Sometimes simple is best

Omelettes make such an easy meal when you have eggs to spare. I have cooked lots over the last few years. The method stays the same, but the fillings vary – for example, crispy duck skin, diced fried bread, sliced sausage, tomato, onion, sorrel, ham / potato / cheese, or, if you are feeling extravagant, truffle. This recipe – les œufs sur le plat à l’huile de noix / omelette cooked with walnut oil – is one of the simplest. I basted the eggs with walnut oil, adding a dash of vinegar at the end. I served with garlic toast, the pan juices, and chopped chervil. Sometimes, simple is best.

Full of good things

L’omelette brayaude / omelette with ham, potato and cheese might have historic credentials, see https://myyearoffrenchcookery.home.blog/2019/04/18/farmers-lunch but, really, it is just an omelette full of good things. This time, I fried cured bacon lardons, then diced cooked potato with a little duck fat. I made an omelette with eggs, adding the ham, potato, grated cheese and seasoning. An enjoyable supper with options for variations.

Waste not, want not

For lunch today, we had l’omelette au peau de canard / omelette with crispy duck skin. I wanted to use up the skin which I had removed from the confit de canard, when I made cassoulet a few days ago. I cut up the skin into small cubes and heated these gently until the fat ran out. I drained the crispy pieces on kitchen paper while I prepared the omelette, then added them as a filling. It may not sound the most appetising dish but, honestly, the result was great and I was very pleased not to have wasted any food.

Picnic lunch

Finally, the weather is lovely, and we have had a picnic. Rather than traditional sandwiches, I made lou meissounenco / thick onion omelette. I fried sliced onion in pork fat until starting to colour. Then, I added well-seasoned, beaten eggs, with finely chopped garlic, and made a thick omelette. Traditionally, this would have been divided up to feed the workers in the hayfields. So, it is well cooked, rather than runny and folded over. As we had spent the morning gardening, it was the perfect dish to eat outside on a sunny spring day.

Truffle not turkey

It was just the two of us for Christmas lunch and I decided to spend my money on a truffle rather than a turkey. Our special meal was les oeufs brouillés aux truffes / scrambled eggs with truffles. My truffle arrived on Christmas eve by courier. I unwrapped it reverently and placed it with four eggs in a bowl with a close fitting lid. This was to infuse the eggs with the wonderful aroma. The next day, I sliced the truffle thinly and poached in a little water for 10 minutes – more lovely smells in the kitchen. I beat the eggs with cream and seasoning, adding the truffle and its reduced liquor. Then, I scrambled the mixture in the usual way. I served the eggs on top of sour dough bread toast, accompanied by salad and vinaigrette, smoked salmon and, of course, some special wine. Happy Christmas everyone!

Stuffed eggs

Stuffed eggs are a bit of a fiddle. To make les oeufs farcis aux rillettes/ eggs stuffed with potted duck, I cut hard boiled eggs in half lengthwise and scooped out the yolks. I mixed these with rillettes (a sort of pâté made from shredded duck), chopped parsley and seasoning. I refilled the eggs with this mixture, dipped each half in whisked egg white, and fried in hot oil till golden. Well worth the effort!

Onions and eggs

Onions and eggs are a staple of the kitchen and so this soup – le tourin / a thin onion soup – can be easily rustled up. I sliced a couple of large, sweet Spanish onions as thinly as possible, and put them in a heavy pan with some goose fat. I sweated the onions on a low heat until well softened, then stirred in a little flour, cooked for a few minutes, and added water, little by little, until I had a thin, smooth soup. I seasoned with salt and plenty of pepper, covered the pan, and simmered gently for three-quarters of an hour. While the soup was cooking, I separated three egg yolks from their whites, and put the latter into a bain-marie to cook. Once solidified, I chopped them up and added them to the soup. I took the pan off the heat and lightly beat the yolks with a little water, and added them to the mixture too. This simple soup was sweet and satisfying, and had more body than I expected.

Perfect lunch

L’omelette aux tomates frâches / tomato omelette makes a perfect lunch dish with a green salad. First, I made a fresh tomato sauce by chopping peeled tomatoes, onions, garlic and parsley. I cooked these ingredients together in oil over a medium heat for about 20 minutes, adding salt and pepper at the end. Then I heated goose fat in a frying pan and made an omelette in the usual way with beaten eggs. While it was still creamy on top, I spread the tomato sauce over one half and folded the other over.

Delicious omelette

L’omelette à la purée d’oseille / omelette with purée of sorrel is described by Jeanne Strang as “after a truffled omelette, probably the next most delicious omelette of all”. Could this be so? I beat some eggs lightly, added seasoning, and poured into a very hot, buttered frying pan to make an omelette. While it was still runny, I spooned a line of sorrel purée across the middle, before rolling up. Yes, I agree – one of the best omelettes I have eaten!

A great entrée

This next recipe – les oeufs dur à l’oseille / hard boiled eggs with sorrel – is described as being a traditional accompaniment for a joint of confit or a grilled sausage. But I made it as the starter to our meal. I heated pork lardons till crisp in a frying pan, then browned some slices of brioche in the fat, adding chopped garlic at the last minute. I warmed up some sorrel purée, adding parsley for extra flavour. I hard boiled some eggs and shelled them. To assemble the dish at the last minute, I spooned a bed of the purée onto a warmed plate, placed the brioche on top, then the two halves of the egg, and sprinkled the bacon and garlic over. According to Jeanne Strang, this dish was an especial favourite of the nineteenth century weavers in the Rouergue and Languedoc districts. No wonder I loved it!