Omelet à la Lyonnaise

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •25 cm (10-inch) seasoned omelet pan or nonstick skillet
• •Flexible heatproof spatula
• •Two medium mixing bowls

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare two egg mixtures

   Divide the eggs between two bowls, four eggs in each. Divide the parsley and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt between them, reserving the remaining salt for the onion. Beat each mixture only until the whites and yolks become one even color. Don't whip in a cap of foam; an omelet needs supple curds, not trapped air.

   Have both bowls and the minced onion ready before heating the pan. Once the eggs meet the butter, the work moves quickly.
2. 2

   Brown the onion lightly

   Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a 25 cm (10-inch) omelet pan or skillet over medium-low heat. Add the onion and reserved salt, then cook for 7 to 9 minutes, stirring often, until every piece is tender and lightly freckled with brown. Slightly browned is the instruction, not darkly caramelized. If the edges color while the centers remain raw, lift the pan from the heat and stir for 30 seconds before continuing over a gentler flame. A fine fond, the browned film on the pan floor, may form; leave it because the eggs should take up its flavor. Transfer half the onion to a small bowl and leave the rest in the pan.

3. 3

   Set the first curd

   Raise the heat to medium and add 1 tablespoon of butter to the onion in the pan. As soon as the butter foams, pour in the first bowl of eggs. Shake the pan while stirring in tight circles with a flexible spatula, drawing the set egg from the edges toward the loose center. Stop after 30 to 45 seconds, when the curds are small and creamy but the surface still flows slowly. If the rim begins to seize while the center is loose, take the pan off the heat and keep stirring. Ça se rattrape. Return it only when the cooking has slowed.

4. 4

   Fold while tender

   Spread the curds into an even layer and leave them undisturbed for 15 to 30 seconds, just until the underside holds together while the top keeps a moist sheen. Tilt the pan away from you, fold the far third toward the center, then bring the near third over it. Roll the omelet onto a warm plate with the seam underneath. If the skin tears, tuck the torn edge inward with the spatula and turn it seam-side down. The shape returns, the flavor never left, and you never apologize at your own table.

5. 5

   Repeat and serve

   Wipe away any dark specks without scrubbing off the pan's seasoning. Add the final tablespoon of butter, the reserved onion, and the second egg mixture, then cook and fold it in the same way. The first omelet can wait loosely covered on its warm plate for the few minutes this takes, but no longer; residual heat continues setting the center. Cut each omelet in half and serve at once, while the folds are tender and the parsley still smells fresh. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Use an ordinary yellow onion. A sweet onion becomes sugary before its pieces gain the savory browned edges this omelet needs.
• •Mince the onion evenly and quite fine. Large pieces stay sharp while small ones scorch, but even pieces soften and color together.
• •A 25 cm (10-inch) pan is right for each four-egg omelet. A much larger pan spreads the eggs thin and cooks them firm before you can fold them.
• •Serve this for supper with a sharply dressed green salad and bread for the buttery plate. A light Beaujolais suits the onion without overpowering the eggs.

Advance Preparation

• •The onion and parsley can be minced up to 6 hours ahead and refrigerated separately in covered containers.
• •Beat the eggs only when the pan and onion are ready. A finished omelet should be eaten within 5 minutes and does not improve when reheated.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 120g)