The Art of the Omelette

(for illustration only)

There are some simple dishes that have a very stylish look and may seem difficult to prepare. Omelettes, a guest star of American brunches, may belong to this category. Simple as they are, though, there are a few points that one should get right in order to go from "scrambled-eggs-with-toppings" to a classy, handsome omelette.

A regular omelette is made with two eggs, beaten until their are well mixed, and a little of salt and pepper; to this one can add pretty much anything: cheese, ham, tomatoes, mushrooms, jalapeños, etc. Maybe more important than the ingredients is the frying pan: a non-stick one, eight inches wide. If you don't have one like that, please kindly put your computer in sleep-mode and go get one right away.

Why is the size of the frying pan important? The omelette should not be too thin, for it would break apart when being served, nor too thick, or would be raw in the center. An eight-inches pan ensures that the beaten eggs will spread on the surface wide enough to have the proper thickness and have a nice rounded shape. On a wider frying pan you might still get the proper thickness for your omelette, but the shape is much harder to control and you might end up with a sea star or an oversize wonton.

Once you pour the mix on the frying pan -already with a little of olive oil and heated to medium-low temperature- you wait one minute until the mix is cooked on the borders of the disc or "tortilla", and then you scrape and stir softly the center of it, making sure that the still-liquid eggs on top get mixed with the lower layer already cooked. Right before the omelette gets totally cooked, you go ahead and spread the toppings on only one half of the circle. It has to be this way because in one more minute you will fold the no-toppings half over the one with the toppings. Do you see now why it was so important to have a non-stick pan? To fold half omelette over, just carefully slide a plastic spatula underneath (you can use also a large spoon, although you won't look so pro) and push it over the top of the other half in one move. Press down slightly to make the structure earthquake-proof. Let it be for one minute; if you like some kitchen acrobatics, you may want to flip the omelette over tossing it gently up on the air, and then waiting half-minute to make sure is well cooked. All things considered, the omelette should have been on the frying pan for no more than five minutes.

Now for the grand finale, serve the omelette on a warm plate and garnish it with some veggies. I normally use a little of cilantro and tomato, but any edible vegetable with a bright color will serve the purpose: red pepper, parsley, ciboulette, shredded carrot. The point is that as important as the taste and the shape is the colorfulness and the visual appealing of the dish. You can find some illustrations of the process here to help you out. Enjoy!

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