Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume 1
Page 16
Place in middle level of the hot oven and bake for 7 to 10 minutes. The eggs are done when they are just set but still tremble slightly in the ramekins. They will set a little more, when the ramekins are removed, so they should not be overcooked.
Salt and pepper
Season with salt and pepper, and serve.
(*) The ramekins may remain in the pan of hot water, out of the oven, for 10 to 15 minutes before serving. To prevent overcooking, remove eggs from oven when slightly underdone.
VARIATIONS
Aux Fines Herbes
[With Herbs]
Add half a teaspoon of mixed fresh parsley, chives, and chervil, or tarragon to the cream in the preceding recipe.
Sauces
Instead of cream, use one of the brown sauces, especially those with herbs, mushrooms, or tomatoes. Or substitute one of the white sauces of which sauce soubise with onions, or sauce au cari (curry sauce) are especially good. The tomato sauces are other alternatives.
Other Suggestions
A spoonful or two of any of the following cooked ingredients may be put in the bottom of the ramekins along with either cream or sauce:
Minced mushrooms, asparagus, spinach, artichoke hearts
Diced lobster, shrimp, crab
Diced truffles, and/or a slice of foie gras
SCRAMBLED EGGS
[Oeufs Brouillés]
Scrambled eggs in French are creamy soft curds that just hold their shape from fork to mouth. Their preparation is entirely a matter of stirring the eggs over gentle heat until they slowly thicken as a mass into a custard. Salt plus half a teaspoon of liquid per egg helps blend yolks and white, but no more liquid or liquid-producing ingredients or the eggs will turn watery.
For 4 or 5 servings
A fork or a wire whip
8 eggs, or 7 eggs and 2 yolks
A mixing bowl
Salt and pepper
4 tsp water or milk
Beat the eggs in the bowl with the seasonings and liquid for 20 to 30 seconds, just to blend yolks and whites.
2 Tb softened butter
A heavy-weight saucepan or skillet 7 to 8 inches bottom diameter (no-stick suggested). Depth of eggs in pan should be ⅔ to 1 inch
A rubber spatula or wooden spoon
Smear the bottom and sides of the pan with the butter. Pour in the eggs and set over moderately low heat. Stir slowly and continually, reaching all over the bottom of the pan. Nothing will seem to happen for 2 to 3 minutes as the eggs gradually heat. Suddenly they will begin to thicken into a custard. Stir rapidly, moving pan on and off heat, until the eggs have almost thickened to the consistency you wish. Then remove from heat, as they will continue to thicken slightly.
1½ to 2 Tb softened butter or whipping cream
A warm buttered platter
Parsley sprigs
Just as soon as they are of the right consistency, stir in the enrichment butter or cream, which will stop the cooking. Season to taste, turn out onto the platter, decorate with parsley, and serve.
(*) The eggs may be kept for a while in their saucepan over tepid water, but the sooner they are served the better.
VARIATIONS
Aux Fines Herbes
[With Herbs]
Beat a tablespoon of minced fresh herbs such as parsley, chervil, chives, and tarragon into the eggs at the start. Sprinkle more herbs over the eggs just before serving.
Au Fromage
[With Cheese]
Stir 4 to 6 spoonfuls of grated Swiss cheese into the eggs along with the enrichment butter at the end.
Aux Truffes
[With Truffles]
Stir 1 or 2 diced truffles into the eggs before scrambling them. Sprinkle a bit of chopped truffle over the eggs before serving.
Garnishings
Aside from ham, bacon, or sausages, the platter may be garnished with such things as: broiled or sautéed mushrooms, kidneys, or chicken livers; sautéed eggplant or zucchini; broiled tomatoes, tomato sauce, or the pipérade mixture on this page; diced sautéed potatoes; buttered peas, asparagus tips, or artichoke hearts.
OMELETTES
A good French omelette is a smooth, gently swelling, golden oval that is tender and creamy inside. And as it takes less than half a minute to make, it is ideal for a quick meal. There is a trick to omelettes, and certainly the easiest way to learn is to ask an expert to give you a lesson. Nevertheless we hope one of the two techniques we describe will enable you, if you have never made an omelette before, to produce a good one. The difficulty with all written recipes for omelettes is that before you even start to make one you must read, remember, and visualize the directions from beginning to end, and practice the movements. For everything must go so quickly once the eggs are in the pan that there is no time at all to stop in the middle and pore over your book in order to see what comes next. Learning to make a good omelette is entirely a matter of practice. Do one after another for groups of people every chance you get for several days, and even be willing to throw some away. You should soon develop the art, as well as your own personal omelette style.
The two methods set forth here are rapid, professional techniques. The first is the simplest. The second takes more manual skill.
OMELETTE PANS
An omelette cannot be made in a sticky pan; the eggs must be able to slide around freely, and if they cannot, you simply cannot make an omelette at all. Since the first edition of this book, professionally shaped omelette pans of heavy aluminum with no-stick interiors are everywhere available, and that’s what we use—gratefully. However, the great omelette maker Dione Lucas insisted on her specially made cast-aluminum pan half an inch thick, while that other famous omelette queen Mme Romaine de Lyon and many another French cook swear only by the plain iron pan ⅛ inch thick like the one in our illustrations. Whatever you buy, you should have the long handle and the straight-sloping sides 2 inches deep; the bottom diameter should be about 7 inches, since this is the perfect size for the perfect 2- to 3-egg omelette.
