Cold Omelets Food

PERFECT OMELET

Steps:

• Beat the eggs: Soak 3 large eggs for 5 minutes in hot-not scalding-tap water. This will ensure that the omelet cooks faster, and the faster an omelet cooks, the more tender it's going to be. Crack the eggs into a small bowl or large bowl-shaped coffee mug. Season with a pinch of fine salt. Beat the eggs gently with a fork.
• TIP: I prefer a fork to a whisk for omelets because I don't want to work air into the eggs: Air bubbles are insulators and can slow down cooking if you're not careful.
• Heat the pan: Heat a 10-inch nonstick saute pan over medium to high heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon room-temperature unsalted butter. Once melted, spread the butter around the pan with a basting brush to ensure coverage.
• TIP: Heat your pan empty for a few minutes before adding the butter: Even a nonstick surface is pocked with microscopic pores that eggs can fill and grab hold of. Heat expands the metal, squeezing these openings shut.
• Add the eggs: Pour the eggs into the center of the pan and stir vigorously with a silicone spatula for 5 seconds. (Actually, it's not so much a matter of stirring with the spatula as holding the spatula relatively still and moving the pan around to stir the eggs.)
• Let them cook: As soon as curds begin to form (that's the stuff that looks like scrambled eggs), lift the pan and tilt it around until the excess liquid pours off the top of the curds and into the pan. Then use the spatula to shape the edge and make sure the omelet isn't sticking. Move the spatula around the edge of the egg mixture to help shape it into a round and loosen the edge. Then walk away. That's right-let that omelet sit unaccosted for 10 long seconds so it can develop a proper outer crust. Don't worry: Your patience will be rewarded.
• Finish the omelet: Time for the "jiggle" step: Simply shake the pan gently to make sure the omelet is indeed free of the pan. Lift up the far edge of the pan and snap it back toward you. Then use the spatula to fold over the one-third facing you.
• Change your grip on the pan handle from an overhand to an underhand and move to the plate, which you might want to lube with just a brief brushing of butter to make sure things don't bind up in transit. Slide the one-third farthest from you onto the plate and then ease the fold over. Imagine that you're making a tri-fold wallet out of eggs-because that's exactly what you're doing. And just ease the pan over. There, that wasn't so hard.

COLD OMELETS

Steps:

• For the tomato omelet: In a large saucepan, preferably nonstick, heat one tablespoon of the olive oil. When hot, add the minced scallions and saute for about 30 to 45 seconds. Add the chopped tomatoes and a quarter teaspoon of the salt. Saute the tomatoes for about 45 to 60 seconds, until they are warm and starting to render their juice but are still firm. Set aside.
• Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in a clean saucepan. Meanwhile, beat the eggs with the remaining quarter teaspoon of salt and the pepper in a bowl. When the oil is hot, add the egg mixture and, when the curds form in the bottom of the pan, stir until the whole mixture is set but a little wet inside.
• Using your fork, bring the near lip over toward the center of the omelet and arrange the tomato mixture down the center of the omelet. (If the tomato mixture is too wet, use a slotted spoon to remove the solids for use on the omelet.) Fold both lips of the omelet back over the tomatoes to enclose them as best you can. Heat the one teaspoon of butter in the exposed end of the skillet and cook the omelet for about 45 to 60 seconds to brown it nicely underneath. Invert onto a plate.
• When lukewarm, slide the omelet onto a piece of plastic wrap and roll it into a tube, tightening it as you roll to give it a nice cylindrical shape and twisting the wrap at both ends. Refrigerate until ready to use.
• At serving time, cut the omelet into one-and-one-half-inch slices and place the slices cut-side-down in a small gratin dish. Sprinkle with a few drops of vinegar, about one tablespoon of oil and extra herbs, if desired. Serve.
• For the herb omelet: Beat the eggs with the salt, pepper and chopped herbs and proceed with the directions above (ignoring references to the tomato mixture) to make and finish the omelet.

OMELETS

Steps:

• Melt butter over medium high heat in an eight inch non-stick skillet. Add vegetables which may need to be cooked, for example, onions, peppers or mushrooms. Cook vegetables for 2 minutes. In a small bowl, beat eggs with water and season with salt and pepper. Pour into pan and stir. Allow eggs to cook for 1 minute and then top with cheese or other toppings. When only a small amount of egg liquid remains, carefully fold omelet in half. Slide onto plate and serve warm.

OMELETS TO FLIP FOR

Steps:

• This omelet, which features cheese essentially melted on the outside of the omelet, takes a little bit of skill. It is accomplished by making the omelet as usual, but instead of adding cheese at the end, you flip the omelet once, place the grated cheese on it, and flip it again so the cheese is on the pan. Let the cheese get all melty and a little crisp, then slide the omelet onto the plate, and fold, cheese side up. People go crazy for this little trick. Just be careful that when you flip it before the cheese-side-down flip, cheese doesn't go flying everywhere. Practice makes perfect.
• Any omelet can be a baked omelet. Baking is easier than flipping. Just heat the oven to 375°F, melt a little butter in an ovenproof pan, put the filling ingredients in the bottom of the pan, and pour the eggs over the top. If there is cheese in the omelet, put the cheese on top of the eggs and bake for 5 to 7 minutes, until it is done to your liking. The eggs will be slightly fluffy, almost like a soufflé.
• Make a cold omelet using summer vegetables like tomatoes, zucchini, yellow summer squash, eggplant, and assorted baby root vegetables. Roast or sauté the vegetables very well and set aside to cool. Make an omelet as usual. When you are ready to fold the omelet, spoon some of the cooked vegetables onto one side of the omelet and fold the other half over. Refrigerate for an hour or until ready to serve. You might also wish to serve your chilled omelet as an unfolded frittata, in which case you would bake the frittata, slide it onto a plate, and chill it for an hour before serving. You can chill your frittata up to a day in advance. Serve chilled or at room temperature.