Cheese omelet
A French classic, this fluffy cheese omelet can be whipped up in a matter of minutes and served for brunch, lunch or dinner, accompanied by fresh baguette, toast, a salad or whatever you like. The bistro version usually comes with French fries, but as they’re a bit of a production to make at home I generally give that a miss.
For best results, use very fresh free-range or organic eggs. For the cheese, the traditional choice over here is Comté or Gruyère, but this omelet is also delicious with aged cheddar and many other cheeses. I like to sprinkle it with fresh herbs, such as basil — as shown in the photo — or dill, cilantro or parsley.
The quantities below will serve one person. If there are two at your table, you can double the recipe and either make separate omelets one at a time or make a giant omelet and cut it in half before serving. If you’d like to have wine with your omelet, red would go nicely.
2 ounces (55 g) Comté, Gruyère or another cheese (about 3/4 cup loosely packed)
3 eggs
1 tbsp. water
1 tsp. butter
1 tsp. olive oil
fresh herbs: basil, cilantro, dill or parsley (optional)
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Grate the cheese, using the larger holes of your grater. Set aside.
Break the eggs into a bowl. Whip with a wire whip. Add the water — this lightens the omelet. Whip again until frothy.
Heat the butter and olive oil to sizzling in a well-seasoned omelet pan. Let it get good and hot before adding the eggs, swirling it around to coat the sides.
Pour in the eggs. Swirl. When the omelet starts to set, lift one edge with a wooden spatula to let some of the liquid slip beneath. Working quickly, repeat several times at different places around the pan. This will make the omelet fluffy.
Scatter the cheese over the entire surface of the omelet. Turn the heat down to medium and continue to cook until the cheese starts to melt.
Sprinkle with salt (not much, as the cheese is already salty) and grind on some black pepper. Scatter with fresh herbs if using.
Slip the omelet gently onto a plate, flipping the top half over the bottom. Serves one.
