I grew up in the Southwest of France, the birthplace of the Perigord Black Truffle, Bordeaux wines and many heart-halting delicacies. It is no wonder that when I think of one of my first food memories, I’m transported back to a simple restaurant café on a sun-drenched “place,” my young naïve eyes brimming with excitement and eagerly awaiting regional cuisine at its best, an omelette made with the famous Roquefort Blue Cheese.
Eggs are an extremely versatile product: they can be prepared in many ways, limited only by your imagination, and thanks to their easy handling even the most starved of college students will have them sitting lonely in their fridges. This recipe variation came to me, as it often happens, in the middle of the night and with a little bit of luck. My friend and I decided to go home in search of food after a night out, but to our disappointment, my sad fridge only held a few eggs, a piece of Roquefort and a handful of walnuts. Such ingredients don’t usually project happiness, so we grabbed a couple of glasses of Armagnac, the liquid gold of the southwest. In search of inspiration, suddenly I was reminded of my youth and The Egg Experience. I took all three ingredients, R-rated them with a shot of Armagnac, mixed and cooked it all in a pan and reinvented the world. The cohesion of the tangy smoky cheese, the earthy walnuts, the sweet sharpness of the Armagnac, held together with silk-like farm eggs and the finish of the cracked black pepper, has clung to me until this day.
I recently put this dish in my a la carte menu and usually serve it with a full green salad or some thin cut French fries and a glass of wine, of course, to make the perfect lunch meal. Many variations can be made as long as you retain the main ingredients: The addition of smoked bacon, sautéed onions or mushrooms can bring this dish into a whole new gourmand dimension. For the full experience, go out, get a couple of drinks in you, go home and hit the kitchen. However if you’ve gauged your intake wrong and are in no state to be working with flammables, go to bed and come to me for your omelette fix the next day.
Peppered Roquefort Cheese & Armagnac Omelette
Chef Marc Aubry, Champêtre Restaurant, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City
For 1 serving
Ingredients
- 3 eggs (fresh farm eggs if available)
- 30 ml Armagnac (cognac or brandy can be used)
- Freshly crushed black peppercorn to taste
- 40 g Roquefort cheese, crumble, room temperature
- 20 grams roasted walnuts, coarsely chopped
- Salt to taste but very little as the cheese is already salty
- Olive oil to brush the pan
Instructions
- Beat the eggs together in a mixing bowl with a fork, add the Armagnac and season with the salt and pepper.
- Heat up a good omelette pan (should be slightly bigger than the desired omelette size) and brush a little olive oil on it to coat the pan—it’ll look shiny when it’s ready.
- Pour the egg mixture and cook very quickly (20 seconds or so) while stirring with a spatula.
- Quick, like The Flash, take the pan off the stove, put the cheese and the walnuts in the center of the omelette and roll it on itself.
- Serve with some fries, a salad and a glass of Muscadet to make it a full meal.
Omelette Advice
- Crack two eggs into a bowl and whisk thoroughly with two tablespoons of water (not milk)
- Heat a pan of the desired size until it’s so hot, you’re afraid of it.
- Butter brings your dish to a whole new level of taste, while sacrificing waist.
- The raw egg should not be runny but still be moist. This should take no longer than 20 seconds.
- Put desired fillings in the center or on one half of the omelette, then flip uncovered side onto them.
- Turn upside down on to a plate to prevent all the innards of the omelette from oozing out.
This article originally appeared in the October 2011 issue of Esquire Philippines. Minor edits have been made by the Esquiremag.ph editors.
