Omelet Recipes Washington DC

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Basically, there are two types of omelets. The French omelet can be served plain or folded over almost anything your little heart desires, and the puffy omelet is started on top of the stove and finished in the oven. Both are quick and quite easy. And now for my omelet keys to success:

Use only fresh ingredients in your omelets.

Make sure the eggs are at room temperature (even if you have to pop them in a little warm water to heat them up). The temperature of the egg before you start building the omelet has a profound effect on how your omelet turns out, and you want it light and fluffy.

You can have your omelet soft or well done, but you never want to cook your omelet over high heat or it will get very tough and even burn.

The maximum load for a successful omelet is three eggs.

Use 1 to 2 tablespoons of water for each egg (never use milk in an omelet), plus enough butter or oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Coating the pan keeps the outside of the omelet soft.

If you make omelets regularly, do yourself a favor and buy an omelet pan. The ideal size is a 7- or 8-inch pan with curved sides. The pan should be light enough that you can lift it with one hand and shake it as the omelet is cooking.

T Plain Ol’ Simple Omelet
This recipe for a very basic omelet can be a springboard for all kinds of omelet variations
(see the suggestions after the recipe). Mastering omelet making is by no means
difficult. Using an omelet pan gives you a finished product that’s much more pleasing to
the eye than just using a skillet. (See Figure 6-2 for some visual tips on how to fold an
omelet.)
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 2 minutes or less
Yield: 1 serving
2 eggs
1 tablespoon water
1⁄4 teaspoon salt
Pepper to taste
1 tablespoon butter
1 Break the eggs into a small bowl. Add the water, salt, and pepper. Beat until well
blended but not foamy.
2 Using a small skillet or omelet pan, heat the pan and add butter making sure that the
butter coats the pan evenly. You want the pan very hot but not hot enough to burn the
butter. When you add the butter, it should immediately melt and begin foaming to a sizzle.
3 As the butter loses its sizzle, pour the egg mixture into the omelet pan. Holding the
handle of the pan with one hand, gently shake the pan to coat the entire pan with the
egg mixture. The eggs will begin to cook immediately when they hit the hot omelet pan.
4 When the omelet begins to set, tilt the pan away from you and lift the edges with a
coated spatula because the edges will cook more quickly. This allows the runny mixture
to flow to the bottom of the pan so it can get cooked too.
5 Place the omelet pan back on the stove, allowing it to cook until it’s firm. The center will
be just a tad moist, as the omelet continues to cook in the pan when you remove it from
the heat. Tilt the omelet pan away from you, and gently fold one-third of the omelet
over onto itself.
6 You’re now holding the omelet pan up off the heat. Holding the pan firmly, you want to
strike the handle of the pan two or three times, making the far side of the omelet flip
back on itself over the first fold. Press the sides together to seal and, lifting the side of
the omelet with your spatula, slide it off onto a plate.
7 Serve immediately.
Variation: Instead of using salt and pepper in your omelet, try Tabasco sauce. It blends
very nicely with the eggs and makes the omelet much more flavorful.
Per serving: Calories 250 (From Fat 193); Fat 21g (Saturated 10g); Cholesterol 458mg; Sodium 709mg;
Carbohydrate 1g; Dietary Fiber 0g (Net Carbohydrate 1g); Protein 13g.
Whether you’re using my Plain Ol’ Simple Omelet recipe in this chapter or
your own, consider these low-carb, easy variations:

Simple Farmer’s Omelet: Add 1⁄4 cup finely grated cheese to the mixture
before cooking. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of finely chopped ham, turkey, or
chicken over the omelet before folding.

Mexican Cheese Omelet: Add 1⁄4 cup Monterey Jack or pepper Jack
cheese, and add 2 tablespoons bottled salsa (check the sugar content
on the salsa, please). Add the cheese before folding your omelet and top
with the salsa when you serve it.

Mushroom Omelet: Add 3⁄4 cup sautéed sliced mushrooms, and 1 tablespoon
minced chives. Cook the eggs about 1 minute before adding
mushrooms and chives. After adding, cook another 11⁄2 to 2 minutes and
then fold omelet and serve.
A general rule is the addition of 1 teaspoon of water for every egg that you
plop in an omelet. Water is used because it slows down the cooking of the
eggs and makes the texture of the finished omelet much lighter and fluffier.


Omelet Recipes
T Puffy Omelet Squares with Tomato-Zucchini Sauce
Make this easy, basic puffy omelet with tomato-zucchini sauce, or try other sauces. Don’t limit yourself to veggie sauces; be bold and try the omelet with some easy, fresh fruit and a dollop of whipped cream. This recipe calls for stewed tomatoes. Look for the ones with the lowest carb and sugar counts.
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 40 to 45 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
Nonstick cooking spray
6 eggs
1⁄2 teaspoon onion powder
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
1⁄4 teaspoon pepper, divided
14-ounce can stewed tomatoes, cut fine
1⁄2 cup quartered (lengthwise) and sliced
zucchini
1 teaspoon dried basil
Steps:
1 Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8-x-8-x-2-inch baking dish with nonstick spray and set aside. Separate the eggs, placing the whites and yolks in separate bowls.
2 Beat the egg yolks, onion powder, salt, and 1⁄8 teaspoon pepper for about 4 minutes or until thick and lemon-colored. Set aside.
3 Beat the egg whites until soft peaks begin to form and the tips of the peaks begin to gently fold over. Fold the whites into the egg yolks.
4 Spread the mixture evenly into the prepared dish. Bake for 23 to 25 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Oven temperatures vary, so begin watching it after about 20 minutes.
5 While the omelet is baking, make the sauce. Combine the undrained tomatoes, zucchini, basil, and remaining pepper. Bring to boil, and reduce heat. Cover and simmer about 5 minutes or just until the zucchini is tender. Don’t overcook.
6 Simmer, uncovered, for 10 more minutes or until the sauce reaches the desired consistency.
7 To serve, cut the omelet into quarters and top with sauce. Per serving: Calories 144 (From Fat 68); Fat 8g (Saturated 2g); Cholesterol 319mg; Sodium 670mg; Carbohydrate 9g; Dietary Fiber 2g (Net Carbohydrate 7g); Protein 10g.

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For Dummies is a registered trademark of Wiley Publishing, Inc. in the United States and other countries. Used here by license.

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