanish tortilla. Now that is a dish I remember learning how to make! I was carefully instructed by my Spanish boyfriend's mother, as she was afraid he might starve to death living with me if I couldn't produce this staple on a regular basis. Technically, every house should have a dedicated tortilla pan. I am ashamed to admit it but I am currently without one, so this might just fit the bill. If not, tortillas will have to continue to share space on my already well-used omelette pan.
I actually do remember my first omelet. My father had an old friend who became a parliamentary reporter in Ottawa. They had lost touch with each other, but, as a first-year university student, I phoned him, emboldened by my curiosity to meet someone who remembered Dad when he was my age. Art invited me to lunch at the Parliamentary Restaurant at the Canadian Houses of Parliament. Of course, having got this far, I had no option but to accept which meant deliberating over what I should wear (my best red wool dress and pumps) and what on earth I could reasonably ask about Dad. Confronted with the menu, I was flummoxed by the choices and Art tactfully suggested the mushroom omelet which was large, delicious and stuffed with mushrooms. Talk about High Wasp — it sure beat college cafeteria food! I went on to marry a man whose culinary skills include making fine omelets, french fries and ribs.
Funny, I will polish silver but resent polishing copper, so I have only two of these sumbitches.
My first omelet was made at home, by my mother, in one of those early '70's avocado green omelet pans with a flippy lid. Lord knows she tried for a bit, but mom was never a good cook, and the omelet was burnt on the outside and stuffed with gooey rivers of velveeta cheese on the inside. It was years before I had another omelet, likely from Denny's. I ate out a lot during my teenage years because by that point, mom had pretty much abandoned cooking and we ordered pizza up to three times per week. For years, I'd order Denver omelets – sans ham – wherever I found them. I still prefer them with simple vegetables, but now add a savory cheese along with olives. After growing up through years of pizza and pasta sauce from a jar, I taught myself how to cook. And I mean, taught myself how to cook really, awesome, healthful and tasty food. My culinary skills are the accomplishment I most cherish.
I cannot remember my very first omelette…I remember one of the best I had was on board a sailboat anchored in a secluded bay and we were ravenous after a day of beach combing and swimming…fresh caught crab was added as well as some freshly snipped chives…served with a glass of bubbly….the copper pan looks divine!
I could use this as a saute pan…an omelette pan….
I do not have any copper pots or pans.
I saw the PBS show with Julia Child where she makes many many omelettes and it is so funny she counts and flips and insists it is the easiest thing ever and there are some bloopers that they kept in!!
Gave my copper pan to daughter #1, who uses it frequently for vegetarian omelets. I'm happy with my old Le Creuset!
Hi, Lisa! I spent part of last weekend in Santa Barbara with the very gracious N&R, and enjoyed your mom's company at the I Madonnari chalk art festival. She told me about your blog, about which she is very proud, even though she eschews the computer! I can see why she's proud; wisdom, eloquence, whimsy, confidence and tenderness are all here.
With great admiration, your country cousin (aspiring artsy cousin), Linda
(reposted without link, to preserve privacy)
Oh, L. You know I'm incapable of straight-up following instructions. I shall, indeed try. I hope that counts for something!
I don't care for eggs. The texture, the flavor… just…no.
That said, I am a very serious cook. I am trying to step outside my comfort zone to include things I dislike (like eggs, mayonnaise, and mustard…), so I have begun experimenting with egg dishes like omelettes and frittatas. My favorite so far comes from Mario Battali's brilliant cookbook Molto Italiano. It's a peccorino romano and scallion frittata covered in an ahi tuna, mint and tomato mixture. Simply amazing! As I prepare it, I channel Julia Child, forcefully tossing beans in an omelette pan on her Paris balcony.
Speaking of Paris, and cliches, I do adore the film Sabrina. The Hepburn-Bogart pairing is icky and unfortunate. As an adult, I find it even more awkward to interpret that film in the context of Audrey's affair with Billy Holden. Still, I fell in love as a girl, and in love I shall stay…
This is not an entry. I have an aversion to enterting contests, so I wasn't going to comment at all. But apocryphal omelette police? HA. :)
My first omelette was served to me on a tv stand….LOL just kidding. BUt I love my omelette with bunches of different kinds of cheese and mushrooms! YUM!
So, my first omelette, I thought, was what my parents called a tuna omelette. Sounds gross maybe, but as a kid, you only know what your parents tell you. And these things were *delicious* — imagine an amazing combo of tunafish, breadcrumbs, onions, and dipped in egg to bring it all together as it came to a golden brown. Nothing like an omelette, which I had no idea until I was in my mid-20s, cooking for 7 guys on our ski trip in Colorado. Ooops! I imagine this pan will be perfect for more traditional omelettes, too!
