San Diegan Omelette Recipes

SAN DIEGAN OMELETTE

Steps:

• Boil red potatoes to 90 percent cooked and cool in the refrigerator until cold. When potatoes are cold, cut into medium sized chunks and saute in 1 tablespoon of margarine and 1 tablespoon of butter. When the potatoes are almost finished sauteing, begin to cook the bacon crisply and cut into small pieces. Set aside. Just before the potatoes are browned, sprinkle garlic, onions, salt and pepper onto the potatoes. Drain off excess oil. Set aside. Saute mushrooms. Set aside. Whip 3 eggs together. Grease a 10-inch omelet pan with margarine over a medium heat. Have all other ingredients ready to assemble quickly after the eggs are cooked. Put the eggs in a pan and cook slowly over a medium heat. With a spatula, push the eggs to the center of the pan. Remember that this is an open omelet so do not fold over. As the eggs begin to seal on the bottom, keep folding the loose eggs under the cooked portion. When almost all the loose egg is cooked, clip the eggs over. Lay the cooked eggs flat on a plate. Spread sour cream, and then place potatoes on the eggs, followed with mushrooms, tomatoes and bacon. Top with feta cheese.

WESTERN OMELETTE

Steps:

• In a small bowl, beat together 3 of the eggs and season lightly with salt and pepper. Set aside.
• Heat 3 tablespoons of the butter in a small non-stick skillet, with tight-fitting lid, over medium heat. Add the peppers and cook, covered, without stirring, until tender, about 3 minutes. Uncover and raise the heat to medium-high. Add the ham and scallions and cook, stirring frequently, until hot, about 1 minute. Transfer the mixture to a bowl.
• Melt a nut-sized piece of the remaining butter in the skillet over medium heat. When the foam subsides, add 1/4 of the pepper mixture. Pour in the beaten eggs and cook, stirring constantly with a heat-resistant rubber spatula, until just cooked, about 30 seconds. Turn off the heat and, using the rubber spatula, smooth over the top of the omelette so that it evenly covers the inside of the skillet. If using the cheese, sprinkle about 2 tablespoons over the omelette. Let rest for 30 seconds until the omelette has set.
• Using the rubber spatula, fold the omelette in half, and transfer to a warmed plate. Cover with foil to keep warm. Repeat with the remaining ingredients to make 4 omelettes in all.

THREE CHEESE SOUFFLé OMELETTE

Steps:

• Place a 7-or-8-inch nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Set the oven rack to the center position and heat the broiler to high.
• Place the yolks into a medium bowl and the whites into a large metal or glass bowl. Add the salt to the whites and, using a metal whisk or hand mixer, whip up until foamy and they hold medium peaks. Set aside. Lightly whisk the egg yolks until slightly foamy. Using a metal spoon or large whisk, gently fold the yolks into the whites just until combined.
• Melt the butter in the pan and gently pour in the eggs. Allow the omelette to cook for 1 minute. Gently sprinkle with all the cheese and transfer to the oven for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the cheese melts.
• Gently fold the omelette in half and transfer to a plate. Scatter with the herbs, season with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

THE OMELETTE

Steps:

• Beat the eggs with a fork; season with a pinch of salt and pepper add any fresh herbs you would like to include
• Melt the butter in an omelet pan or a nonstick 7inch pan with sloping sides. Tilt the pan from side to side to coat the bottom with melted butter. When butter is about to turn brown, add the eggs to the skillet. Over high heat, stir the eggs with your right hand while you shake the pan back and forth, up and down, with your left hand. When the underside of the omelet begins to set, tilt to pan, after you lift the edge of omelet, so that any uncooked egg from the top will run under the cooked egg and set. Run a line of the grated cheese down the middle of the omelet
• Hold the right top or side third of the omelet towards the center, then roll it over onto other third.
• Grab the handle of the omelet pan with your right hand, and roll the omelette onto a plate.

POTATO OMELETTE

Steps:

• Fry the bacon in a small frying pan until crisp, and remove to a paper towel to drain. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the bacon fat from the pan. Add the butter to the pan, heat to medium and gently fry the onions until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Remove all to a plate. Deglaze the pan with a splash of vinegar and reduce until it's almost gone.
• Add the tablespoon of oil or fat and get the pan quite hot this time. Saute the potatoes, stirring only occasionally, until they are soft when pierced with a fork and very crisp and golden on the outside, a good 20 minutes. Return the onions, garlic and bacon to the pan.
• Gently stir the eggs with a fork, sprinkle with salt and pepper and pour them over the potatoes. Cook until the eggs are set on the bottom, but still a bit slithery on top - or, as the French say, "baveux" (drool-like). Cover the omelette and continue cooking until the top sets, no more than a minute because you still want it a little runny on top - or, I do anyway. Run a spatula around the edge and slip the omelette out onto a large plate.

PERFECT OMELETTES

Steps:

• With a 9-inch teflon omelette pan, warm one ounce of butter over medium heat. Blend in a mixing bowl the eggs and the milk. Slowly pour the equivalent of 3 eggs into the saute pan with a swirling motion using a rubber spatula. Stir eggs evenly until they begin to set. Do not scramble the eggs. Once the eggs begin to set, turn down the heat and cook slowly. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Fill the center with your choice of ingredients.

FINES HERBS OMELETTE

Steps:

• To make the Fines Herbs, combine the parsley, chervil, chives and tarragon in a small bowl and set aside.
• Break the eggs into a small bowl, and then add the milk, 2 tablespoons Fines Herbs, salt and pepper and whisk with a fork.
• Preheat an 8-inch nonstick saute pan over medium hot heat and swirl the olive oil into the pan. Pour in the egg mixture and swirl it in the pan. For a few seconds, gently stir the egg mixture with a heat resistant rubber spatula (as if you were going to make scrambled eggs) and then swirl the eggs in the pan to make a nice round appearance. Reduce the heat to avoid any color or scorching. Continue cooking for about 1 minute. The eggs will be set on the bottom, but slightly liquid on top.
• Flip the omelet, and remove it from the heat. Crumble the goat cheese over the center of the omelet and top it off with the roasted peppers. Tri-fold the omelet and plate immediately.

OMELETTE WITH AVOCADO, BACON AND MONTEREY JACK

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Crack the eggs into a medium mixing bowl and pour in the cream. Add the chives, tarragon, salt and pepper and whisk until well incorporated and foamy.
• Preheat an 8-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the butter and turn the heat down slightly. With a 4-ounce ladle, add one ladle of eggs to the pan. Immediately begin stirring with a spatula. (Cook's note: This is to heat the eggs through so they set like a custard. Keep swirling them around so the eggs aren't in one spot long enough to burn.)
• Once the eggs begin to set, stop stirring. Transfer the pan to the oven for 1 1/2 minutes; the omelette should still have a soft custard touch
• Top the omelette with the bacon, avocado and Monterey Jack. Return it to the oven for 30 seconds, just so the cheese begins to melt. Using an oven mitt to grip the handle, tip the pan sideways and roll the omelette onto a plate with the help of a spatula. Garnish with more chives and tarragon, and chervil.