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Sure we have all an omelette or two in our day. Whether it be at your local diner or fancy brunch spot or even your very own kitchen. And I am sure up until now they were all in the same ballpark. Nothing outstanding, or magnificent about any of them. But I will let you in on a little secret. There is such thing as the PERFECT omelette. It is pale yellow, perfectly light and fluffy, and doesn’t crack when you load it with your favorite fillings. The perfect omelette is a blanket of airy eggy perfection.
It is no secret I got my cooking skills all from the Food Network. So much so that I’d like to think I had perfected the art of the omelette by the age of 10, at which time I basically became the head chef for Saturday morning breakfast. I had seen my family members make omelettes plenty of time, and they always tasted fine. But then, I saw chef Tyler Florence show me his technique for the absolute perfect omelette and I never looked back. And now, I pass those secrets on to you.
Secret #1- Airy Eggs
The first and absolute most important secret to the perfect omelette is creating an airy egg base. To do this, you need a strong arm! Well, a hand mixer will do too. For one omelette, beat together 2 large eggs, 1 tsp of salt, 1/2 tsp of white pepper (to keep the eggs fleck free), and 2 tbsp of sour cream. Yes I said sour cream. I know many people use milk or heavy cream, but I find sour cream is much more rich and creamy, and adds a subtle tang.
Now beat away. And I don’t mean a quick whisk like you’ve done a million times to make scrambled eggs. I mean pretend we are making a merengue and you need to beat those eggs for your life! If you are doing this by hand, expect to be beating for a good 5-8 minutes. The key is you want it to look the same as when you are about halfway to a good merengue. It will be extremely foamy and bubbly, and will begin to take on a pale white color.
Secret #2- Patience
The second key is patience! You will need to heat up an oven-safe saute or omelette pan, about 8-9 inches, over medium low heat and be prepared to babysit these eggs. I have seen far too many omelette that are browned on the outside, and I personally do not like the taste of overcooked eggs. So begin by melting about 1 tbsp of butter in your pan. Pour in your airy eggs and stay patient.
As the eggs begin to solidify on the bottom, drag a rubber spatula back and forth across the bottom of the pan to release the cooked eggs and allow the raw egg to make contact with the bottom of the pan. This will create what looks like soft curves and waves in the pan. After 2-3 minutes, the eggs should appear about halfway done. There should still be enough raw egg in the pan to completely coat the bottom when you swirl it around. If you can see the bottom of the pan and there is not enough raw liquid to cover it, you have gone to far so you may as well scramble them.
Once the eggs look about halfway cooked but still runny, remove them from the heat and top them with your filling. Here I used about 4 oz of shredded swiss cheese, and 2-3 tbsp of diced ham. Sprinkle on your filling and pop the pan in a 350 degree oven. Let the eggs cook for another 5-7 minutes, or until the cheese melts and the top of the eggs look dry. The omelette will also begin to puff as it finishes cooking.
Remove the pan from the oven and fold over the eggs with a spatula. Slide it onto your plate and enjoy the most perfect omelette you have ever had!
Want More Eggy Breakfast Recipes?
- Egg White Grill Sandwich
- Pita Breakfast Pizza
- Bacon And Veggie Egg Muffins
- Bacon Egg And Cheese Biscuit Casserole
- French Toast Sliders
- Steak Egg And Cheese Burrito
The Perfect Omelette with Ham and Swiss
Ingredients
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tbsp sour cream
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp white pepper
- 4 oz shredded swiss cheese
- 2-3 tbsp diced ham
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°
- In a mixing bowl, beat eggs, sour cream, salt and pepper until extremely foamy and pale in color. It should look similar to when you are about halfway to a merengue of egg whites.
- Pour the beaten eggs in a butters nonstick saute pan over medium-low heat.
- As the eggs begin to solidify, drag a rubber spatula back and forth across the bottom of the pan to release the cooked eggs and allow the raw egg to make contact with the bottom of the pan. This will create what looks like soft curves and waves in the pan.
- After about 2-3 minutes, the eggs should look about halfway cooked, but there should still be enough raw egg in the pan to completely coat the bottom.
- Take the pan off of the heat and sprinkle on the ham and cheese.
- Place the pan in the oven for 5-7 minutes, or until the top looks dry and begins to puff
- Remove from the oven, fold the omelette in half and gently slide onto a plate. Serve immediately.
