Tiny Things Have Their Day (Say)
Tiny things in the kitchen. The tiny elements of fine dining that we set aside to use as a garnish--a pop of color, an exclamation point, something to catch the eye. These are eye-catching chive flowers gently coaxed from their mild oniony stem.
Today, instead of giving them supporting roles, I used all of my tiny things as stars on my breakfast plate. I engaged them as equals to the two eggs, salt and pepper of my omelet.
This is what happened: I purposefully added two tablespoons each to the mix for a simple and elegant French-style omelet cooked slowly into a folded bit of custardy egg goodness. One good whisking later, I poured the mixture into my warm pan lined with a knob of melted and gently foaming butter. Really, here's the proof.
I'm not going to attempt to show you how to make this classic omelet; instead, I will hand things off to the legendary Jacques Pepin and meet up with you just below the video to finish up with the rest of my tiny things. The French omelet is tricky--it's easy, but it's also difficult--so be kind to yourself if the results aren't perfect, and keep trying. Jacques uses a mix of fine herbes, but in my recipe...just backtrack to see what I use. And, just in case you're curious, this is how to pronounce fine herbes, or...you can just say, the classic French combination of fine herbs, chervil, tarragon, parsley and chives.
I started this post discussing tiny things, but I got sidetracked by the omelet-making method. Let's rewind to the use of tiny things as the stars of this post--and recipe.
Now I had a custardy two-egg omelet flavored with the gentle chives and celery. Then what? I topped it with a spray of chive flowers and chopped celery leaves. Next is where the fun began and I spent 30 to 45 seconds playing with my food. I used Icelandic caviar (just something from my local grocery store shelves) for a bit of saltiness, and a simple salad of tiny sliced grape tomatoes, chives and good olive oil (just a bit). Here's what my playtime looked like.
I hope I've encouraged you to enjoy the tiny things in your cooking adventures. The ingredients are 2 large eggs, a generous pinch of salt and pepper, 2 tablespoons each sliced chives and finely chopped celery (I used the lighter and milder inner stalks). Toppings: chive flowers, caviar, salad (2 tablespoons sliced grape tomatoes, 1 teaspoon sliced chives, pinch of salt, drizzle of good olive oil).
Today, instead of giving them supporting roles, I used all of my tiny things as stars on my breakfast plate. I engaged them as equals to the two eggs, salt and pepper of my omelet.
This is what happened: I purposefully added two tablespoons each to the mix for a simple and elegant French-style omelet cooked slowly into a folded bit of custardy egg goodness. One good whisking later, I poured the mixture into my warm pan lined with a knob of melted and gently foaming butter. Really, here's the proof.
I'm not going to attempt to show you how to make this classic omelet; instead, I will hand things off to the legendary Jacques Pepin and meet up with you just below the video to finish up with the rest of my tiny things. The French omelet is tricky--it's easy, but it's also difficult--so be kind to yourself if the results aren't perfect, and keep trying. Jacques uses a mix of fine herbes, but in my recipe...just backtrack to see what I use. And, just in case you're curious, this is how to pronounce fine herbes, or...you can just say, the classic French combination of fine herbs, chervil, tarragon, parsley and chives.
I started this post discussing tiny things, but I got sidetracked by the omelet-making method. Let's rewind to the use of tiny things as the stars of this post--and recipe.
Now I had a custardy two-egg omelet flavored with the gentle chives and celery. Then what? I topped it with a spray of chive flowers and chopped celery leaves. Next is where the fun began and I spent 30 to 45 seconds playing with my food. I used Icelandic caviar (just something from my local grocery store shelves) for a bit of saltiness, and a simple salad of tiny sliced grape tomatoes, chives and good olive oil (just a bit). Here's what my playtime looked like.
I hope I've encouraged you to enjoy the tiny things in your cooking adventures. The ingredients are 2 large eggs, a generous pinch of salt and pepper, 2 tablespoons each sliced chives and finely chopped celery (I used the lighter and milder inner stalks). Toppings: chive flowers, caviar, salad (2 tablespoons sliced grape tomatoes, 1 teaspoon sliced chives, pinch of salt, drizzle of good olive oil).
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