MAKES 1 OMELET
3 eggs any size, preferably cage-free organic
Salt and ground black pepper
1 TABLESPOON unsalted butter
Any combination of fillings, such as grated Swiss, cheddar, goat cheese, Monterey Jack, or Muenster; spinach; chopped tomatoes; mushrooms; bacon or ham; roasted red peppers; caramelized onions, or Tomato Jam
1 Crack the eggs into a bowl. Add a pinch of salt and pepper to taste. Whisk the eggs with a fork to break them up and mix them thoroughly until they look like foamy orange juice. You shouldn’t be able to see pieces of white or pieces of yolk.
2 Heat an omelet or fry pan over a medium flame until it’s hot. Add the butter, swirl it around until it’s melted but not browned, foamy but not burned. If the butter browns too fast, your pan is too hot.
3 Pour or ladle your eggs into the pan. You’ll know the pan is hot enough because the eggs will start curling up around the edges.
4 Agitate the pan a bit and move the eggs with a spatula as though you’re giving them a light scramble, until they’re a little bit creamy and a little bit fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. The entire bottom of the pan should be covered. Turn off the heat and add your fillings.
5 Time for the flip and tuck—picture rolling down the side of a hill, arms tight by your side, and you’ve got the right idea. (a) First flip over one end of the omelet with your hand or a spatula to partly cover the filling; (b) next, with your hand or a spatula, gently roll the omelet over again. (c) Nudge it onto the plate with a spatula or your other hand. When the omelet is out of the pan, form the omelet on the plate with your hand, literally tucking in the sides to make a beautiful, oval, plump little packet. (d) The top of the omelet will look fluffy and blond, without any browning, with both ends of the omelet hidden underneath and the “seam” on the bottom of the plate.
TRY THIS When you start the flip, hold the handle of the pan and place the pan edge in the middle of the plate. Shake gently so that when you roll the omelet onto the plate, you’ll have the leverage and the ability to fix a mistake in case you didn’t do it just right.
RESTAURANT TRICK In restaurants the omelet gets heated from above in a salamander oven (a small broiler) for thirty seconds to a minute before the flip to warm the filling and make any cheese melt. At home, a hot oven or open broiler will do nicely, but keep in mind: your goal is to warm the inside, not the top.
