AN OMELETTE BY THE FIRST INTENTION.
Calling for a slop-basin, he broke into it four ordinary fowl's eggs whole, and added the yolks only of two more, "the egg of India" being, as a French chef once remarked to me, "as the egg of pigeon." He thus had six yolks and four whites. These he thoroughly mixed by using two forks: he did not beat them at all. When satisfied that incorporation had been thoroughly effected, he flavoured the mixture with half a salt-spoonful of salt, a teaspoonful of very finely minced shallot, and a heaped-up teaspoonful of minced curled parsley. He stirred this for a minute, and, as far as its first stage was concerned, the omelette was ready. We now left the dining-room for the verandah, where there was a good charcoal fire in an iron brazier, and upon it a pan about ten inches in diameter, very shallow, with a narrow rim well sloped outwards. A pat of butter was melted in the pan, sufficient in quantity to thoroughly lubricate the whole of its surface, and leave a coating of moisture about an eighth of an inch deep over all. As soon as ready, quite burning hot—the butter having ceased to splutter and beginning to brown—with one good stir round the mixture was poured gently into the pan. At the moment of contact the underpart of omelette formed; this was instantly lifted by the spoon, and more of the unformed portion allowed to run beneath it; that was similarly quickly lifted, and the same process encouraged, viz., the passing of the unformed mixture under the formed, the left hand holding the pan, and playing it, as it were, from side to side. With one good shake the pan (in less than a minute from the time of commencing operations) was now taken from the fire, and its contents rolled off into the hot silver dish at hand to receive it in which a little melted butter, with some minced parsley and shallot, had been prepared. The omelette as it rolled, slightly assisted by the spoon, almost of its own accord from the pan, caught up, and buried with in it, the slightly unformed juicy part of the mixture which still remained on the surface, and as it lay in the dish took an irregular oval form of a golden yellow colour, flecked with green, with the juicy part escaping from beneath its folds. Throughout the process the fire was kept aglow by fanning.
This recipe, which differs somewhat from those generally propounded, was picked up by my friend in the Black Forest. I know of none to surpass it.
An omelette ought never to be stiff enough to retain a rolled-up appearance. If cooked with proper rapidity it should be too light to present a fixed form, and on reaching the hot dish should spread itself rather, on account of the delicacy of its substance. Books that counsel you to turn an omelette to fold it, to let it brown on one side, to let it fry for about five minutes, &c., are not to be trusted. If you followsuch advice you will only produce, at best, a neat-looking egg pudding.
Timed by the seconds hand of a watch an omelette of six eggs, cooked as I have described "by the first intention," takes forty-five seconds from the moment of being poured into the pan to that of being turned into the dish.
An omelette flavoured like that we have just discussed is generally known by chefs as au persil frais, and the ordinary one simply made of eggs flavoured with salt as au naturel. Though cream is considered by some to be an improvement, I cannot recommend it. Milk is certainly a mistake, for it makes the omelette leathery. I confess that I like a very little minced chives in all savoury omelettes; but this is a matter of taste, and where ladies are concerned the flavour of the flagrant bulb ought perhaps to be omitted. The general rules to be observed in omelette-making, according to this process, then, may be thus summed up:—
1. Mix thoroughly, but do not beat the eggs, and never use more than six for one omelette.
2. It is better to make two of six than one of twelve eggs. Success is impossible if the vessel be too full.
3. Three eggs, mixed whole, make a nice-sized omelette, quite the best for the beginner to commence with.
4. Use a proper utensil, rather shallow, with narrow, well-sloping sides; see that it is clean, and quite dry.
5. Do not overdo the amount of butter that you use for the frying—enough to thoroughly moisten the pan, and no more.
6. Be sure that your pan is ready to receive your mixture. If not hot enough the omelette will be leathery, or you will have to mix it in the pan like scrambled eggs (œufs brouillés).
7. The moment the butter ceases to fizz and turns brownish, the moisture having been expelled, the pan is ready.
8. Pour the mixture into the pan so that it may spread well over the lubricated surface, then instantly lift up the part of the omelette that sets at the moment of contact,and let the unformed portion run under it; repeat this if the pan be at all full, keep the left hand at work with a gentle see-saw motion to encouragerapidity in setting, give a finishing shake, and turn it into the hot dish before the whole of the mixture has quite set.
9. The omelette, slightly assisted by the spoon, will roll over almost of its own accord if the sides of the pan be sloped as I have described: it will not require folding.
10. Three-quarters of a minute is ample time for the whole operation, if the pan be properly hot when the mixture is poured into it, and the heat evenly maintained.
11. Have the hot dish close by the fire, so that you can turn the omelette into it instanter. A little melted butter, with some chopped parsley and chives, may, with advantage, be put into the dish.
12. It is above all things necessary to have a brisk fire under the pan while the omelette is being cooked. A fairly-sized gas boiler serves the purpose better than the Indian charcoal fire I described, because no fanning is of course necessary, and the heat is regulated without difficulty. The small three-egg omelette can be made successfully over a powerful methylated spirit lamp. The ordinary kitchen fire is unsuited for this work unless it can be brought up nearly level with the hot-plate, and with a clear live-coal surface.
N.B. Keep the omelette-pan for omelette-making only. Do not wash it. After each occasion of using wipe it well, using two cloths, and put it away. If any particles of egg adhere to the vessel, they can be removed by rubbing it while hot with salt and a little vinegar.
ANOTHER METHOD.
The native cook of Southern India can turn out a very light, digestible omelette if taught not to overcook it. His method may be gathered from this recipe:—
Break four eggs carefully, and separate the yolks from the whites, have ready the minced herbs as in the former recipe, a clean and roomy omelette-pan, and an ounce of butter. Whisk the whites separately to a stiff froth; to it add the yolks well mixed, and the chopped herbs; give all a good stir together and pour the mixture into your pan, which should be laid over a moderate heat. Let the bottom of the omelette set without moving the mixture. This, if the fire be not too hot, will take about two minutes; then pass a slice under it, double it across, and turn it quickly, with its centre but very slightly formed, into the dish. In this case the consistency is more like that of an omelette soufflée, and if rapidly treated, produces a very light omelette indeed. The heat under the pan in this case must not be too fierce.
If, while setting below, a hot glazing iron be passed over the surface, the operation is expedited, and the omelette rendered a little firmer.
This method is peculiarly happy with sweet omelettes.