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We love getting Thai take-out – it’s a treat. Something about the sweet, salty, umami combination that is so satisfying, especially with fresh aromatics and chewy rice noodles. We still do get take-out on occasion (Pad Thai isn’t our usual order), but we’ve come across …
Week 3 of this 4-week egg series continues with omelets. What comes to mind when you think about omelets? I think of the classic Denver omelet that you can find at just about any breakfast diner in the US. This is typically prepared with a relatively thick layer of egg heavily filled with ham, green pepper, onion, and cheddar. Nothing wrong with that!
And then my mind wanders to the omelette. While a French word, the dish actually originated in ancient Persia. And most regions or cultures have some version of an egg dish that’s very omelette-like. Omelettes take my mind to Julia Child or her apprentice Jacques Pepin and with that comes humility in trying to replicate something each of them mastered over time. Still simple, but with a lot of technique where the small details mean everything. Sometimes this can be intimidating. But when my mind wanders to feelings of intimidation, I try to think of how boring a life it would be if we already knew everything. And how the learning process almost always involves failure. And so failure, especially when the implications are so small, connects to learning, not to inadequacy.
This week’s recipe will be the omelette and reflect my best version of what Julia Child so easily pulls off. The end result, should be a smooth omelette that is tender and creamy. In many cases on this blog, I’ll have recipes that have been tried and tweaked many times over and become proficient at the small details. That is not the case with this omelette. While I don’t believe this recipe needs adjusting, it takes a lot of practice to execute proficiently. This one takes a bit longer for me to learn and I’m still smack in the middle of that journey (or in the beginning). The recipe should serve you well, and you’re welcome to come along with me on the journey of learning how to make a proper omelette.
I love them because they are:
Note: it’s critical to have a pan that allows the egg to slide around freely. For this reason, most gravitate to a non-stick pan, however you are able to use stainless steel or even cast iron & probably many others) as long as they’re seasoned and you’ve heated it to the right temperature before adding fat to the pan. Never let any pan, especially a cast iron one, sit empty on heat. It will overheat and burn your ingredients, and it does something to the pan that makes things stick to it in the future.
Omelettes are best made one at a time per pan. They key is for the depth of the egg mass to not be more than ¼” in the pan. So a pan with a 7” bottom is the right size for an individual 2-3 egg omelette.
Once you’ve selected your pan, beat your eggs in a mixing bowl and vigorously beat with a long table fork for 30-40 strokes, just until the egg white and egg yolk are thoroughly combined. Next, heat butter in the pan over very high heat. As the butter melts, tilt the pan in all directions to evenly coat the entire pan. Once the foam of the butter is nearly gone and the butter is at the point of coloring, you’re ready to add your beaten eggs.
Once you’ve added your eggs, let them settle in the pan for 2-3 seconds until they form a film of coagulated egg in the bottom of the pan. Hold the pan handle with both hands and begin jerking the pan vigorously at a 20-degree angle over the heat. You’re moving the pan toward you and away from you, back and forth. The sharp pull of the pan toward you throws the eggs against the far lip of the pan, then back over it’s bottom’s surface. Don’t be afraid to be rough
with the jerking motion or the eggs will not loosen themselves from the bottom of the pan. After several jerks, the eggs will begin to thicken. Add your garnish to the top of the omelette.
Now to fold the omelette in the pan, lift the handle to a greater angle and continue jerking which should create a folding of the omelette against the far lip of the pan. Use your fork if you need to assist in the shaping. The center of the omelette should remain soft and creamy. Transfer
to a plate, rub the top with a bit of butter and serve immediately.
Inspired by:
Julia Child
Jacques Pepin
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Week 2 of this 4-week series on eggs, brings us to the quiche. Breakfast, I think, more than any other meal has so many different styles in the sense of on-the-go (things that you can get at a coffee shop or bakery like breakfast burritos and bagel sandwiches and even a quiche), classic diner or greasy spoon, made at home and so on. I’d venture to guess your favorite breakfast depends on the style. One of my favorite bakery breakfasts is a quiche. Its hard to make pie dough taste bad, but what makes me love a quiche is that it’s savory and sticks with you longer than a pastry. As tempting as that cinnamon roll, morning bun, or croissant are, they are no breakfast. They have my blood sugar crashing within an hour or two and leave me hungry for something more.
