Omelet with Mushrooms

Omelette aux champignons (French mushroom omelet) teaches one truth before you touch the pan: the minced mushrooms must surrender their raw water in butter before the eggs arrive. Add the eggs too soon and their curds turn wet and slack. Wait until the pan floor shines with butter rather than mushroom liquid, and the omelette stays tender while tasting deeply of champignons.

The source entry assumed a saucier and a stockpot never off the fire, so demi-glace (half-glaze) waited ready. A salamander played no part; this dish is finished by the pan and the spoon. At home, warm a properly prepared demi-glace in a small saucepan and make one generous eight-egg omelette for four. The brigade's extra hands and holding pans are scaffolding, so they go. The source's two ounces of minced raw mushrooms, its three cooked grooved caps, and its narrow ring of sauce are the dish, so every one stays. One cook, one stove, one evening.

Work quickly once the eggs meet the mushrooms, but don't confuse speed with panic. The step that decides everything is simple: cook the mince until its moisture is gone, then add the eggs at once and pull the omelette from the heat while its center is still glossy.