Monday, November 16, 2009

Omelette souffle


Slow-cooked omelettes such as frittatas or tortillas can sometimes be tough. The proteins in eggs, like those in meat, become leathery if overcooked. One way of creating a lighter-textured omelette is to souffle it.

6 eggs, separated
100g hard cheese, such as Gruyere or Cheddar, grated
A little salt, if you like (the cheese is salty)
Large knob of butter


Beat the egg yolks lightly, and fold in the grated cheese. Whip the whites. I do this with a hand whisk, until I get soft peaks when I lift the whisk from the egg. A little vinegar helps the process, apparently.

Fold the whites into the yolk/cheese mixture, turning it over repeatedly with a spoon until roughly amalgamated. (You do this gently, in order to retain the air bubbles in the egg.)

Melt the butter over a gentle heat in a heavy, non-stick, 28cm frying pan. Pour in the omelette mix, and cook until it sets on the bottom. Cook the top under the grill, at its lowest flame.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Hi Nicholas,

This isn't related to the souffle but there isn't a general questions section. I'm planning a Christmas party for 30+ people at my house. I want to give them a hot meal which they'll eat stading up (so can't serve anything that needs much cutting). I don't mind preparing beforehand but ideally want something simple to serve. I was thinking about groundnut stew or cassoulet (I was looking at your Aubergine book which is why it occured to me to contact you). I read your blog regularly... could you suggest something? I can give you the parameters e.g. ovens, cooking pot sizes ect) if you are interested in advising me... please email e dot strobes at gmail dot com. Many thanks!
Regards,
Philip