Basil Chevre Omelet

Basil Chevre Omelet

This is one of my favorite breakfast items of all time. And it is absurdly easy! There, is, however, one little item of controversy…

Omelets are contentious. Let’s just get this out in the open to begin with and say that people have their own opinions regarding omelets, and for some unknowable reason they mistake those preferences for facts. However, it is a situation very like wine pairings: Though there are reasons, good reasons, for traditional or preferred combinations of wine and food, the best wine generally turns out to be the one that you think works best. The fact that the gourmand to your left has an entirely different preference has no bearing on the situation, though it can lead to some very enjoyable discussion.

An article in the March, 2010 issue of GQ describes a classic French method that describes them as “wrinkle-free” on the outside and like “dog slobber” on the inside. I’ve linked it, but if you are about to eat you may want to wait. The article’s author, Adam Rapoport, has a rather different view of an ideal omelet, and his coincides much more with my own, though while his resembles a steak done medium rare, I prefer my omelets more like a steak cooked medium. The image with this article is of an omelet I overdid slightly, in my view, being distracted by finding the right plate for its photo. And I got a little carried away with scattering salt and pepper everywhere.

But I promise, it tasted amazing.


Basil Chevre Omelet

A sumptuous combination of soft goat cheese and fragrant basil.

Yield: 1
Prep time: 3 min
Cook time: 6-8 min

Ingredients

3 eggs
3 T. whole milk
2 t. butter
2 T. chevre
3 or 4 basil leaves, cut into strips or confetti
salt & pepper

Make

Beat the eggs and milk together.

Melt the butter in a nonstick pan over medium heat, and add the egg mixture.

Periodically, shift the cooked eggs from one side of the pan and tilt it so that uncooked egg can flow onto the cooking surface.

When halfway cooked (adjusting for personal preference), distribute the cheese and basil over half of the eggs, leaving at least a 1/2″ border.

Using a broad spatula, carefully fold the omelet in half.

In about 30 seconds, flip the entire omelet and allow to cook an additional few seconds before removing from heat.

Notes

“Enough but not too much” is a good rule for beating eggs. Scrambled eggs should be well-combined and no more; omelets require more thorough combining, but begin to misbehave if homogenized completely.

Remember that things like eggs tend to keep cooking for a little while after they’re off the stove. Time accordingly.

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