What is an omelette? According to the sources I researched, an omelette or omelet is a dish made from beaten eggs quickly cooked with butter or oil in a frying pan, sometimes folded around a filling such as cheese, vegetables, meat (often ham), or some combination of the above.

To obtain a fluffy texture, whole eggs or sometimes only egg whites are beaten with a small amount of milk or cream, or even water, the idea being to have “bubbles” of water vapor trapped within the rapidly cooked egg. Some home cooks add baking powder to produce a fluffier omelette, try it, just a bit, it works!

There are so many variations on the omellete it can make your head spin! A Denver omelette, also known as a Southwest omelette or Western omelette, the most popular, is an omelette filled with diced ham, onions, and green bell peppers, though there are many variations on fillings. Often served in the Southwestern United States, this omelette sometimes has a topping of cheese and a side dish of hash browns or fried potatoes.

The French omelette is smoothly and briskly cooked in an extremely hot pan specially made for the purpose. The technique relies on clarified butter (to ensure a high smoke point) in relatively great ratio to the eggs (prevents sticking and cooks the eggs more quickly). Good with just salt and pepper, this omelette is often flavored with tomato and finely chopped herbs (often fines herbes or tarragon, chervil, parsley and chives) or chopped onions.

French omelettes are also removed from the pan in a manner different from an American omelette. They can be rolled out in a trifold design or just simply slide out of the pan directly into a plate and when made correctly have little to no colour to them.

A Greek omeleta consists of pan-fried or sautéed vegetables, pastas, or various leftovers over which beaten eggs are poured over to act as a binder. It is then cooked with a plate over top, flipped onto the plate, and slid back in to cook the other side. Unlike many of the other omelette styles provided here, the Greek omeleta is more often used to showcase leftovers or fresh ingredients rather than emphasize the eggs.

Since I am in New York City this week, I decided to ask a cook at Roxy’s for his secret omelette recipe. Here is a delectable dish you might have for dinner, not just breakfast. Bon Appetit!

Roxy’s Fine Herbs Omelette

Ingredients:

For the Fines Herbs:

1/2 tablespoon medium chopped fresh Italian parsley

1/2 tablespoon medium chopped fresh chervil

3/4 tablespoon thin sliced fresh chives

1/2 teaspoon thin sliced fresh tarragon

2 extra-large eggs

2 tablespoons milk

Pinch kosher salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

2 ounces plain goat cheese

2 ounces roasted red peppers, julienned

Directions:

To make the Fines Herbs, combine the parsley, chervil, chives and tarragon in a small bowl and set aside.

Break the eggs into a small bowl, and then add the milk, two tablespoons Fines Herbs, salt and pepper and whisk with a fork.

Preheat an 8-inch nonstick saute pan over medium hot heat and swirl the olive oil into the pan. Pour in the egg mixture and swirl it in the pan. For a few seconds, gently stir the egg mixture with a heat resistant rubber spatula (as if you were going to make scrambled eggs) and then swirl the eggs in the pan to make a nice round appearance. Reduce the heat to avoid any color or scorching. Continue cooking for about 1 minute. The eggs will be set on the bottom, but slightly liquid on top.

Flip the omelet, and remove it from the heat. Crumble the goat cheese over the center of the omelet and top it off with the roasted peppers. Tri-fold the omelet and plate immediately. Serve.