Friday, December 26. 2008French Rolled Omelets are easy!
In a recent print article, Cooks Illustrated Magazine attempted to convince us that French rolled omelets, a staple of rustic peasant cuisine in France for centuries, were somehow very difficult food worthy of a two-column recipe and the addition of a whole cup of saturated fat and a lot of fiddly handling (to be fair to them, Julia Child did this as well). So, the other morning, I set out to prove them wrong. I made rolled omelets not only quickly and easily (35 min for 4 omletes, start to finish), but I used inferior ingredients and didn't measure. Among other things, instead of fresh whole room-temperature eggs, I used Costco carton fake eggs which were past their expiration date.The result? Quick, easy, tender, tasty. This is easy food. Recipe follows. Ingredients below are per single-person omelet, so you've want to multiply them by the number of people you're cooking for. Once you get going, omelets take about 6 minutes each, so you can actually feed a crowd. Do have ingredients for more omelets than people on hand in case you lose a few.
Beat the cream into the eggs in the pitcher or measuring cup. If you have time, allow it come to room temperature; if not, don't worry about it. This recipe requires working very quickly, so arrange all of the ingredients in a mise-en-place next to the stove, and have the plates to hand. Heat the pan over medium heat for 10+ minutes, until very hot from rim to rim. Turn heat to high and smear the bottom with a pat of butter, until it is completely melted and starting to brown. Pour in the egg mixture in a spiral, starting on the outside and moving towards the middle. Swirl the pan a bit to get the egg to fill in any holes. Turn the burner back down to medium. Sprinkle the other ingredients onto the eggs, preferably in this order: herbs, chives/onions, cheese, salt, pepper. By this time the eggs should be mostly, but not completely, set. Turn off the flame, and roll the omelet. The way I've found easiest to do this is by using two silicone rubber spatulas, one in each hand, and rolling towards from the far side of the pan, pulling the handles of the spatulas towards me like big brake levers, very quickly. Flip a little edge, about 1/2", over, then keep flipping a little at a time, until you've rolled it up. This does take some dexterity, so don't get discouraged if you can't make it roll properly the first time. It'll still taste good. Really, it's easier than it sounds, and I'll take a video next time. Once rolled, you can just slide the omelet onto a plate by tilting the pan. These omelets will keep fine in a warming drawer or 180F oven for a half hour or so so you can make a bunch. If making several serially, make sure to give the pan 2 minutes to get really hot again between each. See, easy! And don't let Mrs. Child or Mr. Kimball tell you otherwise. Serve with toast.
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