Sunday, March 25, 2012

when breakfast makes a simple, delicious dinner

I wanted something quick, easy and tasty the other night, so I started rifling around in the fridge.  I found wonderful farm-fresh eggs, which is a good start.  There was bacon, some fresh goat cheese, a couple of green onions, shitake mushrooms, and a bit of arugula that needed to be used.  What could be easier than an omelet and a lightly dressed salad for a weeknight meal?
 Goat cheese adds a creamy tang to an omelet

All that's really needed to make an omelet, of course, is eggs.  But I like to add half a tablespoon of cream, salt, pepper, and a few grates of nutmeg.
the egg mixture just before I beat the tar out of it

A whisk will get the job done, but I like the eggs to be fully incorporated, and to add a little air for lightness.  The local farm eggs I get from Whole Foods are worth every penny.  But there is one thing about very fresh eggs.  The whites resist incorporation.  So going after the mixture with an immersion blender, which is a very handy kitchen tool, mixes them in a trice.  It's also very handy to have to puree soups and blend sauces.

I started the bacon, just two slices cut into lardons, crisping in the pan.  Once they were crisp, I pulled them out, and I sauteed the mushrooms and green onions for a few minutes in the bacon fat.  
there's my mineral pan again--as you can see, it's getting been getting a work-out

Then I put in the greens just until they were wilted.  With a non-stick pan, which a well-maintained mineral pan is, the entire operation is a one-pan meal.  Though I love Julia Child's method of cooking omelets very fast over very high heat, it goes too fast if you are going to add a fair amount of filling.  So I kept the pan over medium heat.
the eggs begin to bubble and set immediately

For less than a minute, I lifted the edges of the omelet, and tilted the pan a little to let the uncooked eggs slip onto the pan's surface.  Then I laid the fillings across the omelet.
a quick fold, and dinner is ready

the warm omelet and a little salad of frisee and little
yellow plum tomatoes was a very satisfying dinner

I was surprised the the omelet had browned so much in such a short time, but I suppose it has something to do with the cooking properties of the pan.  The eggs weren't overcooked at all.  Makes me want to make a croque-madame sandwich, but I guess I'll save that for some other time.


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