This asparagus omelette makes a lovely meal during asparagus season throughout the spring and early summer. Tender-crisp asparagus and creamy dollops of whipped goat cheese (or a bit of gooey melted gruyère) make wonderful bed fellows when tucked into a light and fluffy blanket of eggs. And while an omelette is naturally a popular choice for breakfast, this dish is excellent just about any time of day, perhaps with a light salad alongside when served for lunch or dinner. This is an American style omelette, just set on the inside with an invitingly golden exterior, and it is incredibly easy to prepare. With just a little patience and care, it can also be successfully cooked in a stainless steel skillet. Nonstick pan not required!
Ingredients for an Asparagus Omelette
- eggs
- asparagus
- shallot
- extra virgin olive oil
- unsalted butter
- whipped goat cheese or shredded gruyère
- kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- flat leaf parsley
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Finely chop the shallots and cut the trimmed asparagus into roughly 1 inch pieces.
Crack the eggs into a medium bowl and season with salt and pepper. Beat the eggs vigorously until well combined. Set aside.
Place the skillet over medium heat and add the olive oil. Once the oil is hot, sauté the shallot for a minute or two and then add the asparagus. Season with salt and pepper.
Stir the asparagus around for about 2 to 3 minutes, or until it is bright green and tender-crisp. Remove the sautéed asparagus and shallot from the skillet and set aside.
When the skillet is cool enough to handle, thoroughly wipe out all of the cooking residue with a damp paper towel.
Place the clean skillet over medium heat. Once the pan is hot, add the butter.
After the butter has melted and the foaming has completely subsided, add the beaten eggs. Let cook undisturbed briefly, until the edges begin to set.
With a spatula, begin pulling the cooked egg away from the sides of the skillet and towards the center of the pan. Then gently tilt the pan from side to side, allowing the raw egg to run out to the sides of the skillet and become set.
Continue pulling the egg away from the sides while tilting the pan to allow the raw egg to run to the edges until you have a somewhat fluffy, but not thoroughly set, layer of egg spread relatively evenly across the pan.
Sprinkle the cooked asparagus and shallot over the eggs. Then evenly dollop the whipped goat cheese (or sprinkle the shredded gruyère) over the top. Let cook undisturbed for another minute or two until the egg looks just set (and if using gruyère, the cheese is mostly melted).
Slide the omelette out of the skillet and onto a plate, using the edge of the pan to fold it over in half.
Sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately. (Perhaps with a bit of seasonal fruit alongside for extra garnish.)
Hint:
When using a stainless steel skillet, as I am here, it is very important to make sure that your pan is clean before melting the butter and adding the beaten eggs. I realize that the idea of cleaning out the skillet in between sautéing the asparagus and cooking the eggs may seem rather persnickety. (After all, those asparagus and shallot flavors lingering in the bottom of the pan are the very same ones getting tucked into the omelette.) But please do not be tempted to skip this step. When using a skillet that does not have a nonstick coating, any cooking residue or trace of caramelization that is left over in the pan after sautéeing the aromatics tends to act like a layer of glue and will cause the eggs to stick.
Equipment
Culinary authorities of all different stripes routinely advise that a nonstick pan is essential when making an omelette. While I am sure this directive is well meaning, in my experience it is somewhat misleading. I have found that it is entirely possible (and in fact, relatively easy) to successfully cook an omelette in a good stainless steel skillet. All it takes is a little more time and attention. And since I prefer to avoid nonstick cookware in my kitchen, I don't mind exercising a bit of extra patience and care. Maybe you feel the same.
Top tips
When making an omelette with a stainless steel pan, there are three simple secrets to success:
1) Make sure the pan is clean before you melt the butter and add the eggs.
2) Allow enough time for the pan to become sufficiently heated before you begin.
3) Be sure not to add the eggs until after the butter has melted and the foaming has completely subsided.
📖 Recipe
Asparagus Omelette
Equipment
- 8 inch skillet (stainless steel works just fine with a little extra patience and care)
Ingredients
- 3 large eggs
- 4 or 5 asparagus spears (preferably thin) trimmed
- 1 small shallot finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- ¼ cup whipped goat cheese or shredded gruyère
- kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon flat leaf parsley roughly chopped
Instructions
- Crack the eggs into a medium bowl and season with salt and pepper. Beat the eggs vigorously until well combined. Set aside.
- Place the skillet over medium heat and add the olive oil. Once the oil is hot, sauté the shallots for a minute or two and then add the asparagus. Season with salt and pepper. Stir the asparagus around for about 2 to 3 minutes, or until it is bright green and tender-crisp. Remove the asparagus and shallot mixture from the skillet and set aside.
- When the skillet is cool enough to handle, thoroughly wipe out all of the cooking residue with a damp paper towel. Place the clean skillet back over medium heat.
- Once the pan is hot, add the butter. After the butter has melted and the foaming has completely subsided, add the beaten eggs. Let cook undisturbed briefly, until the edges begin to set.
- With a spatula, begin pulling the cooked egg away from the sides of the skillet and towards the center of the pan. Then gently tilt the pan from side to side, allowing the raw egg to run out to the sides of the skillet and become set. Continue pulling the egg away from the sides while tilting the pan to allow the raw egg to run to the edges until you have a somewhat fluffy, but not thoroughly set, layer of egg spread relatively evenly across the pan.
- Sprinkle the cooked asparagus and shallot over the eggs. Then evenly dollop the whipped goat cheese or sprinkle the shredded gruyère over the top. Let cook undisturbed for another minute or two until the egg looks just set (and if using gruyère, the cheese is mostly melted).
- Slide the omelette out of the skillet and onto a plate, using the edge of the pan to fold it over in half.
- Sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately.
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