It’s late Sunday morning. It’s not a holiday or anything, but we should celebrate. We’ve survived another week of work, children’s homework, after school programs, the dog not exactly being housebroken, and a flat tire. What we need this morning is a nice breakfast, something substantial, but not too heavy: the best omelette, with toasted baguette and butter. ¡Perfecto!
PJ-FRIENDLY PREP
What to put in the omelet? Well that depends. My philosophy translates to this: delicious and easy. First, I come up with a recipe built from what’s already in the fridge. I’m sure not going to the grocery store in my PJs. And this breakfast business has to be easy all the way around, because I’m not spending my Sunday morning washing dishes. And the kids, well…they’re not quite trained yet. All right then, let’s get started.
OMELET
Ingredients:
2-4 eggs
2 slices of ham (or other filling)
2 slices of Fontina cheese (or other cheese)
French baguette
Butter
Salt to taste
Here are some combinations that have worked well in the past: ham and cheese, feta cheese and asparagus, feta cheese and black olives, feta cheese and onions, mushrooms, tomatoes, cheese and basil, diced chicken with rosemary. Basically, I only combine two or three ingredients that might work well together. If I overload the omelet, the flavor gets all muddy. Again, delicious and easy.
If I’m going to use vegetables, I sauté them first. So say I’m going to stuff this baby with artichokes hearts, mushrooms and cheese. I will dice and sauté the mushrooms with perhaps some thyme or parsley, salt and maybe even a dash of paprika. If you’re using meats, like left over chicken or pork, it’s probably already spiced so just dice it up real nice before adding it to the omelet.
To make it easy on myself, I sauté the veggies in the same pan I’m going to use to make the omelet. Then I place them aside in a plate.
Now let’s take a look at this egg business. I usually scramble my eggs directly in the pan as I cook. This means one less bowl I have to clean. But if you prefer thick eggs as they serve at Denny’s and IHOP you’re going to have to use a bowl. Crack the eggs into a bowl, add a quarter cup of milk or water to the eggs and use a whisk to beat them before pouring them in the pan.
Me, I like my eggs thin, not quite as skinny as a crepe, but close.
So, I add butter or oil to a pan and turn the burner on low heat. (This is important. Be patient, you don’t want to burn the eggs).
I crack two eggs into an 8-inch pan, or up to four eggs for a 10 or 14-inch pan.
Then I use a plastic or wood spatula to scramble the eggs in the pan; you don’t want to scratch the pan’s non-stick surface.
Read Related: Salted Cod Hash with Scrambled Eggs & Dumplings
I keep the fire on low and stir the eggs every few seconds as the eggs cook. When they start getting hard, I shake the pan to make sure the eggs spread over the pan, making a sort of tortilla. At this point I’m done stirring.
Slice the baguette in half and place it in the oven to warm up or toast.
Now, I yell at the kids to stop watching TV and order them to set the table.
When the egg is still runny, but semi-solid, I place the ingredients over the egg. In this case, I’m placing a couple of slices of ham and Fontina cheese.
Add a pinch of salt.
When the cheese in the omelet is beginning to melt, I dig into the side with a spatula. Then I slip the spatula under half the omelet and flip it to make a half moon.
One other option for flipping or ‘closing’ the omelet is to slide it off the pan into a plate. When it’s half on the plate and half on the pan, flip the half on the pan over the half that’s on the plate, and presto!
My goal, and the reason why I cook the eggs at low heat, is that I’m trying not to get the brown of a burnt omelet. They don’t just look ugly but the flavor and texture is not as pleasant.
I pull the baguette out of the oven and butter it up.
Okay, breakfast is ready. There is no better way to start a Sunday. And if the kids don’t like it, they can eat cereal. More eggs for me!