If you prefer the French iron pan illustrated, you must first scrub it with steel wool and scouring powder, rinse and dry it, then heat it for a minute or two just until its bottom is too hot for your hand. Rub it with paper towels and cooking oil and let it stand overnight. Before making your first omelette, sprinkle a teaspoon of table salt in the pan, heat it again, and rub vigorously for a moment with paper towels; rub the pan clean, and it is ready for an omelette. If the pan is used only for omelettes (a wise decision), it needs no washing afterwards; merely rub it clean with paper towels. If the pan is washed, dry, warm, and oil it lightly before putting it away. If it becomes sticky again, rub again with salt. Never allow any pan, particularly an iron one, to sit empty over heat—this does something to its internal structure so that foods stick to it forevermore.
EGGS AND HOW TO BEAT THEM
An omelette can contain up to 8 eggs, but the individual 2- to 3-egg omelette is usually the tenderest, and by far the best size to practice making. At under 30 seconds an omelette, a number of people can be served in a very short time. In fact, unless you are extremely expert and have a restaurant-size heat source, we do not recommend larger omelettes at all. But if you do want to attempt them, be sure to have the correct size of pan. The depth of the egg mass in the pan should not be over ¼ inch, as the eggs must cook quickly. A pan with a 7-inch bottom is right for the 2- to 3-egg omelette; a 10- to 11-inch pan is required for 8 eggs.
Just before heating the butter in the pan, break the eggs into a mixing bowl and add salt and pepper. With a large table fork, beat the eggs only enough to blend the whites and yolks thoroughly. From 30 to 40 vigorous strokes should be sufficient.
If you are making several 2- to 3-egg omelettes, beat the necessary number of eggs and seasonings together in a large mixing bowl, and provide yourself with a ladle or measure. Two U.S. large eggs measure about 6 tablespoons; 3 eggs, about 9 tablespoons. Measure out the required quantity for each omelette as you are ready to make it, giving the eggs 4 or 5 vig
orous beats before dipping them out with your measure.
TRANSFERRING THE OMELETTE FROM PAN TO PLATE
In each of the methods described, the finished omelette ends up in the far lip of the pan. This is the way to transfer it from the pan to the plate.
Hold the plate in your left hand. Turn the omelette pan so its handle is to your right. Grasp the handle with your right hand, thumb on top. Rest the lip of the pan slightly off the center of the plate so the omelette will land in the middle of the plate. Then tilt plate and pan against each other at a 45-degree angle.
Quickly turn the pan upside down over the plate and the omelette will drop into position.
If it has not formed neatly, push it into shape with the back of a fork. Rub the top of the omelette with softened butter and serve as soon as possible, for omelettes toughen if they are kept warm.
I · L’OMELETTE BROUILLÉE
[Scrambled Omelette]
This is best in a French omelette pan, but a skillet can be used.
For 1 omelette, 1 to 2 servings. Time: Less than 30 seconds of cooking
2 or 3 eggs
Big pinch of salt
Pinch of pepper
A mixing bowl
A table fork
Beat the eggs and seasonings in the mixing bowl for 20 to 30 seconds until the whites and yolks are just blended.
1 Tb butter
An omelette pan 7 inches in diameter at the bottom
A table fork
Place the butter in the pan and set over very high heat. If you have an electric heat element, it should be red hot. As the butter melts, tilt the pan in all directions to film the sides. When you see that the foam has almost subsided in the pan and the butter is on the point of coloring, it is an indication that it is hot enough to pour in the eggs.
Hold the panhandle with your left hand, thumb on top, and immediately start sliding the pan back and forth rapidly over the heat. At the same time, fork in right hand, its flat side against the bottom of the pan, stir the eggs quickly to spread them continuously all over the bottom of the pan as they thicken. In 3 or 4 seconds they will become a light, broken custard. (A filling would go in at this point.)
Then lift the handle of the pan to tilt it at a 45-degree angle over the heat, and rapidly gather the eggs at the far lip of the pan with the back of your fork. Still holding the pan tilted over the heat, run your fork around the lip of the pan under the far edge of the omelette to be sure it has not adhered to the pan.
Give 4 or 5 short, sharp blows on the handle of the pan with your right fist to loosen the omelette and make the far edge curl over onto itself.
Hold the pan tilted over heat for 1 or 2 seconds to brown the bottom of the omelette very lightly, but not too long or the eggs will overcook. The center of the omelette should remain soft and creamy.
A warm plate
Softened butter
Turn the omelette onto the plate as illustrated on this page, rub the top with a bit of butter, and serve as soon as possible.
