HOW TO MAKE AN OMELETTE: Perfect Omelette: Easy and Quick Recipe (also with Ham and Crescenza)
The omelette, an iconic French egg recipe, is perfect as a main course or single dish. Enjoy it with toasted bread and salad!
Making a fluffy and creamy omelette is simple, but be careful not to confuse it with a frittata! Follow our tips for an impeccable result.
Today we offer you a delicious variant: the omelette with crescenza and ham. An easy and quick recipe, ideal for a tasty lunch or dinner.
How to make the omelette:
Beat the eggs with salt and a splash of milk.
Pour the mixture into a non-stick pan with melted butter.
When the eggs start to set, fill as desired (we recommend crescenza and ham).
Fold the omelette in half.
Your ham and cheese omelette with a creamy heart is ready!
Customize your omelette: try it plain, with grilled vegetables (vegetarian version) or sweet with jam or fruit.
Discover the detailed recipe for the omelette with crescenza and ham, step by step!
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 1
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: French
- Energy 519.47 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 4.22 (g) of which sugars 3.03 (g)
- Proteins 40.96 (g)
- Fat 37.78 (g) of which saturated 10.83 (g)of which unsaturated 10.25 (g)
- Fibers 0.42 (g)
- Sodium 1,654.96 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 200 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE THE OMELETTE
Once you have prepared the basic mixture for the French Omelette, you can decide whether to enjoy it plain, without filling, or customize it with your favorite ingredients (I use ham and cheese) but grilled vegetables, sautéed mushrooms, or just an egg and milk mixture with a pinch of sugar for a sweet version filled with jam, fresh fruit, or spreads work great, too.
- 3 eggs (whole)
- 2 tbsp whole milk
- 1 pinch fine salt
- 2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
- to taste black pepper (optional)
- to taste aromatic herbs (optional)
- 1 knob butter (to cook omelette)
- 2 slices ham (thinly sliced)
- 2.5 oz crescenza cheese (stracchino or other cheese)
Tools
- Bowl
- Fork
- Pan
HOW TO MAKE AN OMELETTE
Before you start, read the notes at the bottom for TIPS and ADVICE for MAKING A PERFECT OMELETTE.
In a bowl, put the eggs, a pinch of salt (and pepper if you like) and quickly beat with a fork. The omelette mixture should not incorporate air and puff up. Then add a small splash of whole milk and mix to combine. Finally, if you have chosen to use it, add the grated Parmesan cheese and/or aromatic herbs. Mix again with the fork to obtain a homogeneous mixture.
Melt a knob of butter in a non-stick pan, then pour the omelette mixture over medium heat and let it set slightly. Lower the heat and cook for another couple of minutes. Add the thinly sliced ham and cheese. Cover with a lid and cook for another minute. Remove the lid and fold the omelette in half. Do not cook it on the other side, this way it will be golden on the outside but have a moist and creamy heart, technically called baveuse (runny). Serve the ham and cheese omelette immediately while hot to enjoy its creamy and stringy texture.
NOTES AND TIPS
EGGS: For a perfect omelette, it is important to use the freshest eggs possible, preferably organic and at room temperature,
PARMESAN: You can skip the grated Parmesan cheese, but it will be much tastier if you include it, I assure you. To make the omelette even more flavorful, you can add a mix of grated pecorino and Parmesan cheese,
MILK: To achieve a softer texture, we added a few tablespoons of milk to the beaten eggs, but if you prefer, you can easily omit it from the preparation or replace it with an equal amount of fresh cream.
AROMATIC HERBS: you can also add a choice of aromatic herbs such as oregano, mint, or basil to the beaten egg mixture.
FILLING: You can skip the ham and only add cheese. If you do not like crescenza, feel free to replace it with another cheese, preferably not mozzarella, as it may release water and ruin the omelette. It is better to use melting cheeses cut into small pieces to facilitate cooking.
OMELETTE FILLING VARIANTS
As a general rule, choose ingredients that are salty or creamy; light and with a fresh taste, which cleanses the palate from the richness of the eggs, or slightly spicy and seasoned.
After learning how to make omelettes, it is essential to pay attention to the fillings: they need time to cook if raw or to heat up. The most common fillings aside from cooked ham and cheese are spinach and crescenza, ham and tomatoes, bacon and zucchini, provolone and prosciutto, just mushrooms or mushrooms and toma cheese.
TIPS FOR MAKING A PERFECT OMELETTE
COOKING: For flawless results, I suggest cooking the omelette on one side only, without flipping, and for no more than 5 minutes: this way it will be golden on the surface while remaining soft and pleasantly moist at the core. Be very careful during the cooking phase, which should take place over low heat and for just a few minutes: otherwise, the omelette may turn out dry. Also, if you want your omelette to cook perfectly and not burn, you can move the pan so that the heat is evenly distributed and the omelette moves in the pan.
OMELETTE AND FRITTATA DIFFERENCES
To be honest, the difference between an omelette and a frittata is subtle but fundamental. The omelette is a French dish made with beaten eggs cooked only on one side in a pan with butter and seasoned at the last minute before being folded in half into a crescent shape so that the inside remains soft and creamy. The frittata, on the other hand, is a very Italian preparation where ingredients like zucchini, potatoes, onions, or pasta are added to the beaten eggs. The frittata can be cooked both in a pan or in the oven and on both sides. Finally, another difference between these two egg-based recipes is that the frittata is usually divided into slices and can be eaten cold or at room temperature, while the omelette is typically a single portion and should be eaten hot.
Tips for a Perfect Omelette
Prepare the fillings in advance: as omelettes require only a few minutes to cook, make sure all fillings and seasonings are prepared before turning on the stove.
Fluffy eggs: beat the eggs and salt with a fork until you obtain a frothy mixture. The bubbles will give your egg more lift and will puff up during cooking.
Avoid black pepper: the pepper will settle at the bottom and make your omelette look unappealing. Reserve the pepper for sprinkling over the finished omelette if you wish.
A non-stick pan makes it easier to flip the omelette or frittata.
Lower the heat – Once the eggs are in the pan, lower the heat to give the eggs a chance to cook without browning.
Be patient: you might be tempted to raise the heat to cook the omelette faster, but doing so will brown and ruin the eggs.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
How to fill the omelette?
As a general rule, choose ingredients that are salty or creamy; light and with a fresh taste, which cleanses the palate from the richness of the eggs, or slightly spicy and seasoned. The most common fillings aside from cooked ham and cheese are spinach and crescenza, ham and tomatoes, bacon and zucchini, provolone and prosciutto, just mushrooms or mushrooms and toma cheese.
How to make the perfect omelette?
To have a golden omelette on the outside but with a moist and creamy heart, do not overcook it and cook it only on one side. Therefore, if you decide to fill it, given the speed of cooking times, prepare all the ingredients in advance before turning on the stove: slices of ham, cut the cheese into thin pieces or tomatoes, for example, grill the vegetables or line up everything you will need as a filling. For the omelette base, break the eggs into a bowl and quickly mix with a fork along with a pinch of salt and pepper and maybe some aromatic herbs, but just enough time to break the yolk and mix it with the egg white. The omelette batter should not incorporate air and puff up. For cooking, melt a knob of butter in a pan, and as soon as it sizzles, pour in the mixture. Cook for a couple of minutes until bubbles begin to appear. At this point, add the filling only on one half and fold the omelette into a crescent shape with the help of a spatula. Cook for another minute, just the time to slightly seal the edges, and serve while still hot.
