flipFines Herbes Omelette
Fines Herbes Omelette
Why this dish? Dumas devotes entire entries of his dictionary to eggs and omelettes, praising simplicity well executed. It was the everyday dish, quickly made, that a hurried man of letters could enjoy between pages.
A runny omelette, buttery and perfumed with fresh herbs — a model of everyday French cooking, simple but demanding of hand.
Do you think an omelette is an easy thing? Think again! That's where the true cook is recognized. I beat my eggs without rage, I throw a knob of butter into the hot pan, and I work the mass with the tip of the fork until it still trembles at the heart. My fines herbes on top, a turn of the hand to roll it — and let it be eaten at once, for an omelette waits for no one, not even a novelist!
- •Fresh eggs — three per person (base)
- •Butter — a good knob (cooking and softness)
- •Parsley, chervil, chives, tarragon — a handful, chopped (flavor)
- •Salt and pepper — to taste (seasoning)
Fines Herbes Omelette
A runny omelette, buttery and perfumed with fresh herbs — a model of everyday French cooking, simple but demanding of hand.
Why this dish? Dumas devotes entire entries of his dictionary to eggs and omelettes, praising simplicity well executed. It was the everyday dish, quickly made, that a hurried man of letters could enjoy between pages.
Do you think an omelette is an easy thing? Think again! That's where the true cook is recognized. I beat my eggs without rage, I throw a knob of butter into the hot pan, and I work the mass with the tip of the fork until it still trembles at the heart. My fines herbes on top, a turn of the hand to roll it — and let it be eaten at once, for an omelette waits for no one, not even a novelist!
Ingredients (period version)
- Fresh eggs — three per person (base)
- Butter — a good knob (cooking and softness)
- Parsley, chervil, chives, tarragon — a handful, chopped (flavor)
- Salt and pepper — to taste (seasoning)
Ingredients
- Eggs — 3 per person (base)
- Butter — 20 g (cooking)
- Parsley, chervil, chives, tarragon — 2 tbsp, chopped (flavor)
- Salt, pepper — to taste (seasoning)
Method
- Beat the eggs with a fork with salt, pepper, and the chopped herbs, without making them frothy.
- Heat the butter in a pan until it is foamy but not colored.
- Pour in the eggs, and over high heat, pull the edges toward the center with a fork.
- When the bottom is set but the center is still runny, roll the omelette and slide it onto the plate.
- Serve immediately.
How it was made : Omelettes were cooked over a wood or charcoal fire, in a seasoned iron pan. Dumas insisted on the freshness of the eggs and quick cooking: an overcooked omelette was in his eyes a crime of gluttony.
The contemporary twist : Slide a few shavings of aged Comté cheese into the center just before rolling: umami guaranteed.
Sources : Alexandre Dumas, Grand Dictionnaire de cuisine, 1873 (posthumous)
Alexandre Dumas · Charactorium