Omlettes were one of the 1st things I ever cooked for myself. I used to visit my Grandparents on weekends when I was was at boarding school and used to whip myself up omlette treats and then greedily eat them in front of the tv wrapped up in blankets (their house was always cold. Even in summer). It was intensely comforting.
What a great looking omelet pan! I've always wanted one but never could afford to buy one. If I had one, I'd eat omelets all the time!
I´m not taking part in the contest, as I already have a similar frying pan, only larger, and I admit, that keeping the copper bright and shiny is a heck of a job. I polish my pans a few times a year. So I just came to say hello, as I noticed that your blog is very busy. Thanks for showing, how to make a delicious omelette!
This post about omelettes is perfect for spring! I don't remember my first omelette, but I remember the ones that a friend made in college for several college students – they were fluffy, warm, stuffed with vegetables.
Now I make light ones, and the trick I learned from a French cookbook (I think) is to lightly mix the top of the beaten eggs quickly with the back of a wooden spoon as soon as the egg mixture is placed in the pan. This circular motion produces the lightest & fluffiest omelettes ever – and the omelettes cook quickly.
Hmm I can taste that sizzling butter now!
I would love to win that beautiful copper pan.
Great first omelette in Quebec Chateu Frontenac, with cheese delicious bread on my honeymoon. Bg
I think my first omelet was in high school, made by my beloved french teacher, with gruyere and spinach.
The husband made a lovely omelet for us this morning with fresh asparagus from the garden, shitakes, and muenster. It was fabulous!
Yum! Now I'm hungry for lunch…. just may make an omelette.
I had an egg revelation in 8th grade Home Ec(do kids still take Home Ec?), when I learned to add dill, sage, salt & pepper before cooking the omelette eggs. Up to that point, I had strong revulsion for any sort of egg dish after coming down with the flu, and its explosive side effects, shortly after a scrambled egg breakfast in third grade.
Learning to add herbs to the omelette made it taste less egg-y, and as you said, allowed it to work as a divine medium for cheese and veggies. It would be splendid to have a dedicated omelette pan – the cast iron skillet leads to messy scrambles.
What a wonderful post! Thank you, LPC.
Your omelette is both delicious and healthy.
I would like to share my grandmother’s omelette recipe.
Since it is little rich and starchy, it is better reserved for a weekend brunch.
Ingredients
8 strips strips bacon, cut into paperclip-sized pieces
2 tablespoons butter
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic clove, chopped
Dash of balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon oil or duck or pork fat, more if needed
3 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
5 eggs
Salt and pepper
Directions
1. Fry the bacon in a small frying pan until crisp and remove to paper towel to drain. Pour off all but a tablespoon of the bacon fat from the pan. Add the butter to the pan, heat to medium and gently fry the onion until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook one minute. Remove all to a plate. Deglaze the pan with a splash of vinegar and reduce until it’s almost gone.
2. Add the tablespoon of oil or fat and get the pan quite hot this time. Saute the potatoes, stirring only occasionally, until they are soft when pierced with a fork and very crisp and golden on the outside, a good 20 minutes. Return the onion, garlic, and bacon to the pan.
Gently stir the eggs with a fork, season with salt and pepper, and pour them over the potatoes. Cook until the eggs are set on the bottom, but still a bit slithery on top. Cover the omelette and continue cooking until the top sets, no more than a minute because you still want it a little runny on top. Run a spatula around the edge and slip the omelette out onto a large plate.
Your cheese storage comment is right on! I did not believe I liked any egg that was not over light (sorry, didn't mean to give you raw egg shudders) until I was about 22. But at 22, I was finally willing to try anything, and so a friend convinced me to order the Apple, Cheddar, and Nutmeg Omelette at the ubiquitous Shack Diner (not a diner by any means) in lovely Missoula, Montana. I shall try to replicate that divine experience with your omelette instructions! And hopefully, with my new pan.
I can't remember my first omelette, but I can certainly remember my last one. I am fortunate to live in a very omelette friendly state – New Jersey, where there is a great diner in every direction.
My all time favorite diner is Tops in Harrison. I ate there last night, as a matter of fact. My husband and I shared a Reuben. Too good!
My last omelette was roasted red peppers, cheese, and mushrooms – delish! I could easily create this in my own kitchen with that omelette pan from CSN Stores – hope I win. Right now I'm going to hop over to their site, because we are in desperate need of a TV stand.
