Kitchen Encounters

~ Tangy Mustard- and Chive-Laced Cheese Omelette ~

Forgive me if I type fast, as I'm anxious to eat the mouth-watering plate of food in this photograph. As a bigger fan of a fluffy American-style omelette vs a skinny French omelette, and, as an advocate for savory breakfasts over cloyingly sweet breakfasts, this egg-cellent little number is one of my ideal ways to break the fast.  For those who don't know, mustard is more than just a condiment that goes on your hot dogs.  Mustard is to an omelette, what mustard is to macaroni and cheese, potato salad and/or almost any creamy salad dressing one can mention:  A secret ingredient that provides a subtle but uplifting zing to the flavor of the end result.  In the case of this omelette, it's got double zing, in that I use both whole-grain mustard and dry English mustard.

Whole-grain & dry English mustard + dried herbes de Provence & fresh chives w/eggs & cream = an egg-cellent omelette:

For the savory American-style omelette:

3  extra-large eggs, preferably at room temperature

1/4  cup half and half

1  tablespoon whole-grain mustard

1/2  teaspoon each:  dry English mustard and Herbes de Provence

1/4  teaspoon each:  freshly-ground sea salt and peppercorn blend 

2  tablespoons thinly-sliced fresh chives

a generous 1/2  cup shredded Danish havarti cheese

1  teaspoon salted butter

~ Step 1.  Crack the eggs into a 1-cup measuring container and add enough half and half to total 3/4 cups total liquid (about 4 tablespoons).  Add the whole-grain mustard, dry English mustard, sea salt and herbs.  Use a fork to give the mixture a brief whisk.  Slice and add the fresh chives.  Whisk vigorously, until thoroughly combined.  Using a hand held box grater, shred the cheese as directed and set aside.

~Step 2.  In an 8" nonstick skillet, melt the butter over low heat.  Use the fork to briefly rewhisk the egg mixture, then pour it into the warmed skillet. By patiently manually lifting, lowering, and tilting the pan on and off the heat, allow the eggs to set a bit up and around the sloping sides of the skillet -- about 45 seconds over low heat w/no pressure to rush.

~ Step 3.  Increase heat to medium.  In various spots around the entire perimeter of the skillet, slip a thin spatula under the setting eggs.  In each of those spots use the spatula to lift the eggs up, while, at the same time, tilting the pan in the direction of the spatula to allow the remaining liquid to flow down and into the setting eggs -- about 45 seconds over medium heat w/no pressure to rush.  The surface of the omelette should be semi-moist and glistening with no liquid or little liquid puddling on the top.

~ Step 4.  Decrease the heat to low.  Place the grated cheese, in a half-moon shape, over half of the omelette.  Give it about 45 seconds to melt over low heat with no pressure to rush.  Using a large spatula, lift the empty side of the omelette up and over the cheesy side of the omelette.  Slide the omelette from skillet to plate and serve.

Tangy & ooey, gooey, cheesy too...

... stick a fork in it & enjoy the zippy zing of mustard:

Tangy Mustard- and Herb-Laced Cheese Omelette:  Recipe yields instructions to make one tangy American-style cheese omelette.

Special Equipment List:  1-cup measuring container; fork; cutting board; chef's knife; hand-held box grater; 8" nonstick skillet; large thin spatula; large spatula

Cook's Note: Over the past week, I've been taking a fresh look at the word savory as far as mustard is concerned when it comes to breakfast or brunch.  My first example was ~ Savory Brioche french Toast w/Fried Ham & Eggs  ~, which is perhaps the best way ever to celebrate ham and eggs.  For you bacon lovers, the next day I used some of the leftover French toast to make ~ Mustard & Herb-Laced Brioche French Toast BLT's  ~, which just might change the way you look at breakfast sandwiches forever.  Sigh.

