Omelet Flavorings and Fillings

You can add fillings and flavorings to omelets in three ways. You can whisk herbs, chopped truffles, wild mushrooms, and the like directly into the raw eggs; you can add cheese or cooked vegetables, meat, or seafood to the omelet before folding or rolling to seal the filling within; or you can make a plain omelet, cut a lengthwise slit along the top, spread open the slit slightly, and put a garnish such as lobster or caviar or other luxurious things on top. A few possibilities for customizing: adding 1 tablespoon mixed chopped fresh parsley, chervil, tarragon, and chives (the classic French omelette aux fines herbes); chopped reconstituted morels; or shaved fresh truffles. A couple of teaspoons of mustard whisked into the eggs wakes up their flavor, as do a couple of tablespoons of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. If using softer cheeses, fold them into the omelet—⅓ cup shredded is usually about the right amount—rather than beating them into the eggs, or the eggs may stick. Sautéed sliced mushrooms are always good folded up inside an omelet. So, too, is chicken or turkey in cream sauce when you are trying to make the most of leftovers. Luxurious foods that you don’t have enough of, such as cooked crab, can be spooned over omelets. Or, caviar can be dolloped on a miniature one-egg omelet as a first course.