For about 37 years, I've been making French omelets using the method taught to me by DW when we first got married. I described it in my first post, in this thread. It works very nicely. I looked at both the Jaques Pepin, and the Julia Child links, and decided to try Julia's technique this morning. I used a somewhat beat up, 8 inch, teflon coated pan, that I haven't used in a couple of years. First, I used my Griswold, 6 inch cast iron pan to saute a third of a sliced onion in butter, just until partially softened, to make it sweet. Then, in the same pan, I added paper-tin strips of some very good venison that I sliced this morning, against the grain of course (so tender and good, an cooked until the red was gone. I placed it on a shallow saucer with the onion. While it was cooking over medium heat, I shaved some 5 year, aged cheddar. My fillings were ready.
I placed the non-stick pan over a medium fire and added a pat of butter. I put one large egg into a bowl, seasoned with a pinch of salt, and 4 twists from the pepper mill, added a splash of milk, then vigorously beat it with my balloon whisk. I swirled the butter to coat the entire cooking surface. The butter had nearly stopped bubbling. I poured the egg into the pan, let it sit for about ten seconds, then began to rapidly shake the pan, in a circular motion, just as Julia did in her video. When the egg was mostly set, I quickly slid the fillings over the rear side of the omelet (the side closest to me and the handle), and began to work the pan forward and back, again following Julia's lead. I again swirled the pan so that the egg turned 90 degrees. That way, I could tip the pan over my plate, and the filling covered egg would slide out first. As it slit out, I used the pan to fold the other side over to create my half-moon shaped omelet.
I'm telling you straight up, I have never used a more simple technique to get such amazing results. The first attempt gave me a perfect omelet. In the next week, I will be trying Jaque's technique, and reporting on it as well.
Don't be intimidate by the omelet. If this is an advanced skill, then I must be a genius. It reminds me of a time when I was being interviewed for an electronics position. I'd been interviewed by three persons, who all said that I would probably be getting the job. I had a lot of experience in electronics, and some very advanced training. However, there are some complicated formulas that can be used to determine how much gain is obtained for any given transistor . And then, there is the formula for figuring out the gain of a simple transistor amplifier circuit, which is simply output voltage divided by the input voltage. When asked by the final interviewer how to determine the gain of of a transister amplifier, for whatever reason, I panicked slightly. All I could remember was parts of the complicated formulas I had learned 7 years earlier. All I had to say was output divided by the input, and I would have gotten that job. I have the bad habit of complicating things that are easy.
Making Julia's omelet is like that. It's almost too easy. We want to complicate it beyond what it really is. I have found that this is true of so many cooking techniques. I'm always surprised at how easy it is to make things that look very complicated.
Not being able to make a good omelet is a valid test because it shows how an applicant reacts under pressure, and also shows the level of training they have had.
Kitchengoddess; you can make a perfect French omelet. Look again at the Julia Childs' video, watching carefully the steps she takes, and in what order she takes them. Copy her technique and you will be so rewarded. Omelets will be an instant no-brainer for you too. This technique is easier than cooking a perfect easy-over egg.
Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North