Mushroom Omelette

To cook an omelette comme il faut is not an easy task. I have never read much about the subject, and what I will describe is essentially the technique I arrived to after much trial and error. It also fits our personal taste, but there may be a better omelette out there, just waiting for us!

We recently bought a 20cm non-stick frying pan essentially to be used only when cooking eggs. It was expensive, but it is beautifully made and it seems to be a high quality addition to our kitchen. We think there isn't really the need for non-stick except for this purpose. If we manage to use it only for eggs, we expect that the pan will last for a long time and that we will be able to take plenty of pleasure from it.

This is how we presently make a 2-egg mushroom omelette:

Thickly slice a few mushrooms. Shitake are nice, but anything you have around is fine. We find that mushrooms are usually full of moisture, so we keep them outside the stupid plastic package they usually come in for a few days, on the kitchen counter, before using them.

Put a bit of olive oil or any other fat you fancy on your omelette pan. You can fry a small clove of garlic, thinly minced, in the oil if you like. The better the pan, the less fat you need. Once the oil is hot, add the mushrooms to the pan. Let them cook. There is really no rule here, it depends on the mushrooms. But try not to hurry, if it gets too hot take the pan out of the heat source and let the mushrooms release a bit of moisture. Add a few rocks of salt also --- but be gentle.

While this is taking place, lightly beat two eggs in a bowl with a bit of black pepper and some salt. Add some water to the eggs, just a bit. I find that water works better than milk or cream --- my taste. I recall reading somewhere that there are reasons to use the water and not milk. Also, wash and pat dry a few parsley leaves, which you then coarsely chop. Something like 2 tablespoons of parsley is about right.

When the mushrooms are ready, add the beaten eggs to the pan. Let this fry until the frying surface hardens. At that point, lift a bit of the edge of the omelette and tilt the pan so that uncooked egg that is on the top goes under the omelette. Do this around the whole perimeter of the omelette. The idea is to cook as much egg as possible before folding the omelette --- but not too much. You want the top still raw and creamy when you sprinkle the parsley on it. At that point, fold the omelette in half. Let it cook a bit more, and then place a plate on top of the pan and, with a quick move, turn the omelette onto the plate. This is done so that you can turn it and cook the other side a bit more.

The omelette should have an appetizing golden exterior and a fluffy, wet and creamy interior. Practice is the key. I am still working towards perfection!