I was never a fan of the omelette until I tried the one at Petit Trois, Chef Ludo Levebvre’s LA-based French bistro. It is quite rich and intense - thanks to a very generous helping of Black Pepper Boursin cheese - yet light and creamy, just melting in your mouth. What other cooks call an omelette is just a dry, tasteless, overcooked travesty compared to this version. It is a simple plate of food perfectly crafted each and every time. Chef Ludo has exacting standards in the kitchen and he expects his cooks to make it the same, classic way plate after plate.
We aren’t overly talented in our kitchen, so we figured this dish would be relegated to our sporadic visits to the restaurant. Lucky for all of us, in his new video series, Ludo à la Maison, he shares the recipe and shows you how it’s done. Now you don’t have to live in LA to enjoy the Perfect French Omelette. The Boursin is a must - though thankfully widely available and inexpensive - and most kitchens should readily have the other ingredients on hand - butter, eggs, salt, pepper and chives. Only six ingredients. Totally easy, right?
After watching the video a few times - he talks you through it, but it’s still sort of freeform - we gave it a try and did, for two amateur cooks, a pretty good job. Yes, it took two of us. There were some tense moments in the middle when it looked like it was too wet and was going to color before it set, but we managed to keep it from browning (a super big no-no) and properly wrapped it. While not perfectly pretty, it disappeared from our plate as quickly as the true version does. Success!
Flushed with victory, we decided to try again. We were not quite sated, wanting to really savor the flavors of our culinary effort. Let’s just say the gods smiled on us the first time. We were not so lucky on our second attempt. We weren’t as careful with the heat - I think, it’s hard to say - and quickly moved out of the realm of omelette possibilities. Clearly we were sunk. We were still hungry and didn’t want to throw away the eggs, so we added some Boursin to the pan - melting it into the fully formed curds - and turned our disaster into the BEST scrambled eggs we’ve ever made.
Not quite the outcome we were looking for. The eggs had a very similar taste, but part of the joy in eating this omelette is the texture and we gravely missed the boat there. We still have eggs and leftover cheese, so we will be attempting this again next Sunday…and probably many after that. It may be a while before we consistently master this technique, but it will sure be tasty trying.
Check out the video and then give it a go yourself. Believe me, your tastebuds will be glad you did. No need to wait for the weekend. With a green salad this makes a quick and delicious weeknight meal.
Here is a photo of our completed omelette. While proud of our successful attempt, it should be noted that it does not look exactly like the Petit Trois version. We did not have chives or white pepper so we improvised a bit. The black pepper is another no-no, dirtying up the smooth yellowness or the original. It is also darker, though not browned, so we consider that a win. It's so good it's hard to share, but believe me, one is more than enough to satisfy two people, especially as part of a larger meal.