From Julia · 2022-2023 · Reconstructed
French Omelette
Serve when
Serve the moment Julia rolls the eggs out flat and golden onto the plate on live television.
In the series
Season 1
- S1E1 · ~00:05:00 Julia demonstrates a perfect French omelette on WGBH's I've Been Reading, the improvised segment that convinces her a whole cooking show could work
In the series
The show opens on this one dish because it is the pitch: a woman demonstrating, without a script or a set, how a simple thing done exactly right becomes irresistible television. Everything Julia builds afterward — the studio, the crew, The French Chef — starts from the fact that people couldn't look away from three eggs and a hot pan.
Ingredients
Method
- Whisk the eggs with the water and a pinch of salt just until blended — a few strokes, not a full aerated whip.
- Melt the butter in a small nonstick or well-seasoned skillet over fairly high heat until it foams and just starts to smell nutty.
- Pour in the eggs. Immediately start shaking the pan with one hand while stirring the eggs flat with a fork in small circles with the other, keeping the curds loose and even across the bottom.
- The instant the eggs are set but still glossy on top, tilt the pan and use the fork to fold the near third over the center.
- Tilt the pan further, roll the omelette out onto a warm plate seam-side down so it lands as one smooth log, and scatter the chives over if using.
Substitutions
- Nonstick pan: a well-seasoned carbon-steel or cast-iron omelette pan works, but a nonstick skillet forgives beginners while you find the timing.