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8/2/2019 How to Make the Perfect Omelette _ Life and Style _ the Guardian
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How to make the perfect omeletteWhat sort of omelette does it for you - a delicate French roll-up, a
hearty English half moon or a full Spanish-style circle?
Omelette Sav oyar d as made by Aldo Zilli and Pasquale Amico from a r ecipe in Delia Smith 's How To Cheat.
Photograph: Linda Ny lind for th e Guardian
There is something magical about a good omelette the way a couple of eggs and a pinch
of salt can, in less than a minute, achieve such greatness. Light, yet rich in flavour, swift,
but satisfying, the omelette is the ultimate frugal supper.
As with all very simple things, the omelette has attracted a certain mystique amongst
those convinced that there must be more to it than meets the eye. In the titular essay
from the collected short works of Elizabeth David, An Omelette and a Glass of Wine, the
'awful genius' of post-war food writing tells of a certain Madame Poularde, celebrated
throughout France for her omelettes.
The all egg omelette. Photograph: Felicity Cloake
The gourmands of France slathered over her light and fluffy creations, and indulged
themselves with endless speculation as to her secret:
"She mixed water with the eggs, one writer would say, she added cream
asserted another, she had a specially made pan said a third, she reared a
special breed of hens unknown to the rest of France claimed a fourth. Before
long, recipes for the omelette de la mre Poulard began to appear in
magazines and cookery books. Some of these recipes were very much on the
fanciful side. One I have seen even goes so far to suggest she put foie gras
into the omelette."
Finally, David writes, someone saw fit to ask Madame herself for her recipe. "I break
some good eggs into a bowl, I beat them well, I put in a good piece of butter in the pan. I
throw the eggs into it and I shake it constantly. I am happy, monsieur, if this recipe
pleases you."
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Ingredients
This method, although common, is by no means sacrosanct. Larousse Gastronomique,
which published its first edition seven years after Madame P's death in 1931 , suggests 2-
3 tbsp of milk can be added to its 8 beaten eggs if desired. Darina Allen at Ballymaloe
substitutes water a view endorsed by Steven Shaw, co-founder of influential foodie
community egullet, who says
"One teaspoon of cold water per large egg will make a difference in the
fluffiness of the omelette. Though it would seem that the addition of water
would dilute the egg mixture, what happens with much of the water is that it
becomes steam upon hitting the pan. This steam rises through the omelette
and acts as a leav ening agent of sorts, thus making the omelette fluffier."
Having filled the kitchen with eggs (medium organic, since you ask in the interests of
making this a fair test, I had to turn down a kind offer from a friend with hens for fear of
exhausting the poor things), I selected my pan (a nine inch non-stick number suitable
for a standard two-egg omelette) and got cracking (sorry).
Omelette made with milk. Photograph: Felicity Cloake
Mme Poularde's recipe, which also happens to be my own preferred method, yielded a
richly yellow, firm and distinctly eggy omelette. Taking advantage of the hot pan, I made
a second, this time with 2 tsp of water beaten into the eggs. It looked different, paler and
fluffier, and had a distinctly less satisfying taste. For the third, I substituted whole milk
for water. Although not as spongy as the eggs and water creation, it still lacked the
glorious flavour of the first. As a certain richness is, to my mind, the defining
characteristic of an omelette, I thus saw no reason to deviate from my habitual eggs-only recipe.
There's no such dispute about the cooking fat, butter being the medium of choice for all
concerned. As well as tasting good, the butter serves another purpose. The great
Auguste Escoffier described the omelette as "scrambled eggs held together in a
coagulated skin". Consider that the pan must be hot enough to set this skin in a matter of
seconds (it is helpful to get y our eggs to room temperature if possible before cooking
fridge-cold eggs will take longer to set, and I found this resulted in an overcooked base),
which means the omelette must be cooked fast, or it will be tough.
Foaming butter - be patient. Photograph: Felicity Cloake
Harold McGee puts it perfectly: "If good scrambled eggs demand patience, a good
omelette takes panache a two- or three- egg omelette cooks in less than a minute."
Obligingly, butter bubbles as it heats. Wait until the foam is dying down, but not yet
beginning to brown, before adding the eggs.
