Omelet with Asparagus-tops

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •20 cm (8 inch) nonstick or well-seasoned omelet pan
• •Flexible heatproof spatula or table fork
• •Small mixing bowl
• •Sharp paring knife
• •Four warm serving plates

Instructions

1. 1

   Arrange the mise

   Set four plates somewhere gently warm, and have your diners ready. Reach for both portions of asparagus tips already prepared by Blanchings (No. 273), drain them thoroughly, and blot every surface dry. Divide the whole tips into four bundles of five, and divide the cut tips into four portions of exactly 1½ tablespoons (22.5 ml / about 14 g) each. This preparation is what lets the omelet move at its proper pace.

2. 2

   Stew the asparagus

   Melt the 2 tablespoons of butter in the omelet pan over low heat. Add both the cut and whole asparagus tips, cover, and let them étuver, stew gently in their own moisture and butter, for 2 to 3 minutes. Turn them once, keeping them green and free of browning. If water gathers in the pan, lift out the tips and let the liquid cook away before returning them; wet asparagus would loosen the eggs. Transfer the tips and their butter to a warm plate, preserving the four filling portions and four whole-tip bundles, then wipe the pan clean.

3. 3

   Beat one portion

   Crack 3 eggs into a bowl and season with one-quarter of the salt and white pepper. Beat with a fork only until the whites and yolks become one even yellow mixture, without whipping in a cap of foam. Prepare each three-egg portion immediately before cooking it, because salted beaten eggs left standing lose some of their clean, tender body.

4. 4

   Cook without colour

   Set the clean 20 cm pan over medium heat and melt 1 tablespoon of the cooking butter until it foams without browning. Pour in the eggs, shake the pan briskly, and stir with the fork or a flexible spatula for 20 to 30 seconds, drawing the soft curds toward the centre while uncooked egg runs beneath them. Stop stirring when the base is set but the surface remains moist. If the curds begin setting in firm slabs, lift the pan completely off the burner and stir through the remaining loose egg. Ça se rattrape while the omelet is still pale and moist.

5. 5

   Fill and fold

   Scatter one measured 1½-tablespoon portion of butter-stewed cut asparagus across the centre. Tilt the pan away from you, fold the near third inward, then roll the omelet toward the far rim so it forms a plump oval. Don't wait for the upper surface to dry; residual heat will finish it, while another minute in the pan will toughen it.

6. 6

   Open and finish

   Turn the omelet seam-side down onto a warm plate. With the tip of a sharp knife, make a shallow lengthwise slit along the top without cutting through the bottom, then ease the opening apart and lay one bundle of five whole butter-stewed asparagus tips in the interspace. Repeat with the remaining eggs, butter, filling, and bundles, serving each omelet as soon as it is finished. Cooking well is not cooking fancy. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Choose firm green asparagus with tightly closed tips. The tips must survive two gentle cookings and still hold their shape; limp asparagus collapses before it reaches the omelet.
• •This is a true spring dish. Frozen asparagus tips can carry the flavour out of season, but they will be softer and less handsome in the top bundle. Dry them with particular care and use the firmest pieces above.
• •Use a 20 cm nonstick or well-seasoned steel pan with sloping sides. A larger pan spreads three eggs too thin, while a smaller one makes a thick omelet that sets outside before the centre is ready.
• •No milk or cream. Butter gives the eggs richness, and quick movement gives them tenderness. Added dairy only dulls the asparagus and makes the curds harder to control.
• •A dry Loire Sauvignon Blanc suits the green asparagus and butter, but at breakfast a pot of coffee needs no argument.

Advance Preparation

• •The asparagus may be prepared by Blanchings (No. 273) several hours ahead. Drain it, dry it thoroughly, and keep it covered in the refrigerator, then bring it back toward room temperature before stewing it in butter.
• •The asparagus can be stewed in butter up to 15 minutes before the first omelet. Hold it somewhere warm, never over direct heat, so the tips remain green and the butter does not colour.
• •Do not cook the omelets ahead. Their tenderness lasts minutes, not hours, so seat everyone before the first eggs meet the pan.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 195g)