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Published in the San Francisco Chronicle on March 30, 1919, Mrs. Belle De Graf shares her advice and recipes for making omelets.  She offers a savory omelet recipe and how to turn it into a sweet omelet with jelly and powdered sugar to make it a dessert.  Her recipes include a Spanish Omelette, Bacon and Potato Omelet, Poached Eggs with a Bearnaise Sauce, Scalloped Eggs and Scrambled Eggs.

Omelet Requires Smooth Pan and Great Care In Keeping Heat in Control

Even elaborate variety may be easily made by inexperienced housewife once she acquires art by preparing foundation formula for that dish.

Omelets are usually considered difficult to make.  Many of the more elaborate ones are never attempted by the housewife.  However if the foundation formula is mastered, the others, whether sweet or fancy, can be very easily made, and even the inexperienced housewife need not hesitate to attempt making them.

The first essential is a perfectly smooth pan, and the careful cook will have a pan which is kept just for this purpose.  Great care must be used in cooking.  If the pan is too hot the mixture will scorch, particularly in the center, and if this should happen, it will ruin the fine flavor of the omelet.

Beaten Omelet Best Adapted to Combinations

There are two kinds of foundation formulas, the beaten or “puffy” omelet, and the French omelet.  The beaten omelet is the on best adapted to the various combinations.  It is better to make several small omelets than to attempt a large one, as the mixture will brown before it is cooked through.

Four eggs are enough to use at one time.  Separate the whites and yolks of the eggs.  Beat the egg whites until stiff and dry; the yolks until creamy; add to the yolks one tablespoon of cold water for each egg used, season with salt and pepper, and fold the stiffly beaten egg whites into this mixture.  Melt two tablespoons of butter or butter substitute in the heated pan and pour in the omelet.

Low Fire Desirable For First Cooking

Cook over a low fire for several minutes, or until the omelet is full of bubbles and is a golden brown on the under side.  To determine this, life the omelet up on one side with a broad-bladed knife.  Then place on the top grate of a moderate oven and bake until just dry on top.  A hot oven will make the omelet tough.  Remove from the oven, cut partly through the center and fold over.  Remove to a warm platter, using a broad-bladed knife, and serve at once.

If a sweet omelet is desired, one tablespoon of sugar may be added to the egg yolks when beating.  All kinds of leftovers may be used for a filling.  A few green peas, or any cooked vegetable, added to a cup of white suace, makes a hearty luncheon dish.  A cheese sauce poured over the omelet gives a satisfactory meat substitute dish.  Tomato sauce gives a pleasing variety.

Jelly Folded Into Omelet For Dessert

For dessert, fold a half glass of jelly into the omelet, sprinkling the top generously with powdered sugar; or in the berry season, take strawberries which have been sweetened, crush them slightly, and set in a warm place to draw out the juice; fold berries in the omelet and pour the remainder around it.  Strawberry preserves may be used in this manner.

When serving a sweet omelet for dessert, remember that it is a very substantial dish and that the main course of the meal may be lighter than usual.

But Step From Plain To Omelet Souffle

It is but a step from the plain omelet to an omelet souffle; and contrary to the general opinion, this is not at all difficult to make.  For a cheese omelet souffle prepare one-half cup of grated cheese.  Beat the whites of four eggs until very stiff and dry; heat the yolks until thick and creamy, adding the white cause and seasoning.  Fold the egg whites very lightly into the egg yolk mixture and pour into a well-buttered pudding dish.  Bake in a moderate oven and serve at once.

Mrs. De Graf’s Spanish Omelette Recipe

Melt two tablespoons shortening in a heated frying pan.  Cook one onion, sliced thin, until golden brown.  Add one small can of tomato sauce, or a cup of strained tomato, six olives, stoned and chopped, and one green pepper sliced.  Place over a slow fire and simmer until onions and peppers are cooked.  Pour around the plain omelet.

Mrs. De Graf’s Bacon and Potato Omelet Recipe

Cut six slices of bacon into one inch pieces.  Fry until crisp, then remove from the pan and add two cups of diced potatoes, cooking until a golden brown.  Prepare a plain omelet.  When ready to fold, mix the bacon and potatoes, fold part of the mixture into the omelet, the remainder place in the platter around the omelet.

Mrs. De Graf’s Poached Egg Recipe

Rub the bottom of an omelet pan lightly with shortening.  Fill pan three-fourths full of boiling water.  Break and egg into a saucer and slip into the boiling water.  Lower flame so the water will not boil and allow the egg to remain in the water three-tenths minute.  If the water does not cover the yolk, dip water over it carefully with a spoon until a film forms over yolk.  Remove with a skimmer to a slice of buttered toast.

Mrs. De Graf’s Poached Eggs With Sauce Bearnaise Recipe

Poach four eggs, arrange in serving dish; cover eggs with Bearnaise sauce.  Sauce Bearnaise – Beat yolks of three eggs slightly, add three tablespoons olive oil, two tablespoons hot water,  half tablespoon vinegar, half teaspoon salt and a few grains of cayenne.  Cook over boiling water until mixture thickens.  Care must be taken not to cook a minute too long or the sauce will curdle.

Mrs. De Graf’s Scalloped Eggs Recipe

Two hard-boiled eggs, two cups white sauce, one cup chopped cold meat, half a cup of buttered bread crumbs.  Chop eggs finely.  Sprinkle bottom of a buttered baking dish with crumbs, cover with half the eggs, eggs with sauce and sauce with meat; repeat.  cover with remaining crumbs.  Place in oven and bake until crumbs are brown.  Ham is the best meat to use for this dish.  Veal or fish may be used.

Mrs. De Graf’s Scrambled Eggs Recipe

Four eggs, 1/2 cup milk, 1 teaspoon pepper, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 2 tablespoons butter,  Beat eggs slightly, add seasonings and milk.  Heat omelet pan, put in butter, and when melted pour in the mixture.  Cook until creamy, stirring and scraping from the bottom of the pan.  Serve on toast.

[sc_fs_faq sc_id=”fs_faq1adllk4mf” html=”true” headline=”h2″ img=”” question=”How to make an omelette” img_alt=”” css_class=”” ]Omelettes require a smooth pan and great care in heat control. Four eggs are enough to use at one time.[/sc_fs_faq]