Today I learned how to make the perfect omelette.
I was watching an old rerun of The French Chef on tv with my dad- and Julia was making omelettes.
These weren't just any ordinary omelettes, either. They were authentic, miraculous, ingeniously crafted, straight out of the original Le Cordon Bleu style omelettes... Cooked in only the best way possible: French.
Now, this might all seem a little extreme, but once you hear my story, I guarantee you'll understand exactly why I'm so excited about this.... Or maybe you won't. I don't know. It really all depends on how excited you get by cooking.
However- here is the miraculous part of this process: the entire process, from cracking the egg to plating the omelette, takes less than one minute total.
How is this possible??? thats what I asked.... I didn't believe it until I tried it... and I did try it. My dad and I were so excited about it that we rushed downstairs once the episode was over and whipped out the eggpan. (I come from a long line of food-obsessed individuals).
Anyways, the trick is, as Julia explained, to wait until the pan is incredibly hot.
Then you place a slab of butter in the pan, and you wait for it to completely foam and then once the foam subsides, you put your eggs in. You cannot put your eggs in until the butter has stopped foaming. Then, you let the eggs sit for the first 2-3 seconds. Then you grab the handle firmly and begin to shake it with all you've got. Jerk it back and forth vigorously until it looks done enough to add the filling. Add whatever you want- my dad and I put cooked chili beans in the middle and topped with some white cheddar cheese...yum!- then, you slowly slide the omelette onto the plate and gently fold the half still in the pan over the half now on the plate.
It's almost poetic how beautifully this process works. I can stand to testify, I've never made an omelette before today in my life, and by using this process I made the most beautiful omelette me and my parents had ever seen. And if your pan is preheated and your filling ready to add, the process really does take less than one minute.
That was the start of my Julia-filled day... I'm not sure what it is, but its been my experience that every time I attempt a recipe out of Mastering the Art of French Cooking, its like Julia Child is there with me; an invisible force, cheering me on and guiding my instincts to irreputable success, time and time again. She's like my Foodie guardian angel, always watching over me. :)
She was definitely with me again today. I attempted, for the first time, Boeuf Bourguignon.
I know... kind of ambitious, right? I mean... what with all the hoopla and the intrigue surrounding this dish, I was sure I was going to fail miserably and never want to open any cookbook ever again.... But Julia had other plans for me. With her help, and the irreplaceable aid of my trusty sous chef (my dad), I braised those pearl onions with confidence, simmered the bacon in water like a pro, sauteed the mushrooms into submission and browned the beef with all the grace and poise of a seasoned Executive chef.
..... It was stressful though.... Without a doubt, this was the hardest meal I've ever attempted in my life. I was in the kitchen from 1 in the afternoon until 6:15 in the evening and during the last hour and a half almost broke down because I had forgotten that the onions must be braised for an extra fifty minutes, even though the stew was ready to be served at that point. But, I soldiered on, putting the stew back in the warm oven (turned off, by this point, of course), and waiting for the onions to finish braising.
In the end, everything came together perfectly. The French Beaujolais-Villages we bought for the stew was a wonderful addition to the simple flavors. The beauty of French cooking is that its designed to bring out the natural flavor of each ingredient. The essence is to make chicken taste really chicken-y, beef to taste really beefy; every ingredient has such a delightful natural flavor, that instead of adding a lot of unnecessary seasonings, the focus is to highlight and draw out the flavors already present.
So, even though the stew took me five hours to make, and had a zillion tiny steps along the way, the list of ingredients was relatively short. Beef stewmeat, bacon, onions, carrots, wine, fresh thyme, mushrooms and beef bouillon.
Served with boiled potatoes and crusty bread- it was a delightful way to end the exhaustive adventure in the kitchen..... I can't wait to make it again. However, the second time around, I will definitely have learned a thing or two about how to make the process go a lot quicker.... like how half the recipe can be completed way ahead of time. If I had known that, perhaps the meal would have been a lot simpler to prepare. :)
All in all- I feel very proud of my efforts today. However, now I don't know what to tackle next.
Boeuf Bourguignon has been at the top of my list for so long, that now I've completed the task, I'm not sure where I want to go next.
I'm thinking somewhat along the lines of roast Duck.
Who knows... I'll just have to flip through the soft pages of my Mastering the Art of French Cooking and wait for something exciting to jump out at me.
The possibilities are endless!
So thank you, Julia, for being my guide today.
I wouldn't have had such a spectacular day if it weren't for you and your wisdom, cheer and lightheartedness guiding me along all the way. You inspire me every day!
In other news:
The Saints won the Super Bowl today....
I was more preoccupied with other things- but I did deeply enjoy the halftime show.
I think they've been particularly spectacular the past couple of years. The Who, Bruce Springsteen, Prince, and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. I've been happily impressed. :)
I bought this magnet the other day- its in my bathroom right now, propped up against the mirror. It reads, "Go for long walks, indulge in hot baths. Question your assumptions, be kind to yourself, live for the moment, loosen up, scream, curse the world, count your blessings, just let go, just be." (Carol Shields)
Its a good reminder to not stress as much. I'm hoping by keeping it somewhere where I can see it often, the thought will reinforce itself in my brain. I'll keep you posted on whether or not it works. ;D
Well... it is late, and I am exhausted.
Billy Joel's Lullabye is playing on my iPod and gently lulling me away from the world of conscious thought......
goodnight, world.
Thanks for listening to my rambled thoughts and retellings of my days.
Its nice to know somebody's listening!
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