Yesterday we headed over to the Mount Dora Historic Inn to learn how to make … quite possibly… the best omelet I’ve EVER had. Seriously. First of all, the salty scent of frying bacon got the best of my empty belly when we first stepped in the door. But when Chef/Innkeeper Jim Tuttle walked out with a bottle of chardonnay and said, “we’re going to need some wine to make this breakfast,” I knew it was going to be a fabulous day.

Chef Jim shared with us his secret to making the best omelet, cooking asparagus, and even a little dance that makes water boil faster. The recipe of the day was his Bacon Asparagus Stuffed Omelet with Buerre Blanc sauce. It’s the perfect gourmet breakfast for two.

****Now, there are so many different methods for making an omelet. Some add water, some add milk, some cook with butter, some with oil, there really is no “wrong” way ******

Want to make your own awesome omelet? Here’s what you’ll need

Freshly cooked bacon and asparagus, eggs, 1/2 stick of butter, 1/2 Cup fresh grated cheese, dried mustard powder, salt, freshly ground pepper, a dash or two of Tabasco

First, start off by taking a look at my side notes for creating the buerre blanc sauce and perfectly cooked asparagus.

Now, let’s get started on the perfect omelet. Chef Jim has a couple of secret ingredients I’ve never added to my omelet mix … Tabasco and mustard powder. The first step is an easy and familiar one … just break your eggs into a deep mixing bowl and whisk together.

Then sift your mustard powder through a sieve to break up any clumps and add about 5 “dashes” of Tabasco to taste. Personally, I usually don’t like hot sauce, especially on my breakfast. But adding the Tabasco at this stage gives it a little more flavor without the kick. Also add just a dash of water (Chef Jim’s not known for measuring things) and whisk together again. You’re about ready to start your omelet.

Bacon. Bacon. Bacon. I hear the voice of that pooch in the bacon strips commercial chattering on in my head.  I’m just as crazy about bacon as he is … except … of course … this is the real thing.

Prepare the bacon as you normally would. The TIP here is, after you’ve finished cooking it stove top, sandwich between paper towels and microwave for about 10 to 15 seconds to further absorb the extra grease. This tip makes for extra crispy bacon.

Chef Jim likes to use butter AND olive oil to coat his frying pan. So, just in case the olive oil and asparagus threw you for a loop and gave you the impression that this is a “healthy breakfast” …  let me just say that the taste is worth EVERY calorie. Especially the buerre blanc sauce. Mmm. On with the omelet .

Chef Jim quoted Julia Child as saying, “an omelet contains a hard outer shell of eggs containing a soft scramble.” Here’s his tip on how to get an evenly cooked omelet. Lift up the cooked edge and allow the uncooked egg to flow around it. This creates layers of cooked egg. See the sequence below …

At this point, you want to flip your omelet and layer with the goodies you’ve pre-prepared such as the bacon, asparagus and sprinkle with cheese.

Here’s another extra step I had never considered. Jim pops his omelets in the oven for 3 minutes at 375 degrees in order to bring everything to the same temperature. Note, if you are going to do this, you need to make sure you have oven-safe frying pans (without any plastic parts) and remember to use oven mitts to remove them!

Flip them onto your serving plate … drizzle with buerre blanc sauce … savor the moment … sprinkle with paprika …

Bacon & Asparagus Stuffed Omelet

Ingredients

Bacon
Asparagus
7 Eggs
1/2 stick of Butter
1 Cup Fresh Grated Cheese (we used muenster and cheddar)
Dried Mustard Powder
Salt
Freshly Ground Pepper
Tabasco

Directions

1) Create your buerre blanc sauce and perfectly cooked asparagus.

2) Break your eggs into a deep mixing bowl and whisk together.

3) Sift your mustard powder through a sieve to break up any clumps and add about 5 “dashes” of Tabasco to whisked eggs.

4) Prepare the bacon as you normally would. The TIP here is, after you’ve finished cooking it stove top, sandwich between paper towels and microwave for about 10 to 15 seconds to further absorb the extra grease. This tip makes for extra crispy bacon.

5) Add butter and olive oil to coat frying pan.  Bring heat to medium high.

6) As egg is cooking, lift up the edge and allow the uncooked egg to flow around it. This creates layers of cooked egg.

7) When omelet is firm,  flip and layer with the goodies you’ve pre-prepared such as the bacon, asparagus and sprinkle with cheese.

8 ) Add omelets to the oven for 3 minutes at 375 degrees in order to bring everything to the same temperature.

9) After baking for 3 minutes, slide omelet onto your serving plate … drizzle with buerre blanc sauce … savor the moment … sprinkle with paprika … and enjoy!

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