Basic French Omelette How To

With or Without Cheese, Make a Simple Egg Dish Everybody Loves

Jan 17, 2008 Larry Ervin

French cuisine can be intimidating. It can be, but it shouldn't. Omelettes exemplify one simple but elegant classic French technique you should have in your bag of tricks

If you have eggs, you can have an omelette. Fast and flexible—what’s not to love? There is a tiny trick to getting an omelette cooked through, but it’s easily learned and once you master it, the possibilities are endless.

Americans associate omelettes with breakfast or brunch. Is it a coincidence that the French have no phrase in their language that specifically means “good morning”? Not. In France, omelettes are served as a starter course or even the focal point of a light supper.

All the possible variations in fillings and toppings boggle the mind. It can also be served unadorned, and that’s where you want to start.

The Omelette Pan

One of the aspects of omelette making that can be intimidating is the omelette pan. Basically, you want a pan where the eggs won’t stick. Most simply, that’s a non-stick pan, preferably one with sides that round upwards to make it easier to slip the omelette onto your plate. Beyond that you are back to mystifying the process. Chacun a son gout, which is French for “Everyone to their own disgusting opinion.”

The purists among you --those who find yourselves cooking omelettes three or four times a week-- might consider buying and “curing” a dedicated omelette pan. A heavy pan is seasoned by filling it nearly full with vegetable oil and heating it until it is quite hot. Remove it from the heat and let it stand several hours or overnight. Pour out the oil and wipe out the pan. A well-seasoned pan is again simply wiped out after each use. It doesn’t need to be washed unless you haven’t used it for weeks or if the oil starts to give a rancid taste to your omelettes.

Size matters. Omelettes cook so quickly –maybe 30 seconds each-- that you can cook them one at a time. The presentation is better and you can suit individual preferences. A seven-inch pan is ideal. Alternatively, you can use a ten or eleven-inch pan for an eight-egg recipe and cut the omelette in half or thirds to serve.

Basic French Omelette

Ingredients:

• 2 or 3 eggs (depending on your appetite)
• salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• 1 Tbsp butter (or butter and oil)

Method:

1. In a small bowl, combine the eggs and seasonings. Don’t overbeat.
2. Over medium flame, heat the pan until it is quite hot. Add the butter and swirl it around so the base and sides are all coated. Adding oil to the butter will keep it from setting off your smoke alarm.
3. When the butter is hot and foaming, pour the eggs into the pan, tilting it to spread the eggs evenly over the base.
4. (Here’s the tiny trick mentioned earlier.) As the egg mixture starts to set on the bottom, gently lift the edge with a spatula and tilt the pan to let the uncooked egg run underneath. Repeat, going around the edge until the egg doesn’t want to run there anymore.NOTE: This is the point, after the base is set, to add grated cheese or other fillings if you were doing so.
5. Lifting the edge of the omelette will also let you peek underneath to see if it has started to turn that beautiful golden color you want. When it has, use a spatula to fold one edge of the omelette over the other. Do this such that the fold of the omelette is in line with the handle. Now hold the pan over your serving plate and tilt the pan so the omelette slips onto the plate. (That’s the ideal world. If your pan isn’t perfectly slippery, you may need to give the omelette a little more encouragement with a spatula.) Serve immediately.

Voila! Une omelette parfait. A perfect omelette.

Basic Cheese Omelette

Before you start the omelette, grate your favorite cheese –sharp cheddar is my favorite, but a French goat cheese might better fit the theme. Don’t wait until you’ve started cooking. The omelette cooks so quickly and you run the risk of overcooking it. Add the grated cheese along the intended fold line, after the egg has stopped running for cover.

Variations:

Stay tuned for a few of the myriad variations in terms of fillings and toppings. Better still, now that you know the basics, exercise your creativity and come up with your own. Some like a dollop of salsa or a few splashes of Tabasco on a cheese omelette.

Hungry for more? Find out what's happening in French Cuisine, Check out more recipes that demystify the basic techniques and ingredients of French Cuisine. Explore the cuisine of France's Regions beyond Paris

The copyright of the article Basic French Omelette How To in French Cuisine is owned by Larry Ervin. Permission to republish Basic French Omelette How To in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Basic French Omelette

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Comments

Jan 14, 2010 2:40 PM

Guest :

Actually, a true omelette from france is cooked much differently than you described. I won't get into heavy details, but you don't actually want the eggs to set. On high heat as soon as you put the eggs into the pan you must violently shake the pan while stirring the eggs as fast as you can. After 10ish seconds you can stop let the eggs set into the omelette base. Some chefs like to put the omelette under a salamander or broiler for 10 seconds just to get some lift to the omelette after the previous step. Then you just finish it with fillings and fold it into an almost rectangle shape with tucked in ends. I learned this from chef Daniel rigollet who was born in France and has been working in kitchens since the 1960's. Look it up if you are not convinced or want more detailed intructions. I believe the way you described is the north American way because I live in Canada and that is how our kitchen cooks omelettes. The rest of your information was great; thank you.

Jan 15, 2010 7:50 AM

Larry Ervin :

Thanks for clarifying the French method.

Jan 19, 2010 4:23 PM

Guest :

Both styles are French omelettes! The first one where you let the egg set is known as a French oval omelette and it is served in the northern part of France. The second way described is the classic way and is much more popular because of its texture. Try both ways and see what you prefer. Good article.

3 Comments