french omelette
Last month Mr. S and I were heading back home after fourteen days in Italy and Greece. I don’t mind the travel and look forward to some cooking shows on the plane’s entertainment system! Selena & Chef was one of the programs I watched and her first guest was Chef Ludo. He showed her how to make the perfect French omelette. To be honest, I have never made a French omelette. My typical omelette includes whatever is leftover in the fridge and is loaded with lots of cheese. But, I was intrigued so I continued to watch. The classic French omelette has a smooth, silky exterior, no browning with a tender, moist, soft-scrambled interior.
We arrived home late but the following morning I knew what I was going to make for breakfast. First, a non-stick frying pan is essential in making this omelette. Second, I used and 8-inch pan the first time and the next time with a 7-inch pan. Both pans produced lovely results. 🙂
you will need
4 large eggs (if using an 8-inch pan)
knob of butter
grated cheese (I used Parmesan)
method
Add the eggs into a bowl, and season with salt and white pepper. Use a fork to beat the eggs just until no traces of visible white remain. Place the pan over moderate heat. Add a knob of butter (roughly 1 tablespoon). When the butter has melted and foamy, it’s hot enough. Grab a spatula and add the eggs to the pan. This is the fun part. Using the spatula, stir as if you’re making scrambled eggs.
Scramble the eggs just enough that they get creamy and custardy, but stop when they’re still loose enough to fuse into a solid sheet on the bottom. The idea is to not scramble them to the point of forming separate curds that will never come back together again.
At this point, stop scrambling and use the spatula to smooth the egg out and scrape down any wispy bits around the edges. Turn off the heat and quickly grate some cheese. Tilt the pan up by the handle, and, using the spatula, roll the omelette down in half over itself. Push it far enough that the lower lip of the folded omelette almost juts out of the pan, then use the spatula to push it up, closing the omelette.

delicate with a creamy center
To plate, push the omelette a little closer to the edge of the tilted pan, let the pan hover directly above a plate, and tip the pan to roll it out. The seam should be on the bottom. Coat the top with some butter and dress with freshly chopped parsley or in my case, basil.
the culinary chase’s note:
Heating the pan over moderate heat slows down the cooking, giving you more time to scramble the eggs and some breathing room to get it right. Enjoy!