An omelet can be a cook’s signature dish or worst nightmare. When everything goes properly, the result of a simple mix of beaten eggs, milk and seasoning becomes something more than the sum of its parts. A lighter than air collection of flavors and textures that can make any true foodie cry.

Of course, tears can be shed if things go wrong as well.

That’s my story for this morning. Something went wrong. I’m going to blame my dishwasher, which obviously left a residue in my normally reliable EmerilWare. Instead of sliding gracefully from the pan onto the plate, the otherwise perfect omelet slid gently out of the skillet to right about the half way point , then skidded to an abrupt halt and folded all over itself, leaving me with something that definitely did not look as appetizing as it should have. (I won’t blame the fussy baby, though he was distracting me just a bit at the time.)

I’m sure I can coax the pan back to it’s general good nature with a bit of salt, some oil and a paper towel, but that won’t help the photo at the top of this entry. I’m hoping you’ll give this little gem a try despite the fact that it has not been presented in the best of lights. The flavor is amazing and satisfying, while still managing to be very light, the perfect start to a busy morning.

Ingredients:

2 eggs
1 large basil leaf
5-7 baby spinach leaves
2 oz Muenster cheese
2 tbsp milk
2 tbsp butter or margarine
Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Chiffonade basil and spinach. Crack eggs into a mixing bowl, add milk, salt, pepper, basil and 3/4 of the spinach. Reserve remaining spinach. Beat egg mixture with a fork or wire whisk until smooth and a bit frothy.

Melt butter over medium low heat in a nonstick or other omelet-friendly skillet. Pour egg mixture into pan, shake skillet gently to ensure even coverage. When eggs turn white on the bottom, pull edges away from skillet gently toward center of pan to allow liquid egg mixture to flow to cooking surface. Allow to cook gently until eggs are done “just through”. (This is a matter of preference.)

Add cheese to omelet and turn gently onto serving plate. Garnish with remaining spinach or a basil leaf.

What I would have done differently had I thought about it at the time:

I would have cleaned the skillet better…

Popularity: 1% [?]