Omelette Confiture
I couldn’t have been more excited to head up to New York City this week to attend a reading from My Berlin Kitchen with a conversation between author Luisa Weiss (The Wednesday Chef), Deb Perelman (Smitten Kitchen) and Amanda Hesser (Food52). Three of my food writing inspirations in one room. A trifecta…telling their stories…talking about their favorite meals. I was immediately fearing that the time will move too quickly. My friend Lauri said that she’d rather attend a lecture on “The History of Lederhosen” than accompany me. No worries, I was happy to go it alone.
And then, “Bam!” My courageous, independent, creative almost 10-year old daughter who is running for Treasurer of her school, comes home to tell me that her campaign speech is scheduled for when I would be in New York. “It’s okay,” she reasons, “Mrs. K can video tape me.” Ugh, knife in the heart. Decision to be made. Proceed as planned and enjoy my first self-indulgent experience in about a year, thereby missing my daughter’s 3 minutes (or 1 minute and 31 seconds, as she is currently clocking) of fame? Or, do I realize that all the way home from my quick getaway I will be thinking about what I’ve missed as opposed to what I’ve gained? Well, you mothers out there can likely guess, and maybe it was never really a contest, but I will skip this dynamic talk and instead stand in the back of the school auditorium, bursting with pride, as my daughter delivers her winning (because cliches be damned, she is already a winner in my book) speech. These are the moments.
Prior to this development on the home front, in anticipation of the event, I picked up Luisa Weiss’ book and dug right in. There are recipe memories woven into the story of her life with the very first being a simple egg dish that her American nanny transplanted in Germany prepares as a lunch for a then three-year old, Luisa. I couldn’t wait to make this dish for my children and used the opportunity of “Breakfast for Dinner” as the perfect excuse. This omelette would also be a satisfying after-school snack or a treat for any morning meal. I have reproduced the recipe exactly as written because with ingredients so few and directions so basic, every detail matters. The omelette turned out to be fluffy and light; the jam was a tart surprise; and powdered sugar made the dish special, just as Luisa Weiss promised.
Needless to say, Omelette Confiture was a total hit and I found myself happily whipping egg whites into soft peaks with the background prodding of, “Can we have another?” This may not be the most glamorous life but it is a good one. There will be time for lectures and overnight escapes but I am well aware that these days of colorful poster boards, campaign promises of the tallest can castles and all-school assemblies are fleeting and I am going to savor the moments.
Omelette Confiture
- 1 large egg
- 1 Tbls milk
- small pinch of salt
- 1 tsp unsalted butter
- 1 to 2 Tbls black or red currant jam (I used Stonewall Kitchen Cherry Berry Jam)
- 1/2 Tbls powdered sugar, for garnish
- Separate egg white from the egg yolk. Beat the egg yolk with the milk in a small bowl until well combined. Beat the egg white with a pinch of salt in a spotlessly clean bowl until it just holds soft peaks. Fold the beaten egg white into the egg yolk mixture.
- Melt the butter in a small nonstick skillet over medium heat. Pour the egg mixture into the pan and let it cook for 3 minutes, until the edges have set, making sure the heat of the stove is not so high that the omelette browns or burns. Shaking the pan gently, flip the omelette and cook the other side for an additional 3 minutes. This takes some practice, but there's no shame in using a plate over the pan to invert the omelette instead of flipping it.
- When the omelette is set and cooked through, slide it onto a plate. Dab the jam along the center of the omelette and then roll up the omelette--using a plastic spatula should help. Shake the powdered sugar through a sifter over the omelette and serve immediately.