"We are all in this food world together." ~ Melanie Preschutti

(Recipe, Commentary and Photos courtesy of Melanie's Kitchen/Copyright 2025)

~ Mustard & Herb-Laced Brioche French Toast BLT's ~

A BLT served on savory whole-grain mustard- and herbs de Provence-laced brioche French toast -- need I say more?  If these adorable little sliders don't change the way you think about breakfast or brunch, I'm clueless as to what will.  Pair them with a bloody Mary or three and you've got a party.  Invite some friends and you've got a bigger party.  The best part is, I made these as an experiment, using day old savory French toast that had been in the refrigerator overnight, so, whipping them up for breakfast took only a little longer than it took to oven-roast this bacon:

Sweet and savory French toast is common in European countries.  The French words for "French toast" are "pain perdu", meaning "lost bread", because it is a way of reviving bread which becomes dry after a day or two.  The basics of any French toast recipe are pretty simple:  Thickly-sliced, 2-3-day old bread is dipped into a flavored egg/cream sweet or savory mixture, then fried in a skillet containing a coating of oil or a combination of butter and oil.  When executed correctly, it emerges from the skillet crisp and golden brown on both sides with a creamy center.

For the savory French toast:

6,  3/4"-thick slices, 2-3 day old bread machine brioche

4  jumbo eggs

1  cup half and half

2  tablespoons whole-grain mustard

1  teaspoon each:  dry English mustard, Herbes de Provence and sea salt

1/2  teaspoon peppercorn blend 

4-6   tablespoons peanut or corn oil, for frying

~ Step 1.  Using a serrated bread knife, slice the bread.  This is a picture of my bread-machine brioche.  If you have a bread machine, I obviously encourage you give this recipe a try.  If you are not using my brioche, I recommend that whatever bread you are using be sliced to the thickness of 3/4".  If it is thinner or thicker, it will affect the frying time and texture.  In my opinion:  All French toast starts with properly, 3/4"-thick sliced brioche.

~ Step 2.  In a 2-cup measuring container, use a fork to whisk the eggs, half and half, whole grain mustard, English mustard, herbes de Provence, sea salt and peppercorn blend.  For six slices of bread, the magic measurement is 2 cups of liquid.

~Step 3.  Arrange bread slices in 13" x 9" x 2" casserole -- overlapping is ok.  Pour egg mixture over bread and wait 2-3 minutes.  Flip bread slices over on their second sides and wait another 2-3 minutes.  Flip the bread over again, then, maybe once more, to make sure each slice is thoroughly coated and almost all liquid has been absorbed.  Briefly set aside.

~Step 4.  Preheat enough oil to coat the bottom (about 1/16") of a 16" electric skillet over 260°-275° (medium on the stovetop).  Add the egg-soaked bread and gently cook, about 2-3 minutes per side, using a spatula to flip it over once, until golden on both sides.  Turn heat off and transfer French toast to a paper-towel-lined plate.  Cool to room temp, about one hour, then, assemble as directed, or cover with plastic and refrigerate overnight.

~Step 5.  One slice of French toast will yield two slider-sized sandwiches. I'm making four sliders today using two slices of savory French toast that have been cut into quarters to form eight pieces.  On each of four pieces of French toast, slather a scant 1 teaspoon of whole grain mustard. Next, fold and place 1 leaf Boston or bibb lettuce atop the mustard and fasten the lettuce with a toothpick.  Atop each lettuce leaf, add 2 thin slices Campari tomato to the toothpick on each slider, followed by 1 strip of the bacon that has been cut into thirds.  

Place the French toast tops on the slider sandwiches:

A savory French toast BLT is not a well-dressed sandwich...

... but it just might be the the perfect BLT of all time:

Mustard & Herb-Laced Brioche French Toast BLT's:  Recipe yields 6 slices savory French toast/enough for 12 BLT slider-sized sandwiches.

Special Equipment List: cutting board; serrated bread knife; 13" x 9" x 2" casserole; 2-cup measuring container; fork; 16" electric skillet; spatula; paper towels; plastic wrap; toothpicks

Cook's Note: Once a year, the day after Eastern European Orthodox Easter to be specific, my mother made one of my favorite breakfasts: Savory French toast w/Fried Ham & Eggs. She lightly-fried slices of baked ham (also leftover from Easter), soft-yolked, sunny-side-up eggs, and a fresh chive garnish (which grew in dad's garden).  Mom made this but once a year because that was when she had the very-specific ingredients at her fingertips -- and we all looked forward to it.

"We are all in this food world together." ~ Melanie Preschutti

(Recipe, Commentary and Photos courtesy of Melanie's Kitchen/Copyright 2025)