how to make a french omelette | kelly’s kitchen

hey gang! it’s beth.  for a long time now, i have wanted to open up the blog for a guest column.  and with the new “normal”, now is the perfect time.  saturday is our down day over here on the blog—so why not open it up for some new content? 

over the past few years, many of you have reached out asking for more recipes and cooking-related content.  turns out that that’s right up my daughter-in-law kelly’s alley.  many of you know her: she’s been working here at style at a certain age behind the scenes for a long time now.  but did you know that she’s also worked in and around the kitchen—personally and professionally—her entire life?  a few months ago, kelly pitched the idea of a weekly cooking column. finally,  i am excited today to introduce you to kelly’s kitchen—-her new weekly Saturday column. 

Hello and welcome to Kelly’s Kitchen!

Hi! my name is Kelly. You may remember me from a few appearances on the blog over the last year. Since moving to Athens, Georgia last year with my husband, I have been working with Beth on the blog design and content. 

My passion is for cooking. I did not go to cooking school, but prior to becoming a designer, I worked as a cook in a variety of restaurants, so I have picked up some tips along the way. But mostly, I cook by instinct. I rarely follow recipes to the letter, typically I will read a recipe as a guideline and alter it based on what I have on hand, or what I feel like doing.

How to make a French omelette

For this inaugural column, I want to start with the basics – eggs. Specifically, an omelette. It’s likely most of us have had an omelette of one flavor or another. But have you ever had a French omelette? A French omelette is just eggs and butter, a little white pepper, coarse sea salt and finely chopped chives. No filling. It’s cooked on low heat and rolled just before the eggs are completely set to create a creamy, slightly wet texture inside.  So, here we go:  how to make a French omelette. 

A traditional French omelette is rich and satisfying all on its own, but what if you wanted to take it one step further? I got the idea to add Boursin to my French omelette from Chef Ludo Lefebvre when he made one on the PBS show, The Mind of a Chef. The addition of Boursin, he described, was the French version of adding American cheese to your omelette. Haha! Well, needless to say I had to try one! 

After several messy attempts over as many Sundays, I finally got the hang of getting the eggs to roll up nicely and without any browning. Fortunately, the messy ones were just as delicious, so no one was disappointed. I am still not a pro, but it’s so rewarding when I get it right!

nonstick pan | silicone spatula | 4 cup measuring cup

It’s important to have the right tools. a nonstick pan and a silicone spatula make this recipe so much easier!

What is Boursin? Boursin is an herbed goat cheese spread. It’s widely available at the grocery store, but if you can’t find it, use plain goat cheese. 

Be sure to mix your eggs very thoroughly to emulsify the whites completely. Try not to whip in too much air. Use a fork instead of a whisk. 

Turn your burner to medium low. Add the butter to your nonstick pan.

Let the butter melt and foam a little, but don’t let it sizzle.

Add your eggs and sprinkle with a pinch of white pepper and flaky sea salt. Begin to stir vigorously with a silicone spatula while moving the pan in a circular motion. Scrape the sides so no crusty bits form around the edge of your eggs. 

Pro tip: the trick with this technique, I learned, is to keep the flame low so the eggs don’t get ahead of you. It may seem like it’s taking forever, but trust me, in what seems like 3 seconds, your omelette can go from perfect to brown and overdone. 

As soon as the eggs begin to coagulate, shake the pan to let the uncooked eggs settle. Once the eggs are cooked on the bottom, but still runny on top, lift an edge of the egg to check if it’s holding together in one piece. If it is, remove from heat and let sit for about one minute.

Add dollops of Boursin along the center of the omelette, perpendicular to the handle. then, starting at the edge closest to the handle, using your silicone spatula, lift the edge and begin to roll the omelette onto itself towards the center.

Once you have it this far, add more butter and tilt the pan to allow the butter to melt toward the omelette. This will help rolling it the rest of the way. 

Continue rolling and then turn the omelette out onto a plate. If the dismount was messy, it’s perfectly ok to use your (clean) hands to reshape. 

Smooth a little more butter over the omelette, sprinkle with flaky salt and chives. Et Voilà! You’ve done it! A fancy French omelette! 

dinnerware | similar cloth napkin 

Serve with a side salad of fresh leafy herbs and butter lettuce. 

Side-salad

For the salad (make this before you begin your eggs): 

• Tear butter lettuce into large pieces
• Roughly chop herbs such as Italian flat leaf parsley, cilantro and, or basil
• Toss together with a healthy drizzle of olive oil, and about ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
• Just before serving, sprinkle with flaky salt and a few cranks of fresh cracked pepper

Thanks for joining me today for my inaugural column:  how to make a French omelette.  Thank you, Beth, for this opportunity.  You can also find me on facebook and instagram.  I hope you all tune in next Saturday to Kelly’s Kitchen. 

About The Author

Kelly Djalali

Kelly is our 40s+ fashion & food contributor. She posts a Daily Look on Tuesdays, writes about Fashion on Thursdays, joins Beth for Fridays with Oscar and shares a new recipe on Sunday.

She’s 48, 5’0, and a petite 0/XS.

Kelly also has a food blog called Djalali Cooks, which you can find by clicking the world icon below.

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