The success of any omelet demands that the pan and the fat be hot enough in order to bind the base of the egg at once so as to hold the softer eggs above, but not so hot as to toughen the base before the rest of the egg cooks.
Serves 8
The name “omelet” is loosely applied to many kind of egg dishes. In America, one will often get a great and puffy soufflé like rather dry dish in which the egg whites have been beaten separately and then folded into the yolks.
On the other hand, in France, an entire mystique surrounds and engulfs a simple process in which the yolks and whites are combined as unobtrusively as possible to avoid incorporating air, and this marbleized mixture is quickly turned into a twofold miracle in one fell swoop. In an Italian fritta, the food is often mingled at once with the stirred egg and this thin pancake like disk is cooked in a little oil, first one side and then on the other, with a result not unlike a large edition of Egg Foo young.
As for Uganda, barring your being in a 4 or 5 star hotel, perish the thought of expecting to have an omelet in the known sense of the word, At the very best do not be surprised if it turns out to be sautéed or fried eggs.
Inasmuch as omelet-making is so rapid, make sure that you have everything with which you are going to serve the omelet. The success of any omelet demands that the pan and the fat be hot enough in order to bind the base of the egg at once so as to hold the softer eggs above, but not so hot as to toughen the base before the rest of the egg cooks.
Eggs, therefore, and any food incorporated with them must as a rule of thumb be at room temperature prior to tossing them in the pan. Trust me when I tell you that more omelets failures are caused by eggs being used direct from the fridge than to any other cause. There is always, too, the problem of salting. Never forget that you can add but you cannot subtract. That aside, salt tends to toughen the base of the egg structure. We suggest that in general, it should be added to the fillings or garnishes that you choose to fold into the omelet.
About Omelet Pans
Omelet pans generate more tempest than the tempest do. Doctrinaire and rabid omelet-aficionados (confessedly I have come across a few in my life) contend that one pan should be used exclusively for their specialty and to boot that it should never be washed; simply rubbed with a soft toweling and a handful of salt and voila low and behold it’s a done deal! The argument for the sole pan goes further. Any frying pan that is used for frying or braising is bound to develop hot spots over time.
However, those of us who resent giving kitchen space to a pan for a single function find an all-purpose frying pan-----cleaned with modern detergents----entirely feasible for the preparation of omelets with one key caveat; the surface must remain smooth allowing the eggs to freely slide around with ease.
The next thing to consider is the omelet in relation to the pan size. Since French omelets are made very quickly, we never try more than 2 to 3 eggs at a time----cooked in 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter. If more than one omelet is needed, have some extra butter already melted to save preparation time.
INGREDIENTS:
• 120 g cream cheese
• ¾ cup milk
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 12 eggs
• 1 ½ cups finely chopped ham
• 1 ½ cups Swiss or cheddar cheese
• ¼ cup spring onions with tops, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
METHOD:
Preheat the oven to 375d FH/190d C. In a small butter bowl, combine the cream cheese and milk and whisk until smooth using a stainless steel whish. When adding milk to softened cream cheese, add it very gradually while whisking with the whisk to keep the mixture smooth and free of lumps.
In a batter bowl, gently whisk the eggs until they are blended before adding the cream cheese mixture.
Cut a 50cm long piece of parchment paper and press into the bottom and up the sides of a bar pan to prevent the egg mixture from running under the parchment paper and be sure to pinch the corners. Pour the egg mixture into the bottom of the bar pan and bake for 30 minutes or so until the omelet becomes puffy and golden.
In the meantime, finely chop the ham into small strips and shred the cheese using a grater and thinly slice the spring onions.
Remove the omelet from the oven and immediately spread with the Dijon mustard and sprinkle with half of the cheese and top with the ham and green onions. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
Beginning at one short side, roll up jelly-roll fashion, removing the parchment paper as you roll. Lifting up on the parchment paper will help in making the baked omelet roll up making sure that you remove the paper as you are rolling. Garnish the top with more cheese and green onions if you so desire. Let stand for 5 minutes to allow the cheese to melt. Slice the roll diagonally into wedges using a serrated bread knife.
