Bayonne Ham Omelette
A simple French inspired dish for the perfect low calorie omelette. This tasty recipe is flavoured with Bayonne ham, white pepper and finely chopped chives.
Introduction
The French are the masters of this simple dish. Here are a few tricks to making a light and fluffy omelette: you need a frying pan that’s not too big (a pan that’s too wide will overcook the omelette because it will be too thin), fresh eggs and the correct technique for cooking the eggs (see below). I have used cured ham in this recipe because it’s full of flavour and low in fat, but salmon, spinach and, of course, cheese are wonderful as substitutes.
It’s a balmy 21 degrees on a breezy Sunday in May and I’m having mine for an early supper with a Salade aux Fines Herbes and a glass of white wine.
Ingredients
| 4 | medium free-range eggs |
| White pepper | |
| 5g | butter |
| 2 | thin slices Bayonne ham, or Italian or Spanish varieties, fat removed and cut into thin strips |
| A | small bunch chives, finely chopped (reserve some for serving) |
Method
Crack the eggs into a large bowl, season with pepper and give them a good whisking with a fork. You’re aiming for a few big bubbles to appear on the surface.
Heat a frying pan until it’s hot, then add the butter. Tilt the pan so that the melted butter covers both the bottom and the sides.
As soon as it begins to foam and turn a nutty colour, add the beaten eggs and cook over medium—high heat.
When the sides of the omelette begin to look cooked, drag them gently into the middle of the pan with the help of a wooden spatula and tilt the pan so that the liquid egg mixture fills the space where the cooked egg used to be. This technique ensures that you end up with a ‘wet centre’ to your omelette, whilst the outside is coloured golden brown.
Once the edges are cooked and there is no more liquid egg, add the ham and most of the chives.
Quickly fold the omelette in half, shake it free from the bottom of the pan and serve immediately, with the last of the chives scattered over the top.
Skinny Secret
The butter is optional — you could easily replace it with 1 tsp olive oil to save 10 calories. I’ve included butter here because it gives the omelette a wonderful, nutty, rich flavour.
253 calories each.
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