Reasons to be skeptical of a recipe:
-- It came from a random woman your mom sat next to on a plane
-- It involves raw eggs and a Ziploc bag
Needless to say, we were a little suspicious when Zach's mom B. arrived on her recent visit saying we just had to make an omelet she'd heard about from some woman on her flight. "You just mix everything together, dump it in a bag, and cook it in hot water for 10 minutes!"
Hmmmm...
Turns out, this omelet was a total success!
(Alright, it's not really sous vide -- we didn't use a vacuum sealer and we probably cooked it at too high a temperature to qualify. But somehow "Omelets in a Plastic Bag" sounded a little off-putting. And by the way, the New York Times' food answer guy says the heavy-duty Ziploc bags can withstand the heat just fine.)
The preparation was really easy, and the result was a fluffy, creamy, almost custardy omelet that maintained far more of its eggy flavor than most omelets we make in a skillet.
It's not quite as simple as B. made it sound: For one, you need to pre-cook any meat or veggies you are using, before mixing them in with the eggs and cooking the omelet.
But it does make for a delicious, noticeably different omelet that's really worth a try!
What about you? Ever cooked anything sous vide? Or, as in our case, faux sous vide?
Omelets Sous-vide
Of course this recipe, like any omelet recipe, is endlessly variable. Swap in the vegetables you like. Don't use meat if you don't want to. Here's our go-to version, but do whatever you want to make it your own.
Serves: 2
Prep time: 20 minutes
Ingredients
*4 strips of bacon, diced
*1 medium onion, diced
*2 green peppers, diced
*6 eggs
*1/4 cup of heavy cream
*salt and pepper to taste
*parsley, for garnish (optional)
Directions:
1. In a large stove pot, bring 3 quarts of water to a low simmer.
2. Meanwhile, in a saucepan over medium heat, cook the bacon until it is slightly crisp. Place a paper towel on a plate and use a slotted spoon to transfer the bacon to a paper towel to drain. Reserve the grease in the saucepan.
3. Saute any vegetables the peppers and onions in the grease until softened, about 7 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove the vegetables from the pan. Discard the grease.
4. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs until smooth. Whisk in the cream, salt and pepper.
5. Pour the eggs into a sealable, heavy-duty gallon-size plastic bag. Add the bacon and the vegetables and seal the bag.
6. Submerge the bag in the simmering water and cook until the omelet is firm enough to hold its own shape, about 10-12 minutes. Be careful that the bag doesn't touch the sides of the pot and melt. If you need to, remove the bag, add some more water and let it come back to a simmer before re-submerging the bag.
7. Remove from the bag and garnish with parsley. Serve immediately.
