Omelettes.  They are kind of like the dark side of breakfast cooking.  There is a certain amount of apprehension that many people get when they consider making one.  I have a friend who purposely learned to make frittatas so she didn’t have to ever cook an omelette for her and her partner ever again.  She complained that there was just too much guess work in the exact consistency of egg to cream ratio, how long to leave the omelette in the pan before flipping and still, even when she thought she had it perfect, the omelette would still break mid fold.

Me, on the other hand, love omelettes.  They are a lazy Sunday brunch filled with garlic mushrooms and brie served with coffee and multigrain toast.  Almost immediately, they can become a quick dinner or a late night dinner filled with sautéed spinach, summer tomato and left over boiled potatoes.  Served with a glass of wine and a quick chopped salad, omelettes can make for the perfect dinner as well.

The trick is 2 things.  First, always have 3 parts egg to one part cream or half and half.  Anymore dairy added to the egg mixture and the omelette becomes too soft and will surely break.  If you want, you can omit the dairy completely for a higher success rate.

The second part to a perfect omelette is not to over fill the inside.  Instead, put small ingredients directly into the egg mixture before you cook it.  Chives, onion, diced red pepper, even shredded cheese can all go into the egg batter and poured in.  Save the filling section for things like cooked zucchini, leftover potatoes, pan seared spinach or mushrooms.

Once the egg, herb and cream mixture is poured in, cook on medium heat and let it cook.  It’s tempting to flip it too soon.  The omelette should be nearly completely cooked flat.  Once the edges begin to curl and the middle is no longer runny, add your filling to just half of the omelette.  Fold over the other half and serve.