For me, a perfectly cooked omelette symbolizes the best of the best in French cooking. Such a dish, along with roasted chicken, beef bourguignon, crepes, and pâté, are categorized this way because they are all based on quality ingredients, skill, and timelessness.
Egg cookery in general is a skill based on the concept of ‘low and slow’ cooking. This technique was drilled into our brains in culinary school on our multiple days of egg cookery. Always cook eggs slowly over a low flame—never, never allow your eggs to be cooked until browned and always take them off of the heat when they are tender and still a bit runny. This is because even off of the heat, the eggs will continue to cook from residual heat once they are removed.
One of the food items that traveled back with me from Italy was a small bag of dried black truffles. A perfect treat to add to a tender omelette. Reconstituted in a bit of warm water, these dried truffles add just the right amount of earthy flavor to the omelette. (If dried truffles are unavailable, dried porcini mushrooms would also work well here.) Garnished with a chiffonade of basil and a few shavings of Parmesan cheese, this Omelette aux Truffes is a classic dish that with one bite, is sure to transport you to a seat at a quintessential French café.
Reconstituting the dried truffles in warm water
Cooking the omelet slowly, over low heat
(To view the recipe, click on the blue title of the blog post above*)
Omelette aux Truffes
Ingredients:
- 4 large eggs
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- Pinch of black pepper
- 1 Tablespoon of unsalted butter
- 1 oz. dried black truffles (dried porcini mushrooms would also work well), reconstituted in warm water
- Fresh basil leaves, chiffonade, for garnish
- Shaved Parmesan cheese, for garnish
- Drizzle of quality extra virgin olive oil, to serve
Directions:
- In a small bowl, beat 2 eggs with a whisk and season with salt and pepper. (You will be cooking one, 2-egg omelet at a time). In a nonstick sauté pan over low heat, melt ½ of the butter. Add in two beaten eggs and swirl the pan to coat with the egg mixture. With a rubber spatula, break the eggs up as if you are scrambling them with a rubber spatula. Once the eggs start to coagulate stop stirring them and allow the omelet to set.
- Once the omelet is set on the bottom and still a bit runny on the top, add in ½ of the reconstituted truffles and cook for an additional 30 seconds over low heat. Fold 1/3 of the omelette over, and roll the omelet gently onto the serving plate.
- Top with a chiffonade of basil, shaved Parmesan cheese, and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Serve warm.
- (Repeat these steps for your second omelet.)
Tagged: basil, breakfast, dried black truffles, dried porcini mushrooms, egg cookery, eggs, French, omelette, Parmesan cheese
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