Mushroom Omelette

A three-egg mushroom omelette makes a perfect breakfast or light lunch or dinner for two people, along with some toast or crusty bread and some fresh fruit or a green salad depending on your preference and the time of day you serve it. It's amazingly simple and fast, too. You might think that making a perfectly folded omelette is tricky, but there's really a simple knack to it if you follow these instructions, and you don't even need to use a no-stick pan.

This omelette is delicious even using just white button mushrooms if that's what you have on hand, but it's always a treat to mix in some other varieties if they're around, like porcini, shitake, or oyster. I suggest using a light seasoning of sea salt, fresh ground black pepper and a small pinch of cayenne here, just enough to taste without overwhelming the flavours of the mushrooms, but this morning I used just a few shakes of the Spicy Sea Salt blend from the Spice Depot, a fresh sea salt and spice mix that comes in a container with its own grinder cap — it was perfect.

Mushroom omelette

2 tablespoons butter, and a pat for the eggs
4 oz. assorted mushrooms, any wild or cultivated variety, washed, trimmed and chopped
sea salt
fresh ground black pepper
pinch of cayenne pepper
3 eggs, room temperature

Melt the 2 tablespoons of butter in a small frying pan over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally, until the juices are running. Season with salt, fresh ground black pepper and cayenne to taste, and remove from the pan and set aside. Wipe down the pan with paper towel.

Turn the heat on the stove up to high. Return the pan to the heat, add a little pat of butter and let it cook until it turns brown.

Meanwhile, break the eggs into a bowl and beat lightly with a fork. When the butter has browned, swirl it around in the pan and pour in the eggs, stirring them for 30 seconds with the back of a fork.

When the eggs are almost set, add the mushrooms to the middle of the omelette. Let the eggs cook for another 20 or 30 seconds until they're set.

Tap the handle of the pan sharply with your fist to loosen the omelette and then fold it over with a fork or spatula and slide onto a plate.