A Simple Supper

Jump to Comments

After eating so many rich meals I decided that last night I just needed something light but fulfilling.  Only a French Omelette would do.

No the photo on the right isn’t my omelette (mine just wasn’t up to presentation), but is from BBC Good Food. 

Before discussing the finer points of the recipe, I just want to say that for a dish of this kind it is vital that you begin with the best eggs you can afford.  I always go for organic, free range ones.  However I am very lucky to live close to a farm where I can go collect them as and when I need.

The type of pan you use is also important.  I used my Le Creuset omelette pan, but any heavy, non stick frying pan will be fine.

BBC Good Food recommend adding Parmesan to the egg mixture but I didn’t, instead I followed Trish Deseine’s recipe in Nobody Does it Better: Why French Home Cooking Is Still the Best in the World.  She suggests leaving the omelette mix plain and then adding a filling or topping of your choice instead – something I agree works really well. 

I chose to add feta cheese and fresh mint to my omelette.  I cooked the omelette until almost set, just a slight ooze in the centre and added the cheese and mint before folding the omelette into three (to form a shape similar to that in the photo above).  The feta cheese added a real sharpness to the omelette, which the mint cut through perfectly.  As the feta is not a ‘melting’ cheese it stayed quite firm, although it did soften rather a lot, adding a great texture to the dish too.  It was the first time I’d tried feta in an omelette, it’s definitely something I’ll be eating again and again.

I served it with some crusty bread, buttered with organic Brittany butter and some fleur de sel salt.

Fleur de sel is produced in the Ile de Ré area of France. Gathered in summer, and smelling of the sea and violets, this fine white natural seasoning adds bright aroma and flavour to food. Its fine, light texture is created in the process by which it is made – hand collecting the salt from the surface of the water in salt pans as the white blooms appear on the water’s surface within the Esprit du Sel bays.  The salt is available at most ‘gourmet’ delicatessen stores and some supermarkets, it is also available from The Spice Shop.

The Recipe:

Serves 1

• 3 eggs, organic if possible
• Vegetable oil, for frying
• Unsalted butter
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Filling of your choice

1. Break the eggs into a bowl and beat them lightly with a fork.
2. Briskly heat a little oil and a knob of butter in a heavy-based pan or omelette pan. When they are sizzling (’singing’, the French say) pour in the eggs and stir lightly with the fork until they are cooked (but not browned) underneath and still runny on top.
3. Add your filling of choice.
4. Fold a third of the omelette over towards the middle, then fold over the opposite third to form an oval shape.
5. Slide the omelette out of the pan. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

2 Comments

Filed under Vegetarian