This omelet is cooked simply in a little oil and butter, with chopped fine herbs stirred throughout. Store-bought herbs work well here, but, of course, if you have a lush garden from which to pluck them, all the better. The key to a primrose surface and soft-set interior lies in continuously agitating the eggs while they set into small curds, one hand stirring with a fork and the other shaking the pan.

A proper French omelet is all about (you guessed it) technique. Luckily, Jacques Pépin is the master.

Note that Pépin cracks eggs on his cutting board, not against the rim of the mixing bowl. (This prevents any bacteria on the surface of the shells from getting into the bowl.)

In the pan, Pépin maintains a kind of Tilt-a-Whirl shaking and spinning and scraping of the pan, keeping the eggs constantly in motion.

Fines Herbes Omelet

Recipe from Jacques Pépin Adapted by Jacques Pépin

Ingredients:

• 10 large eggs, preferably organic

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

• 1/2 cup loosely packed chopped fresh herbs (1/4 cup parsley, and 1/4 cup combined tarragon, chives and chervil)

• 1 tablespoon canola oil

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Directions:

Using a fork, beat the eggs, salt and pepper in a bowl until thoroughly mixed. Stir in the herbs.

Heat half the oil and butter in a 10-inch nonstick skillet over high heat. When the oil and butter are hot, add half the egg mixture. Stir continuously with a fork, shaking the pan, for about 2 minutes to create the smallest-possible curds. When most of the egg is solid, cook it without stirring for 10 seconds to create a thin skin on the underside.

Roll the omelet by folding over one side and then the opposite site, and invert it onto a plate. Repeat with the remaining ingredients to make a second omelet. Cut each omelet in half.

Total time: 15 minutes, serves 4.

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