For Mother's Day, Roll Up A French-Style Omelet As A Way To Say 'I Love You'

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A French omelet, unlike its diner-style counterpart, is rolled, not folded, and include very little filling like vegetables and meats. Steve Klise/America's Test Kitchen hide caption

A French omelet, unlike its diner-style counterpart, is rolled, not folded, and include very little filling like vegetables and meats.

Are you thinking a regular omelet isn't quite good enough for mom on Mother's Day? Then on Sunday, give this a shot: a French-style omelet that's elegant in both presentation and taste.

"I love making a super tender, super creamy, French-style omelet as a nice way of saying 'Mom, Happy Mother's Day. I love you," says Jack Bishop of America's Test Kitchen.

Unlike its diner-style counterpart, these are rolled, not folded, and include very little filling like vegetables and meats. [Watch this video to see that rolling technique.]

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Slide the omelet from the pan onto your plate and a paper towel, then lift the towel so that the omelet rolls on itself. Daniel J. van Ackere/America's Test Kitchen hide caption

Slide the omelet from the pan onto your plate and a paper towel, then lift the towel so that the omelet rolls on itself.

"If you think about a diner omelet, it's mostly about the goodies inside the eggs," he says. "Eggs and the butter are in the forefront here."

It starts with two whole eggs plus one yolk, beaten with a fork about 80 times. Yep, America's Test Kitchen has counted the number of times eggs should be beaten to get perfectly blended.

Read on for tips before you start, or jump ahead to :

Cut the butter into small pieces and then pop them in the freezer for about 10 minutes. "The science here is that a lot of omelets add either cream or they add half and half in order to promote creaminess," Bishop says. "Butter does an even better job because it can be frozen quickly and so it melts really evenly, coating the egg proteins in a way that keeps it tender."

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Use chopsticks or skewers to stir the eggs while cooking. If you don't have either, use the handle of a wooden spoon.

Ideally, use a skillet with angled sides. Straight sides may prove problematic when it's time to try to slip your creation out of the pan. [Click on the audio to find out whether Noel King's straight-sided cast iron pan helped or hurt.]

Serves 2

Ingredients

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 2 pieces

½teaspoon vegetable oil

6 large eggs, chilled

Salt and pepper

2 tablespoons shredded Gruyère cheese

4 teaspoons minced fresh chives

Instructions

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 200 degrees. Place 2 heatproof plates on rack.

2. Cut 1 tablespoon butter in half. Cut remaining 1 tablespoon butter into small pieces, transfer to small bowl, and place in freezer while preparing eggs and skillet, at least 10 minutes.