Creamy, perfectly yellow without a speck of brown with a rich truffle flavor, a classic French truffle omelet is one of the first things I make when I'm wondering what to make with fresh truffles. It's not an omelet with truffle oil, and must be started at least a day in advance. Making one takes a little practice, but it's worth the time it takes to learn and will turn any breakfast into a very special occasion.
A true French omelet by itself is a thing of beauty and takes practice to get right. This is something you don't want to screw up, so I've meticulously broken down the steps here so anyone can make it. There's a few really interesting tricks I use both to flavor the eggs with truffles and make the omelet. Here's the most important things to know:
- Cheap truffles that have little flavor won't make a great omelet. Only fresh, highly aromatic truffles should be used here.
- Storing the eggs with truffles in a jar before cooking helps infuse them with truffle flavor.
- After storing in a jar, the eggs are cracked, mixed with chopped truffles and allowed to infuse for an hour at room temperature.
- For even more truffle flavor, you can whisk the eggs with truffle infused cream or add truffle cheese.
- Don't dare use truffle oil.
Budget Truffle Options
I've made this recipe with just about every type of truffle I've eaten. While truffles are expensive, you can make this on a budget using B or C grade truffles, and getting creative with the species. Here's a few examples of different types to try I buy from my friends at Trufflecart.com. 1 oz of truffle will infuse and generously garnish about 6 omelets.
- Tuber brumale has a smoky, peaty aroma and is one of the cheapest truffles on the market at around $130 / 100 grams with shipping.
- Tuber uncinatum is a mid-range truffle that has a mushroom-forward aroma and will cost about $120 / 100 grams with shipping.
- Tuber Macrosporum has a flavor comparable to the famous Tuber melanosporum but not quite as intense. They'll cost around $60 / 100 grams with shipping.
How to Make A Truffled French Omelet
Infusing the Eggs
First the eggs are infused with truffles and you have a few options here. I almost always store truffles in a jar with eggs when they arrive. They're ready to cook with after 24 hours.
The day before making the omelet, mix beaten egg with finely diced truffle and leave to infuse overnight.
A little chef trick for perfect, pale yellow omelets is to bring the eggs to room temperature over a bowl of warm water. This helps the omelet cook quickly and evenly, giving you control over the end result.
Cooking the Omelet
You'll want a good non-stick pan here, ideally seasoned cast iron. I love my Kehoe 8inch carbon steel pan. Rub the pan with oil (not butter) and warm it over medium heat. Add the eggs, turn the heat down, and push the eggs in towards the center gently, swirling the pan to fill the gaps.
Push down around the sides of the pan to prevent the omelet edges from getting dry. After a minute or two the omelet should be nearly done, but you can cover it with plate for a few moments to help steam the top. I like to add a sprinkle of parmesan cheese but it's optional.
When the egg is mostly (but not completely) set, tilt the pan at a 45 degree angle, using a small spatula to gently roll the omelet.
Carefully transfer the omelet to a warm serving plate, garnish with sliced fresh truffles or julienned truffles, chives and serve hot.
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Classic French Truffle Omelet
Equipment
- 8 inch non-stick pan
- Small spatula
- Small 8-24 oz mixing bowl
- Fork, for beating the eggs
- Mason jar, to store eggs and truffles in
Ingredients
- 2 large eggs
- 3 T heavy cream
- Pinch ⅛ teaspoon teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoons cooking oil or duck fat
- 2 teaspoons finely diced or minced fresh black truffle
- Slices of fresh truffle or julienned truffle, to garnish
- 1 tablespoon parmesan or truffle butter optional
Instructions
Practice Omelets
- Making a good French omelet is a learned skill. It's good to practice with plain eggs once or twice before attempting the real deal.
Infusing the Eggs
- Ideally you’ll be cooking with eggs you’ve already stored in jar with fresh truffles for a day or two.
- Crack the eggs in a small bowl and mix with the salt, cream, and truffle, cover in a container with a tight fitting lid and refrigerate overnight and up to 2 days so the eggs absorb the truffle aroma.
Making the Omelet
- Bring the truffled eggs to room temperature, beating them in a bowl placed over another bowl of warm water.
- Heat the oil in a non-stick pan on medium heat until a chive or leaf of parsley sizzles in it. Add the eggs all at once, stirring and swirling the pan gently. Turn the heat down to as low as possible.
- Gently pull the eggs inward toward the middle of the pan with the spatula, swirling the pan to refill the open areas around the side with more egg.
- When the eggs appear to be about half-cooked and the outer edge is firm enough to slip a spatula under, put the tip of the spatula underneath the omelet and tilt the pan at a 45 degree angle, gently folding the omelet using gravity to help it gently roll. It should not be completely set in the middle. This takes some practice.
- At this point I turn the pan off completely and allow the eggs to cook with residual heat.
- If you’re worried about the omelet being slightly loose in the middle you can cover the pan and help it set a bit more with the residual heat of the pan for a minute.
- Garnish the omelet with fresh snipped chives and sliced fresh truffles or julienned truffles.
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