Classic French Omelette

Ingredients

• 3 eggs
• 25 g butter
• a few chives, finely sliced
• a pinch of salt

Method

1. Beat properly

   Beat the eggs with the salt until completely uniform, with no streaks of white left. Any unmixed white shows up as a rubbery ribbon in the finished omelette.

2. Foaming, not browning

   Melt the butter in a non-stick pan over a medium-low heat until it foams but before it colours. Brown butter means the pan is too hot, and a French omelette should have no colour on it at all.

3. Stir constantly

   Pour the eggs in and stir continuously with a spatula, shaking the pan, for about 30 seconds. You are making small curds suspended in liquid egg — this is the whole technique.

   1 min

4. Let the base set

   Stop stirring and let it sit for 10 seconds so a thin skin forms on the bottom. Scatter the chives over. The top should still look glossy and barely set — baveuse, as the French insist.

   0 min

5. Roll it out

   Tilt the pan away from you, fold the far edge over with the spatula, then roll it onto the plate so the seam ends up underneath. Any tear seals itself if you leave it seam-down for a few seconds.