I used to have the most disgusting chore assigned to me when I was a kid. Not the litter box, not scrubbing the bathroom, not getting all the terrible things under my brother's bed and putting them in the dishwasher. No, the most disgusting chore?
Cleaning out the fridge. My mother, otherwise a good and wonderful woman, was terrible about dealing with leftovers. Made worse by growing up at a time when Tupperware was opaque, meaning what's in the back? No idea. But it is starting to talk about wanting to borrow the car.
In my house we don't have that problem because there is one basic rule: as long as you have eggs, you don't have leftovers. Just ingredients. Eggs are a mystical force that take any random selection of items and join them together to make food. Eggs are a magical binder.
I used to really suck at making omelettes until I watched the video below. This is from Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations and my apologies right now if you are reading this after the content police have removed it. Go find a copy, it's well worth your time.
Total Prep: 2 minutes
Omelet-making is both very simple and very difficult. A perfect omelet is golden in color on top, delicate and creamy in the center. In addition to fresh eggs and sweet butter, there are 3 other major ingredients: the right pan, practice and high heat. It is essential to have an 8 to 10-inch omelet pan, "well-seasoned" to inhibit sticking, with rounded, sloping shoulders that give the omelet a nice shape and help it slide easily onto the plate when cooked. Be sure to use the highest possible heat. Be careful not to overbeat the eggs and don't use too much butter, or the omelet will be wrinkled. The whole operation should not take more than 1 minute.
- Using a fork, beat 3 whole eggs with salt and freshly ground pepper until well- mixed.
- Add 1 tbs. water (optional) to lighten the omelet.
- Place 1 tbs. sweet butter in the pan on high heat. When the foaming has subsided and the butter has a nice hazelnut color, pour in the eggs. They should sizzle. Let the eggs coagulate for about 6 to 8 seconds.
- With the flat side of a fork in one hand, stir the eggs in a circular motion.
- Simultaneously, with the other hand, shake the pan back and forth in a continuous movement so the eggs coagulate uniformly.
- Lift up the pan slightly while the eggs are cooking so that the "scrambled" eggs end up piled up toward the front of the pan. If the pan is kept flat, and the whole surface is covered with a uniform layer of eggs then the omelet will roll like a jelly roll or a carpet, and it will not be moist inside.
- Fold the lower "lips" back onto the omelet, shaping it in a nice half-moon shape as you go along.
- Run your fork along the side of the pan under the front of the omelet.
- Tap the handle of the pan to encourage the omelet to lift up in the front. And, using the fork, fold the upper lip onto the center, taking care to see that it comes to a point at each end.
- At this time, the omelet can be stuffed. Arrange the solid pieces, whether you use chicken livers, creamed chicken, spinach, chives or whatever, in a line along the center of the omelet.
- Changing hands hold the serving plate vertically against the side of the pan and invert the omelet onto the plate.
- Pour the sauce, if any, around the omelet.
I haven't had a chance to try this one yet, but when an angry man with a British accent tells you to do something, you do it. Gordon Ramsay on how to make scrambled eggs:
Ingredients
- 6 large eggs
- tablespoons butter, diced ( ice-cold)
- 2 tablespoons creme fraiche
- freshly ground sea salt and pepper ( you can use regular salt if you need to)
- 3 chives, snipped ( substitute with green onion if necessary)
- 3 slices , rustic bread to serve (like this simple one over here!)
Directions
- Break the eggs into a cold, heavy-based pan, place on the lowest heat possible, and add half the butter. Using a spatula, stir the eggs frequently to combine the yolks with the whites.
- As the mixture begins to set, add the remaining butter. The eggs will take about 4-5 minutes to scramble – they should still be soft and quite lumpy. Don’t let them get too hot – keep moving the pan off and back on the heat (as the bottom of the pan stays heated even after taking it off of the stove).
- Meanwhile, toast the bread. He used sourdough bread.
- Add the crème fraîche and season the eggs at the last minute, then add the snipped chives. Put the toast on warm plates, pile the softly scrambled eggs on top and serve immediately.
And, honestly, is there any reason NOT to have breakfast for dinner?
So, what's for dinner?