Cleo Coyle's Guest: Julia Child on the Perfect Omelette

Eggs, eggs, eggs, eggs... I keep hearing the chant in my head like Monty Python's Spam.

Hey, aren't eggs and Spam supposed to go together? A few winters ago, I remember masticating slices of that little canned ham (with my eggs). I had a head cold at the time. Snow was falling, the temp was south of zero, and I couldn't get to the store. Everyone has Spam in their cupboards in case of nuclear winter, right? Well, I did. So I broke it out of its cute little tin and tried it on toast with a poached egg. Delicious! I could not believe it! What was I thinking not eating Spam all my life?! Then my head cold cleared up and I tried it again. Oh, god. It tasted like cat food.

Cleo's Spam Warning
a la Andy Warhol.

(Click arrow below to see Cleo drunk
on digital art toys...)

So anyway, a few days ago, the R on my laptop's keyboard stopped working (I'm typing this on a borrowed computer); and the day before that my digital camera died (batteries that work might help); and I have this writing deadline thing (I write for a living, in case you haven't noticed my book covers all over this blog, lol...). So that brings me to the need to call on today's guest blogger....

The one and only Julia Child!

Isn't she great? Okay, so she's not actually appearing here because she's no longer living. But wouldn't it be keen if she could give us culinary advice from the afterlife?

One of my two mystery series (The Haunted Bookshop Mysteries) has a dead private eye for a character, and he routinely annoys a bookshop owner with advice on solving crimes. Wouldn't it be equally keen to have Julia come back and whisper her advice in our ears: "That's a little too long in the pan, dear." Or... "Just flip the darn thing and if it falls on the floor, scoop it up and try again."

Well, thanks to the written word, we do still have Julia with us, don't we? And thanks to YouTube, we have a digitally recorded memory of her younger self. So...

In honor of Janel G.'s wonderfully classic Iron Chef suggested ingredient, the egg...I give you Julia on making the perfect French flat (or tossed) omelette.

All kidding aside. It is in the handling and mastering of the simplest ingredients that top chefs judge whether a cook truly does have the right stuff...

Julia Child's French Flat (or "Tossed") Omelette

(Just click the arrow in the window below
to start the video...)

Servings - 1

2-3 large eggs (no more!)
a splash of water
salt and pepper to taste
1-2 tablespoons of butter

Non-stick frying pan (10 inches suggested)

Break the eggs into a bowl (no more than 3 eggs or the magic of that toss will be lost, trust me!), add a splash of water, salt and pepper, and whisk lightly with a fork. Melt butter in your non-stick pan, swirling to coat the bottom (do not let burn).

Add the eggs, once again swirling to evenly coat the bottom of your pan then follow Julia's video technique above. A nice, final trick is to rub a bit of butter over the plated omelette, letting those steaming hot eggs melt the delicious essence of sweet cream, which will give your masterpiece a nice sheen--and impress you buds with a final buttery lusciousness (your taste buds, that is).

JC SAYS: "Remember that a tossed omelette goes very fast--really 20 seconds--far, far less time than it takes to read all the directions here..."
~Julia Child, The Way to Cook

CC SAYS: Of course, I agree. Over cooking eggs is a bigger mistake than under cooking them. The best advice I ever received was from my late father-in-law who told me, "You want to take the eggs out of the pan right before you think they're done."
~Cleo Coyle, this blog!

Omelette Variations from The Way to Cook...

Cheese - For a cheese omelette, Julia suggests that you spread 2 tablespoons of grated cheese over the eggs after they have coagulated on the bottom of the pan but before you begin jerking the pan around. Julia likes Swiss, but I tend to use freshly grated Queso Blanco, Monterey Jack, or mozzarella. Don't use more than 2 T of cheese or you'll have trouble manipulating the egg.

Herbs - You can mix a tablespoon of minced herbs into your eggs before you begin to cook them. Julia suggests parsley alone or parsley and chives, chervil, or tarragon. I loved Riley's recipe (scroll down to see Thursday's post) of using dill and smoked salmon with shirred eggs. Bits of smoked salmon and dill would make an excellent omelette, especially served with half a bagel and a cream cheese schmear on the side and a nice mimosa to wash it all down. (Don't forget the coffee. In the morning, you'll want a light roast, more caffeine--you'll need it after the mimosa.)

More omelette ideas from Julie...(and feel free to share you own favorites with us!)

* Potato - add to the cheese omelette 1/2 cup of diced potatoes that have been sauteed with herbs and shallots...

* Savory - Sauteed chicken livers or diced ham (but NOT Spam, trust me.)

* "Piperade" - green and red bell peppers that have been sauteed with onions and garlic

* Vegetables - Broccoli florets, mushrooms, cooked and chopped spinach, and/or asparagus tips (that you have already sauteed butter and seasonings...)

* Seafood - Crab, shrimp, lobster that you've warmed in butter and herbs.

Finally congrats again to Janel for winning this month's Iron Chef suggestion contest--and a deliciously edible prize of a Junior's Cheesecake. In February, we'll reveal the new, winning secret ingredient!

If you'd like to try your hand at winning our next Iron Chef contest (the new prize and winner will be announced soon), just send your Iron Chef secret ingredient suggestions to MysteryLoversKitchen@gmail.com

One entry per person per day is allowed. If we choose your ingredient for our Iron Chef week, you'll win a great prize. Only open to our blog followers, so be sure to follow. Just click one of the two "follow" buttons in the right column.

Cheers to the easy yet elegant omelette and
the simple but beautiful egg!

~ Cleo Coyle
author of the Coffeehouse Mysteries

To get more of my recipes or to learn about the books in my nationally bestselling series, visit my Coffehouse Mystery Web site by clicking this link...

http://www.coffeehousemystery.com/

Comments welcome!