Many of our readers will be familiar with the American-style omelette. Normally this is a pretty hearty 3-egg affair, browned on the outside and loaded with various fillings – invariably cheese and whatever else is lying around in the fridge. There are loads of other styles of omelette and omelette-like recipes, and in common with many egg dishes, these are all comforting treats and make for a fine breakfast, lunch or dinner.
Enter the soufflé omelette. I’ve been seeing these pop-up on food blogs for a couple of years, though they don’t seem to be common in diners or restaurants yet. However, we’ve been eating something similar for many years without even realising what they were. In fact, they were a childhood favourite which we called ‘double fluff’ omelettes.
The origins of the double fluff omelette are a bit of a mystery. Our mum used to make them regularly when we were kids, and claims to have come up with the idea randomly one day. Maybe they are a delightful result of too many egg whites for a meringue. Who knew such a culinary treat could have emerged from 1980/90s Lincolnshire!
The double fluff omelette is super satisfying to make – and eat. Soufflé omelette recipes normally call for a complete separation of yolks and whites, whisking the whites and then folding the yolks back in. The double fluff style is a bit closer to the classic American omelette, simply removing and whisking only one of the egg whites. This retains the satisfying heartiness but introduces a fluffy, cloud-like interior. Enjoy by itself, with a salad or with fries.
~Dom Eats!
Double Fluff (Soufflé) Omelette
Ingredients
- 3 Eggs medium
- 1 tbsp Milk
- 15 g Butter
- 50 g Cheese grated
- 1 Tomato diced
- 3 Mushrooms finely sliced
- 2 tbsp Parsley chopped
Instructions
- Crack two eggs into a small mixing bowl and add 1 tbsp of milk. Separate the third egg and add the yolk to the egg mixture. Beat well with a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Whisk the remaining egg white until it creates soft peaks.
- Melt 1 tbsp of butter in a frying pan on a medium heat until bubbling and pour in the beaten egg mixture. Turn the heat down to medium-low. As the egg at the bottom of the pan begins to set, run a spatula through the egg mixture 2-3 times. This will pull up curds of egg, allowing the still liquid egg sitting on top to pool back onto the bottom of the pan.
- Allow the omelette to cook for 2-3 minutes, then spoon the whisked egg whites around the centre, leaving at least an inch border from the edge. Allow to cook for c. 2 minutes more.
- Sprinkle cheese, thinly sliced mushrooms and diced tomatoes across the top of the setting egg whites. Allow this to gently cook for a further 3-5 minutes. If you are finding the omelette is burning on the bottom before the fillings cook, or you prefer everything very well done, you can simply finish the omelette under a medium grill/broiler for c.3 minutes.
- Fold over the omelette in the pan and serve immediately. Garnish with chopped parsley.