II · L’OMELETTE ROULÉE
[Rolled Omelette]
This omelette should be made in a French omelette pan and a high gas flame is usually more successful than an electric heat element. The rolled omelette is the most fun of any method, but requires more practice. Here the pan is jerked over high heat at an angle so that the egg mass is continually hurled against the far lip of the pan until the eggs thicken. Finally, as the pan is tilted further while it is being jerked, the eggs roll over at the far lip of the pan, forming an omelette shape. A simple-minded but perfect way to master the movement is to practice outdoors with half a cupful of dried beans. As soon as you are able to make them flip over themselves in a group, you have the right feeling; but the actual omelette-making gesture is sharper and rougher.
For 1 omelette, 1 to 2 servings. Time: Less than 30 seconds of cooking
2 or 3 eggs
Big pinch of salt
Pinch of pepper
A mixing bowl
A table fork
Beat the eggs and seasonings in the mixing bowl for 20 to 30 seconds until the whites and yolks are just blended.
1 Tb butter
An omelette pan 7 inches in diameter at the bottom
A table fork
Place the butter in the pan and set over very high heat. As the butter melts, tilt the pan in all directions to film the sides. When you see that the foam has almost subsided in the pan and the butter is on the point of coloring (indicating it is hot enough), pour in the eggs. It is of utmost importance in this method that the butter be of the correct temperature.
Let the eggs settle in the pan for 2 or 3 seconds to form a film of coagulated egg in the bottom of the pan.
Grasp the handle of the pan with both hands, thumbs on top, and immediately begin jerking the pan vigorously and roughly toward you at an even, 20-degree angle over the heat, one jerk per second.
It is the sharp pull of the pan toward you which throws the eggs against the far lip of the pan, then back over its bottom surface. You must have the courage to be rough or the eggs will not loosen themselves from the bottom of the pan. After several jerks, the eggs will begin to thicken. (A filling would go in at this point.)
Then increase the angle of the pan slightly, which will force the egg mass to roll over on itself with each jerk at the far lip of the pan.
As soon as the omelette has shaped up, hold it in the angle of the pan to brown the bottom a pale golden color, but only a second or two, for the eggs must not overcook. The center of the omelette should remain soft and creamy. If the omelette has not formed neatly, push it with the back of your fork.
Turn the omelette onto the plate as illustrated on this page, rub the top with a bit of butter, and serve as soon as possible.
GARNISHINGS AND FILLINGS FOR OMELETTES
Aux Fines Herbes
[With Herbs]
Beat into the eggs at the beginning 1 tablespoon of minced fresh herbs such as chervil, parsley, chives, and tarragon. Sprinkle more of the same over the finished omelette.
Au Fromage
[With Cheese]
After the eggs have set for 2 or 3 seconds in the pan at the point indicated in either of the two omelette recipes, sprinkle in 1 or 2 tablespoons of grated Swiss or Parmesan cheese and finish the omelette. If you wish, sprinkle more cheese over the completed omelette, dot with butter, and run quickly under a very hot broiler to melt and brown the cheese.
Aux Épinards
[With Spinach]
Beat 2 or 3 tablespoons of cooked purée of spinach, into the eggs at the beginning, then proceed with the omelette as usual.
Other Suggestions
Sprinkle ¼ cup of any of the following cooked ingredients over the eggs after they have set for 2 or 3 seconds in the pan at the point indicated in either of the two omelette recipes, then proceed with the omelette as usual:
Diced sautéed potatoes and minced herbs
Diced truffles
Diced sautéed ham, chicken livers, or mushrooms
Diced cooked asparagus tips or artichoke hearts
Diced cooked shrimp, crab, or lobster
Cubes of stale white bread sautéed in butter
Omelettes Gratinées à la Tomate
[Tomato-filled Omelettes Gratinéed With Cream and Cheese]
Here is a delicious supper or luncheon dish that can be prepared ahead and gratinéed just before serving.
For 4 to 6 people
4 two-egg omelettes or 2 three-egg omelettes
A buttered plate
A shallow, buttered, fireproof serving platter
Cook the omelettes according to one of the master recipes, but leave them slightly underdone. Slip each as it is made onto a buttered plate, then slide it onto the buttered platter, arranging the omelettes side by side.
1 cup fresh tomato purée
Cut a slit along the length of each omelette to within ½ inch of the 2 ends. Fill the slits with the tomato purée.
(*) If n
ot to be used immediately, rub tops of omelettes with softened butter and cover with waxed paper.
Preheat broiler to very hot.
½ to ⅔ cup whipping cream or crème fraîche
⅓ cup grated Swiss cheese
½ Tb melted butter
Just before serving, pour the cream over the omelettes, and sprinkle with cheese and melted butter. Set platter 3 inches from hot broiler for 1 or 2 minutes to reheat the omelettes and to brown the cheese lightly, but do not let the omelettes overcook. Serve immediately.
Pipérade
[Open-faced Omelette Garnished with Onions, Peppers, Tomatoes, and Ham]
This is a Basque specialty, and quick to make if the pipérade mixture has been prepared in advance. As the omelette is not folded, and is served in its cooking vessel, it is not a disaster if it sticks a little on the bottom. You may therefore cook the eggs in a low, glazed pottery dish, or a fancy skillet.