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Egg White Omelet with Fines Herbes

Yes, This is good for you. But that’s not the reason I eat it. By whipping the egg whites just until foamy, the resulting omelet is light and delicious. (Unwhisked egg whites get rubbery.) Unlike regular omelets, which shouldn’t color, this one gets cooked in a blazing hot pan until crisped and brown and the fresh herbs get sealed right into the whites. While lemon may seem an unlikely pairing for eggs, the bit of zest at the end adds a brightness perfect for the clean flavors here.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    Serves 2

Ingredients

4 large egg whites
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh herb leaves, preferably a mix of mint, parsley, chives, and tarragon, plus more for garnish
Kosher salt
Extra-virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
1 lemon
Scotch Bonnet Hot Sauce (page 248), optional

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Beat the egg whites until foamy on top. Beat in half of the herbs and season with salt.

    Step 2

    Heat a large nonstick skillet over high heat until very hot. Add enough oil to coat the bottom of the skillet. When very hot, add the egg mixture, swirling the pan to spread it in an even, thin layer.

    Step 3

    Cook until crisp and golden brown on the bottom, about 1 minute. Sprinkle the remaining herbs over, then remove from the heat and immediately use 2 spatulas to fold the omelet in half while tilting the skillet. (It’s okay if the whites aren’t totally set; the residual heat will cook them.)

    Step 4

    Slide onto a serving plate and drizzle with a little olive oil. Grind pepper over and grate the zest of a quarter of the lemon directly over the omelet. Garnish with herbs. Cut in half to share. Serve immediately, with hot sauce, if you like.

Reprinted with permission from Home Cooking with Jean-Georges: My Favorite Simple Recipes by Jean-Georges Vongerichten with Genevieve Ko. Copyright © 2011 by Jean-Georges Vongerichten; photographs copyright © 2011 by John Kernick. Published by Clarkson Potter/Publishers, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved. Jean-Georges Vongerichten is one of the most influential chefs in the world, having single-handedly redefined haute French cuisine, lightening and refining it by adding select Asian accents. He is the chef-owner of dozens of restaurants in fourteen cities around the world. His flagship restaurant, Jean Georges, at New York's Columbus Circle, is one of six restaurants in the United States to have been awarded three coveted Michelin stars; it received four stars from the New York Times. The winner of multiple James Beard Foundation awards, he lives in New York City and Waccabuc, New York, with his family. Genevieve Ko is a cookbook author and the senior food editor at Good Housekeeping magazine. She has written for Martha Stewart Living, Gourmet, and Fine Cooking and lives in New York City with her family.
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