Corsican Omelette
by Nigella. Featured in NIGELLA SUMMERIntroduction
Bear with me — as telephonists like to say — while I gush for a bit. This has to be the world's best omelette. I call it Corsican not because it stems from any in-depth research into, or indeed intimate knowledge of, the food of Corsica but because it is the adaptation, from memory, of the best thing I ate there on a holiday many years ago. In Corsica, the cheese used would be Brocciu, a soft, sharpish cheese made with ewe's milk and whey, but I find the best subsitute to be goat's cheese over here.
Think of this more as a lunch or supper dish, although I wouldn't turn it down at any time of day.
And please read the Additional Information section at the end of the recipe before proceeding.
For US cup measures, use the toggle at the top of the ingredients list.
Bear with me — as telephonists like to say — while I gush for a bit. This has to be the world's best omelette. I call it Corsican not because it stems from any in-depth research into, or indeed intimate knowledge of, the food of Corsica but because it is the adaptation, from memory, of the best thing I ate there on a holiday many years ago. In Corsica, the cheese used would be Brocciu, a soft, sharpish cheese made with ewe's milk and whey, but I find the best subsitute to be goat's cheese over here.
Think of this more as a lunch or supper dish, although I wouldn't turn it down at any time of day.
And please read the Additional Information section at the end of the recipe before proceeding.
For US cup measures, use the toggle at the top of the ingredients list.
Ingredients
Serves: 1
- 3 large eggs
- Maldon sea salt flakes
- pepper
- 15 grams butter
- leaves from 4 good-sized sprigs fresh mint (shredded)
- approx. 100 grams thick slice of a chevre log
- 3 large eggs
- kosher salt
- pepper
- 1 tablespoon butter
- leaves from 4 good-sized sprigs fresh mint (shredded)
- 4 ounces thick slice of a chevre log
Method
- Beat the eggs and season with salt and pepper. Melt the butter in a frying pan approximately 25cm / 9 inches in diameter.
- When the butter has melted and is bubbling, throw in most of the shredded mint, saving some for sprinkling on top at the end. When it has sizzled in the butter and become vibrantly green, pour in the beaten eggs and tip the egg around the pan. Crumble the cheese over the omelette and cook, lifting the sides and swilling the pan around to let any runny egg cook in the heat underneath.
- When the top of the omelette looks nearly set but still gooey, fold into three lengthways — in other words, fold in two sides, leaving a strip of white-blobbed omelette facing up in a strip in the middle — and slide on to a plate. Sprinkle with the reserved mint and eat.
- Beat the eggs and season with salt and pepper. Melt the butter in a frying pan approximately 25cm / 9 inches in diameter.
- When the butter has melted and is bubbling, throw in most of the shredded mint, saving some for sprinkling on top at the end. When it has sizzled in the butter and become vibrantly green, pour in the beaten eggs and tip the egg around the pan. Crumble the cheese over the omelette and cook, lifting the sides and swilling the pan around to let any runny egg cook in the heat underneath.
- When the top of the omelette looks nearly set but still gooey, fold into three lengthways — in other words, fold in two sides, leaving a strip of white-blobbed omelette facing up in a strip in the middle — and slide on to a plate. Sprinkle with the reserved mint and eat.
Additional Information
For vegetarians make sure the chevre is a brand that doesn't contain animal rennet.
MAKE AHEAD / STORE:
It is not advisable to make ahead or store.
For vegetarians make sure the chevre is a brand that doesn't contain animal rennet.
MAKE AHEAD / STORE:
It is not advisable to make ahead or store.
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What 4 Others have said
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Show more commentsThank you for this recipe! I’ve been making it for yonks (since I got Forever Summer) and it’s always wonderful! A revelation for those I make for the first time. Delicious! Thank you!
I grow mint on my back patio just so I can make this occasionally--I love it. It's easy, interesting, and tastes wonderful. But mine always turns out more like scrambled eggs--I haven't yet learned the tri-fold method!
It would probably have been brocciu (or brousse, depending on the time of year) which in fact is a ewes' cheese rather than a goats' cheese. Ricotta is reckoned to be the closest easily-available cheese in the UK, but I don't find it works that well, particularly in fiadone, the sublime Corsican dessert. It might work better in an omelette, but a good gooey goats' cheese would probably fit the bill, even if not necessarily being perfectly authentic!
I made this a few minutes ago for breakfast and it is delicious!!!!! I love the taste of the cheese and the mint in the omelette .... absolutely a good way to start your day. :-)