Classic French Omelet

Everyone knows how to make an omelet. And if you ask your favorite search engine for the "best omelet" recipe, you will find that a lot of people — a lot of people — think they have the secret to the "perfect" omelet.

Maybe they're all perfect. After all, aren't eggs a nearly perfect food? Stuff them with anything you like and what could be better?

I was looking for something specific, and it was not the classic American omelet, puffy and lightly browned, bulging with most of a pound of ingredients. I was looking for the classic French omelet, rare enough that many Americans haven't see one in the wild. This style is much smaller, thin and rolled, with mere ounces of filling. Elegant enough for dinner, it doesn't rely on a Big Bertha payload to achieve culinary excellence.

After a few decent tries, along came the January issue of Cook's Illustrated. In their usual, fastidious way, they optimized and tweaked. I've done this several times now and really like the results. Here is my version of their version of the great classic. 

This is more "technique" than recipe. Follow the steps in order, because timing matters. I don't usually do a lot of prep (I prefer to prepare ingredients as I go), but for this one, you want everything poised and ready.

1. Place a non-stick pan (yes, it must be non-stick) on the stove, on the lowest heat setting. Just leave it there. You want very even, very low heat and this long warmup erases any cool spots.
2. Start with about a tablespoon of butter per person, cut into small pieces. Place in a small dish (keep each portion separate) and put in the freezer.
3. Choose your filling ingredients. The French omelet won't carry a massive load, so think in terms of a few tablespoons of flavorful ingredients such as great cheese, bacon or prosciutto, herbs. Not too many — France is not Denver, folks!
4. All ingredients should be cooked and at room temperature or above. There will be little cooking time inside the omelet. You can cook in the same pan but wipe it out well and return to very low heat when you're done. Saute bacon, onions or other vegetables, mince everything well, set aside. Cheese need not be melted but it must be grated very fine.
5. Prepare the eggs: 1 egg yolk plus 2 whole eggs. No milk or water. A little salt (less than usual), a grind of pepper. That's all. Whisk very well, so there is no trace of separate yolk or white. If you are feeding several people, have each omelet's eggs in a separate bowl.
6. Set the table and make sure everything is ready. This is one time where people will wait for the food; the food must not be asked to wait.
7. Have a silicone spatula and two chopsticks handy.
8. Put half a tablespoon of butter in the pan. Leave the heat on low.
9. As it melts, get the bits of butter from the freezer. Toss one portion's worth (a tablespoon or so) into the eggs and whisk. Tilt the pan to spread the now-melted butter. Add the egg and frozen butter bits to the pan.
   
   
   
   Immediately start mixing the eggs with the chopsticks, stirring constantly and breaking up egg curds as they form.
   
    
10. Soon, the eggs will have cooked enough that there are gaps:
    
    
    At that point, you can stop stirring with the chopsticks, Shake the pan back and forth quickly to fill the gaps and follow up with the silicone spatula to smooth away any remaining gaps.
11. Add the filling and cover the pan.
    
    
    
    This as much filling as you want — usually, I use 2/3 as much as this.
12. Let it sit over low heat for 5-10 minutes, until the egg is nearly cooked through.
13. One the egg is cooked and the fillings are warmed and cheese is melted, remove the lid and prepare to roll the omelet onto the plate.
14. Hold the spatula in one hand, the pan in the other. Tilt the pan, to roll the omelet out, using the spatula to get the roll started. Separate the egg from the pan at the high side, working around the edges. Nudge the high edge down, to roll over the filling and continue to nudge as the omelet forms a roll and rolls out onto the plate. It's a lot easier than it sounds. Cook's Illustrated suggested sliding it onto a paper towel and using the towel to roll it, but I found it easy to roll out of the pan without any paper products.

Repeat for each person.

Comments

[Cookie]

what a perfect looking omelet! Those look like some of my favorite filling ingredients, bacon, green onions and CHEESE! I like to add mushrooms to mine too if I have any on hand.