Omelets

Ingredients

• 1 per person eggs
• 1 tbsp milk
• 1 tbsp butter
• small quantity lard or suet
• ham, salmon, onions, oysters, mushrooms, shrimps, or cooked vegetables

Method

The omelet demands a hot pan and speed. The technique pivots on the pan-frying temperature: too cool and the eggs set slowly into a rubbery disc; hot enough and they set at the edges while the centre stays custard-soft, ready to fold. Season your eggs — two per person — with salt and pepper before beating. Milk is optional; it loosens the curds slightly but dilutes flavour, so omit it unless you prefer a fluffier, less dense result. The choice is yours, but omitting it is the sharper move.

Wipe your pan with lard or suet on a cloth, heating it hard until the fat smokes faintly, then wipe it clean again. This seasoning layers a non-stick film that emulsification alone (from the eggs themselves) cannot quite provide. Add your butter — cold, sliced — and let it foam. The moment the foam subsides and turns pale gold, the pan is at temperature. If the butter browns, you've overshot; start again.

Pour in the beaten egg mixture. It should hit the pan with a vigorous sizzle. Leave it untouched for 10 to 15 seconds — resist the urge to scramble — so a shallow set forms on the base. Then, with a spatula, draw the set edges toward the centre, tilting the pan so uncooked egg flows to the perimeter. This takes 20 to 30 seconds. Repeat once or twice until the top surface is barely wet but the interior is still soft and custard-like. The omelet firms as you fold it; overcooking now guarantees a tough result.

Raw fillings — minced ham, raw onions — must go into the beaten egg before cooking, so they cook through. Cooked fillings — mushrooms, shrimps, cooked vegetables — go into the centre of the omelet in the final 5 seconds, just before folding. Fold the omelet in half with a quick flick of the wrist, slide it onto a warm plate, and serve immediately. Cold, the proteins contract further and the texture hardens irreversibly.