Julia Child’s Omelette

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The current edition of Vanity Fair has an article that reviews the life and career of Julia Child.  It describes how Julia changed the American view of food preparation from a pedestrian list of uninteresting fare to a heightened awareness of the possibility of food as almost an art form.  She convinced many American families that meal time deserved special attention and that the French skill in food preparation could be adapted to the kitchens in the U.S.

I read the article with interest and found that it revived memories of those days when my wife and I became interested in elevating our meal preparation level, especially at dinner parties for friends.  I remember the first time I saw Julia on TV in the early 60’s and realized that in that one show she stimulated me to learn a small skill that I have utilized for more than forty years.

Julia showed me on that show how to correctly prepare omelettes. She whisked the 3 eggs seasoned with salt and pepper and poured them into a 7 inch omelette pan that was on high heat with a generous pat of butter melted and spread across the pan.

She then slid the pan back and forth across the heat  while stirring the eggs with the flat side of a fork for about 5 seconds or so until they became a light custard..  She quickly added a cheese filling tilted the pan about 45degrees and with the fork loosened the eggs
Then with the pan still tilted hit the handle several times and made the omelet curl over on itself on the low side of the pan.   A few seconds to brown and she then rolled the omelette onto a heated plate ready to serve.

The whole deal took about 30 to 45 seconds and I was fascinated with the swift sure hands and skill demonstrated by this very big woman with an unusual voice.  I also paid attention to her description of the pan in which this magic act was performed.  The seasoning procedure of the pan and it’s reservation for only omelettes was duplicated in our kitchen within a day or two and my omelette practice started.  I treated it like learning how an infield drill should be run when I was a kid learning to play baseball.  Practice and more practice was the key.

I no longer am sure my infield drill would look like a professional, but my omelettes for friends at brunch still come off the stove quickly with a soft(not runny) creamy center. This is how Julia described a properly prepared omelette center

That first show in which I saw Julia in the early sixties led to decades of following her lead to try more imaginative menus not only when entertaining but as an often part of our family meals.  As I write, I am reviewing the omelette techniques and fillings used by Julia described on pages 126 to 138 in our copy of her classic book, Mastering The Art of French Cooking.  We have a copy of the 11th printing purchased in 1966.  It is a bit worn after 43 years and is only slightly removed from a central position in our cook book collection.

Bobby Flay is the current American star chef on TV and has attracted much of our attention and a center position on our book shelves these days with his imaginative presentations of South West cuisine.  The fact that he has an Irish ancestral background  doesn’t hurt either.  That is a bit rare among great chefs, but I’ll bet that Bobby counts Julia among those that inspired him along the way.  Julia’s work will remain in a place on our top shelf, in recognition of her great recipe presentations and most importantly because she gave me a culinary skill that I have enjoyed and used successfully for all those years.

PS  Secrets unveiled:  I add a few drops of Hot Sauce to the eggs to add a background flavor without the heat overcoming the taste. I find that Cholula does what I am seeking without the blast of heat that sometimes comes with Tabasco if you add a little too much.  Julia didn’t recommend the slight dash of hot sauce. I admit it’s a bit of personal temerity to add to Julia’s teaching, but give it a try. Remember just a bit– look for taste with only a distant background hint of heat.  I also use a bigger pan than her recommended 7″ pan.  I never have been able to match her talent with a 7″ pan

The current movie about Julia has stimulated interest in her classic approach to cooking by a whole new generation. It wasn’t a movie but her classic book that stimulated my interest over 40 years ago. Anyone interested in learning to cook at a level of excellence needs this book.