I am married to a fabulous omelette maker. On weekends, he makes omelettes with whatever veg and cheese we have on hand. He uses a circulon pan, but copper would look so much better. Plus this pan could probably be used for crepes and who doesn't need a Nutella crepe every now and then, more now than then?
When I was a kid, I loved the chore of polishing the copper bottoms of my mom's pots and pans. I used Twinkle and rubbed each kettle back to its shiny beauty. Every kitchen should have copper to reflect the love that goes into making a meal for family and friends.
Mt favorite is an omelette with mushrooms and asparagus with mild cheddar. Your recipe sounds absolutly delish though!!
I would adore having this perfect pan!!
Karena
Art by Karena
The first omelette I ever ate was a cheddar cheese omelette, made by my father. There is nothing special or gourmet about it, but I remember that he used to make them for me as a child, perfectly folded, and cooked with love.
Is this the way to enter? I just read this post today, when I have allowed myself a bit more computer time.:) I have actually planned to serve omelettes for breakfast on Sunday morning! We enjoy them with "the works!" I cannot remember the first omelette I ever had, so hope this will suffice.
Sunday mornings were special for me when I was a kid, because that's when Mom would make a lovely cooked breakfast. She and my Dad both worked demanding office jobs, so weekday breakfasts consisted of boxed cereal and fruit or if I overslept and was in a rush to get to school on time, nothing. I am not complaining, though, because I was lucky. My mom was a fantastic cook and nearly every dinner of my childhood was cooked by her.
On Sundays, she'd make rice porridge and serve them with little sweet and sour pickles, cashews, and hard-boiled or fried eggs. I always liked my eggs runny and was disappointed when the salmonella scare temporarily caused my mom to cook the yolks more. So I was an early fan of eggs at breakfast.
Then at college, I experienced an omelet for the first time ever. A friend invited me over to her apartment for brunch. There is was, a perfectly runny, fluffly, just salty enough omelet, filled with tomatoes, mushrooms, and just a smidge of pepper and scallions. I was transfixed with delight.
She showed me the trick of jerking the pan to release the omelet, and referred me to Julia Child for more instruction.
So now, along with rice porridge and assorted Asian treats, I also make omelets when I'm having people over for breakfast or brunch, or when I just want to treat myself.
I'd give the pan to my Hubby. Because he makes awesome omelettes. Don't get me wrong. I am a good cook too. But omlettes aren't my strong suit. He on the other hand has been blessed by the egg fairies and can't help but turn out perfectly cooked omlettes every time!
I'm a lucky gal!
I've got nothing magical to tell you. My mum doesn't care a whole lot about cooking fine foods (which is what I classify omelettes). I guess the first time I ever ate an omelette was when I was hungry, alone, and decided to test what beating an egg and pouring it over the pan tasted like. Didn't taste too bad. But no, if I'm thinking about a legitimate omelette, I don't think I've ever tasted one. I might use your recipe once exams are over though. I love anything with eggs in it.
By the way, I love your blog, because it's so thoughtful and introspective. It's sincere, which is what attracts me to blogs in the first place. None of that sell-out, self-promotion business. You have a wonderful way with words, it's pleasure to read your posts for the sentences alone.
Growing up, my best friend had a French father and an American mother. Her mother had become an exquisite French cook. I remember many afternoons in their kitchen, watching as mother and daughter deftly created delicious omelettes, crepes, and the like while I looked on, absorbing what I could of their technique and eating the delicious results. Mostly, we ate omelettes. Few people have had the joy of such wonderful afterschool snacks.
Love the pan! My favorite omelette is made from leftovers from the night before. I especially like steak and pasta (!) in my omelettes!
I fell in love with Julia Child watching public television as a homesick college freshman in Boston (a million miles away from Oregon). I was esecially enthralled with her omlete technique.
I was so motivated by your post, and attempted spinach and baby shrimp omletes last night, and alas, my pan was not up snuff. Help!
Just read this and had to comment. It was 1970 and my husband and I were on our first $5.00 a day to Europe trip. Of course, it was all by train as recommended. We would travel at night by train to save money. The only unfortunate thing was getting food on the train was by trial and error. We were going over the swiss alps, and the food car was closed and about to be dropped off at a station. We must have looked very hungry because they opened up the car and sat us down and I had my very first omelette, cooked at the table! I'll never forget it.
zentrs, Jennifer and cj, sorry you missed the contest deadline but thank you so much for the stories. I am keeping my eyes out for more giveaways.
I would love one! Copper cookware is the best! If you are looking for a great place to buy some, check out http://www.buycoppercookware.com!
Comments are closed.