While an omelet can be a very quick and easy staple, it can also, in fact, be an exquisitely simple, satisfying meal for any time of day. Julia Child gave the humble omelet eight pages in her book Mastering the Art of French Cooking, and chefs in France are hired on the basis of how well they make an omelet. The idea being that if they cant make one with air and expertise, they wont have skill enough to make anything else!
Directions for: Colourful Layered Eggs
Ingredients
Tomato-Saffron Layer2 medium vine tomatoes, scored, blanched and skinned
Olive oil
1 pinch saffron threads
2 eggs, preferably free-range or organic, beaten
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Tapenade Layer⅛ cup black olive tapenade
2 eggs, preferably free-range or organic, beaten
Herb Layer and Assembly2 stalks each of basil, parsley and tarragon
2 Tbsp chive stalks
2 eggs, preferably free-range or organic, beaten
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
Tomato-Saffron Layer1. To make the tomato-saron mixture, chop the tomatoes once they are cool enough to handle. Heat a drizzle of oil in a pan and cook the tomatoes with the saron for 2 minutes. Leave to cool, then blend with the beaten eggs and seasoning.
Tapenade Layer1. For the tapanade layer, simply blend the tapenade with the beaten eggs.
Herb Layer and Assembly1. Then make the herb layer. Chop the herbs and chives, mix into the eggs and add seasoning.
2. When your three mixtures are ready, heat a small non-stick frying pan (approx. 8-inch). When hot, add a little olive oil and fry a thin layer of the tomato-saron mixture on just one side until it has set. Set aside on a plate, add a little more olive oil to the pan and repeat with the tapenade mixture. When its done, remove it from the pan and place it on top of the tomato-saron omelet. Repeat with a touch more oil and the herb mixture and place this omelet on top of the other layers.
3. Start again with the tomato-saron mixture and repeat until you have no more mixture left. Cover the layered omelet with parch- ment paper and weigh it down with a plate and a heavy object on top, such as a couple of cans. Leave to cool in the fridge over- night, then slice o the edges to neaten it up and cut into cubes or rectangles. Lovely with a salad, and perfect food for when youre on the go.
Source and Credits
Excerpted from Cook.Nourish.Glow. by Amelia Freer. Copyright 2016 Amelia Freer. Photography copyright 2016 Susan Bell. Published by Appetite by Random House, a division of Random House of Canada Ltd., a penguin Random House company. All rights reserved.
See more: Breakfast, Brunch, Eggs/Dairy, Herbs, Olives, Tomatoes, Great Canadian Cookbook