RECIPE ~ Classic French Omelette with Herbs and Cheese

The right pan, whipping eggs the proper way, the right temperature, the right seasonings, the right spatula. All of these things are crucial to making a proper French omelette, I have learned. Basically, everything I thought I knew about making an omelette was wrong. Thanks to The Cook Street School of Fine Cooking, I have learned the right methods. Now I am making omelettes each weekend in hopes of getting better at it!

Tools

• 8 inch non-stick omelette pan:  A non-stick pan of this size is highly recommended. It does not have to be a fancy pan. I bought a very affordable pan at Target.
• A nice quality silicone spatula:  I got a Le Creuset spatula when I bought some Le Creuset pans at the outlet store. However, any silicone spatula will do.
• A wire whisk:  This is to whip the eggs.

Eight inch, non-stick omelette pan

Silicone spatula

Ingredients

• 2 to 3 eggs per omelette
• Approximately 1tbsp. water
• Fresh chopped herbs — I suggest parsley, basil, chives, thyme and oregano or some combination of these
• 1 pinch kosher salt
• 1 pinch white pepper
• 1 oz. cheese — Suggestions include gruyere, a nice swiss or Parrano
• 1 tbsp. softened butter

Getting started

Chop all your herbs and grate your cheese. Set everything up in an orderly fashion — butter, chopped herbs, grated cheese, water, salt, and pepper — within reach of your stove top. (Once you start cooking, things move quickly so this is important.)

Chopped herbs, softened butter, grated swiss cheese and water

Kosher salt and white pepper

Ensure your eggs and butter are not cold. Cold eggs do not cook as well. In a small bowl, add the water to the eggs and whip. Milk or cream will make the eggs rubbery and less fluffy. Water is preferred! When whipping the eggs, only whip them in one direction (e.g., clockwise). Do not reverse directions, as this will break apart the eggs too much and they will not be as fluffy. Don’t over whip the eggs — whip them just enough to combine them then stop. Add some of the fresh herbs to the egg mixture and stir. Do not add salt or pepper to the eggs at this point.

Eggs with water and herbs

Cook the omelette

Heat the butter in the pan over medium-high heat. The butter will bubble and sizzle as it gets hot. Then the bubbling and sizzling will start to diminish. This occurs right before the butter starts to burn (turn brown). Pour the eggs into the pan right when the sizzling slows and before the butter starts to burn.

Butter melting

Immediately begin pulling the cooked egg from the outside of the pan into the center — gently and not in big clumps — with the tip of the spatula. Do this continually and gently. Occasionally swirl the tip of the spatula in circle, clockwise, in the center of the omelette. The idea is to get the egg to cook as evenly as possible without burning it. A classic French omelette is not browned. With the right heat (medium-high), it will take about a minute to a minute and a half to cook your omelette.

With the tip of the spatula, drag from the outside in -- working very quickly

Drag spatula into the center to gently pull in the cooked egg

Occasionally give the center of the omelette a swirl with the spatula

The top of the egg will be almost, but not totally, cooked. This is fine, as it will cook the remainder of the way when you fold the omelette. Remove the pan from the heat and sprinkle your cheese and additional herbs on the lower 1/3 of the omelette. Sprinkle salt and pepper lightly over the omelette.

Add the herbs and cheese to the bottom third of the omelette

Since the pan is non-stick, and you used a lot of butter, there should be no places where the egg is stuck to the pan. Just to be sure, however, run the spatula around the omelette edges once.

Now flip the lower corner of the omelette over and tilt the pan over your plate.

Flip up the lower edge with your spatula

Next, with the pan tilted, fold over the top of the omelette over as you roll the omelette onto the pan.

Flipping down the top of the omelette

As I was folding over the top of the omelette, I was gently rolling the pan so the omelette lands on the plate

Sprinkle a little more of the herbs on top to decorate and serve!

Voila - the final product! Delicious.

Variations

You can create any variation of this omelette that you want — ham, bacon, onions, mushrooms, etc. The trick with ingredients such as these is to cook them separately, in advance. Then sprinkle them on to the bottom 1/3 of the omelette, just as you did the cheese, above. Once the omelette is folded over these ingredients, they will be heated back up and be delicious.

I continue to practice this and each time it gets better! If you make a mistake, no worries. Mistakes are the best way to learn.