I love quiches because they:
To make the crust, combine flour and salt in a stand mixer. Cut the butter into small pieces and add them in a few at a time while the mixer is running on medium speed. Once the flour mixture looks well combined and the butter is pea size or smaller, add egg and mix to combine. Remove the dough from the mixing bowl and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate for at least 30 mins to chill. The dough can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.
When ready to bake the quiche, remove the dough and flour your work surface. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out to the size of a standard pie pan. Press the rolled dough into the pie pan and crimp the edge of the dough in your preferred style. Place the pie pan in the refrigerator until you’re ready to bake the quiche.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
To make the egg filling, first sauté (and caramelize) filling ingredients, one at a time in butter. Set the filling aside.
In your stand mixer, combine eggs, cream, cream cheese, shredded cheese, salt, and pepper until completely combined. Add your sauteed filling ingredients and chives or parsley. Mix until just combined.
Remove the crust from the refrigerator and pour the egg mixture into the pie pan. Bake for 60 minutes or until there is just a very slide jiggle in the center. You may need to cover the quiche with foil if it browns too much. Once done cooking, remove from the oven and allow to rest 15 minutes before slicing.
Inspired by:
Shaye Elliott
Small town bakeries
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Eggs are such an incredible food. Full of protein, vitamin A, folate, Omega-3’s, and other high-quality nutrients. And nutrient density increases dramatically with pastured eggs. Remember when we thought eggs (and butter) were bad because of their cholesterol (and saturated fat)? And in response, replaced them with processed substitutes that were thought to be healthier, like margarine? I think the tide has turned on the fad of those beliefs. Generations and generations before us knew the richness and value of these foods. We just hit a blip in our history following the heavy manufacturing of food-like products when we got our heads jumbled with myths that favored the pockets of food processers.
Aside from the nutritional quality of eggs, they’re also a very inexpensive source of nutrition. If you’re trying to cut costs in your budget, eating healthier and more nutritiously, think about incorporating egg dishes not only into your breakfast menu, but also for dinner.
In this series, you’ll see a post for this and the next three Mondays covering recipes where eggs are the star. Most of them can be interchangeable for breakfast and dinner too. We’ll be covering:
We’re kicking off this 4-week series with egg bites. Egg white and roasted red pepper or bacon and gruyere? I’m guessing most know this reference to Starbucks menu and have an opinion on which they’d choose. Aside from influencing culture, companies can bring a little known food item into wild popularity. I think it’s safe to say that’s the case with this one. I will admit, my first egg bite was a Starbucks egg bite and that I hadn’t heard of them until that day.
I love them because they are:
Preheat oven to 300F. Place a pan of water ½ inch deep on the lower rack to create steam. If using a stoneware muffin pan, put this in oven now for an additional 20 minutes after the oven has reached temp. Place the eggs, cottage cheese, shredded cheese, salt, and pepper in a blender until silky smooth. Using muffin liners, fill the liners to about ¾ full. Add garnish of choice on top. Place the muffin pan on the middle rack above the pan of water. Bake until the egg bites are completely set – usually 25-30 minutes. Remove pan from the oven and egg bites from the pan, letting them cool completely on a rack. These will keep at least 4 days in the fridge and can be reheated nicely in a toaster oven.
Inspired by:
Starbucks Coffee Company
Once Upon a Chef
Feasting At Home
These will keep at least 4 days (I’d guess longer – trust your nose) when stored in an airtight container. To reheat, I like to do so in a toaster oven at 350-425F, depending if you want to brown the tops and edges or not.
You can also try these delicious Chorizo & Roasted Potato Breakfast Burritos. They’re everything I want in a burrito that’s breakfast!
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