Equipment
Now for the question of the pan. It is vitally important to match omelette to the size of
your pan: if the pan is too big, the omelette will cook too quickly, too small, and it will be
tough on the outside while still excessively runny within. (We are aiming for a classically
baveuse result here: a thin, delicate skin encasing a meltingly soft, slightly liquid
interior.) In my experience, a nine inch (23cm) pan is perfect for a two-egg omelette.
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Although of optimum size, my ex isting non-stick number is not to ev eryone's taste.
Michel Roux Jr recommends an old-fashioned cast-iron omelette pan, of the sort I
suspect may also have graced Madame Poularde's stove in turn-of-the-century
Normandy.
Cooking an omelette. Photograph: Felicity Cloake
Reluctantly, I step away from the safety of my Teflon stalwart, and into the grown-up
world of a very beautiful (and very heav y) Le Creuset number. This is cookware that
means business. It takes a few goes for us to get properly acquainted sticking is a new
and vexatious problem until I start swirling my butter more diligently but I find the
surface retains the heat better, so the omelettes cook even faster. I wouldn't say it's a
must, but I think that, deployed with skill, a cast-iron pan could help to achieve a softer,
more unctuous result.
Technique
Pan and ingredients sorted, it's time to turn the spotlight on my method which, although
competent enough, is not always to be relied upon to produce the neat yellow cigars I
yearn for. Omelette cooks divide into two broad camps: those who hold that spatulas are
for amateurs, and those of us who live in the real world. Personally, I am a devotee of
the Michel Roux Jr school, in which one pours in the eggs, allows them to set for about
20 seconds, then simultaneously stirs and shakes the pan like a maniac until the thing is
done. (It must then be taken off the heat sharpish, or it will overcook.) The contrary
case, as made by Julia Child, whose omelette- tossing antics are a joy to watch, holds that
allowing the omelette to form itself, rather than torturing it with a spatula, makes it
"more tender and creamier than any other method."
A Julia Child method omelette. Photograph: Felicity
Cloake
I try hard. I remember Julia's instruction about being "fearless" as I "jerk the pan
roughly" towards me, "throwing the egg mass" against the far side of the pan, and
"forcing it to roll over upon itself". Several messes later, I finally have my omelette la
Child; but it doesn't look neat, like the others. It's slightly ragged, and dare I say it in
places, a little overcooked. This may well be a case of a bad workman blaming his tools
(although Julia's proudly displayed omelette also looks a bit weatherbeaten to my newly
critical eye), but, unless you've got the technique down pat, I don't believe a spatula
makes a significant difference. If stirring and tilting is good enough for Roux Jr, the good
people at Ballymaloe House (where, incidentally, I ate the best breakfast of my life) and
Marcus Wareing, then it's good enough for me. I have nothing left to prove in the
omelette stakes.
Personally, I don't think too much air becomes an omelette such things should be left
to souffls. However, in the interests of those of you who do like a bit of fluff, I finished
by testing out the idea put forward in Larousse that whisking the yolks and eggs
separately, and then combining them at the last minute, leads to "a lighter and foamieromelette". Although not to my taste, I must admit the thing practically towered for
ultimate height, add a teaspoon of water per egg when you mix the two together.
For a great omelette, you need three things: good ingredients (and plenty of them, in the
case of the butter), the right-sized pan, and fearlessly quick wits. Time is of the essence
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it should be on a plate within a minute.
The perfect omelette
Serves 1
Felicity 's perfect omelette. Photograph: Felicity Cloake
2 eggs
Salt and pepper
Generous knob of butter (about a tablespoon)
Filling of your choice (optional)
1. Whisk together the eggs until just mixed, then season. Lay out any fillings by the hob.
2. Heat a 23cm pan over a medium-high flame and add the butter and swirl to coat.
When the foam begins to die down, pour in the eggs. They should sizzle.
3. Shake the pan to distribute the eggs evenly, then leave for 20 seconds until they begin
to bubble. Add any filling.
4. Using a spatula or fork, draw in the sides of the eggs to the centre while shaking the
pan to redistribute the liquid to the edges. The omelette is done when still slightly runny
in the middle.
5. Take off the heat, and fold two edges into the middle. Shake the pan so they roll
together, then tilt it and turn your omelette on to a warm plate (you can tidy it up before
serving if you like). Season and eat immediately!
What's your favourite omelette recipe, and are you a stirrer or a shaker? And can these
delicate French omelettes ever compete with a whopping British half moon, oozing withcheese, and served with chips?
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