Tuesday, September 6, 2016

The Parmelet – Turning the Late-Night Omelet Inside Out

Like most late night, post-saloon culinary experiments, I wasn’t expecting too much as I attempted this crispy, inside-out parmesan omelet, so I was fairly thrilled with how it turned out. The caramelized cheese had formed a thin, but protective layer, and since the eggs had never directly touched the pan, they were moist and tender. It might have been the cocktails talking, but I started to think I had stumbled on to some sort of omelet hack, which improves both the texture of the surface, and diminishes the chance of dry, bitter, overcooked eggs. 

I also tried this with cheddar, and it works pretty much the same. There is one catch, in that you need a nonstick pan for this to work, but other than that, not much can go wrong, and so much can go right. Like what to stuff in the middle. As long as you heat it first, a reasonable amount of any classic omelet filling would shine.

This will also work whether you use one or three eggs, depending on the texture you’re going for. Using a single egg is kind of a cool trick, since the cheese layer is almost as thick, and you can really appreciate the crispness even more. I hope you give this great new omelet technique a try soon. Enjoy!


Ingredients for one Parmelet:
8-inch non-stick pan
1 teaspoon olive oil
25 grams (just shy of 1-ounce) finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1,2, or 3 large eggs, beaten
1/8 teaspoon water per egg
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
pinch of cayenne

38 comments:

GaDawgFan said...

#Makeamericagrateagain I love it. Your comments and quirks captivate me as much as the food.

beemo said...

The standard 'correct' Italian pronunciation of Parmigiano Reggiano uses the "g" sound we have in "gentleman", here spelled with a j just to illustrate: 'parmijano rejano'

Standard Italian in fact does not have the 'zh' sound as in "azure" or "casual", so the pronunciation 'parmizhano' is not textbook; but apparently you will hear that consonant in Tuscany and all over central Italy. Clearly, it's perfectly acceptable Italian, even if your teacher frowns at you.

So I suggest Parmigiamlette, and people can pronounce it any way they like! An omelette is a French invention anyway =)

Adam said...

Chef John, you're a genius. I can see lots of possibilities with this one. Are there any cheeses you wouldn't recommend using though?

Unknown said...

Yup, this is being made this weekend. Thank you Chef John!

Kennapop3 said...

A little like you inside out Grilled Cheese. This will be fun to try.

AFB said...

Looks great! This dish came up in the low carb recipe subreddit. They called it a "reverse omelette".
http://imgur.com/a/fmwmw
https://www.reddit.com/r/ketorecipes/comments/2wnxm1/reverse_omelette_crispy_cheese_outside_with/

Britt said...

I'm typically not a fan of omelets (overcooked eggs are yuck), but your techniques and recipes often prompt me to give some dishes or ingredients another chance. I went ahead and gave this a shot for breakfast this morning, and it came out great! I plan to make more this weekend, probably filled with bacon and spinach. Thank you for sharing your wealth of knowledge and creativity in the kitchen :)

Unknown said...

what kind of knifes do you use

Unknown said...

Chef John what brand of knifes do you use?

Unknown said...

Chef John what brand of knifes do use? I am looking to buy a new set. Do you have any recommendations? Thanks

forkboy said...

Those white things connect the yolk to the albumen to keep it centered. The more prominent they are the fresher the egg. Your eggs are phresh.

beemo said...

I just tried this, using our last bit of Pecorino, there was enough. Spectacular. I am going to do some truly egregious showing-off with this one for sure.

Unknown said...

Chef John,

I would love to see your version of this challenge:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qiSg6lwIItU

Best regards
Kris

Unknown said...

Can I use pecorino romano or grana padano instead?

Unknown said...

Looks great, tastes even better! Reminds me of a certain inside-out grilled cheese... ;D

Apetalk1971 said...

Thanks Chef John, since discovering your channel three days ago I have already prepared three of your recipes. Everything didn't work, but that's okay, because these recipes are simple and very clearly explained. I have only taken up cooking in the last year and have been actively seeking but sadly (till now) haven't been able to find only cooking instruction that works for me. I'll likely be heading to Lucca Deli tomorrow for some parm and will try this in the afternoon.

Unknown said...

I made this for dinner last night. I added,sauted mushrooms, onion and red bell pepper. I definitely did "Enjoy!" Thank you.

Unknown said...

Hmmm I wonder if this technique could be applied to a home made hash brown recipe in some way? I'm no egg lover, but the whole idea sounds and looks fantastic.

Unknown said...

Chef John, can you add a slice of ham (or prosciutto) in the middle with the eggs still being able to set/cook?

Unknown said...

Chef John, can you add something inside the parmlet before you fold it (like ham, salami, prosciutto, any salted meat) with the eggs still being able to to set/cook?

Singleot said...

I'm going to stuff mine with cream cheese, alfalfa sprouts, tomato and salad shrimp. Cant wait.

Thanks for the technique Chef John.

Riomhaire said...

Made this this morning with wild mushrooms and caramelised onion filling - sublime and straight into my favourite recipes list.

Thanks chef John for this and your other recipes. Maybe a vid or two on fillings for omlettes/wraps?

rodentraiser said...

I want to know who ate the other 35 eggs.Or was there a party I didn't get invited to?

I don't know about grating the cheese, though. I made some refried beans and had tostadas for lunch for a week and by the time the beans and tostadas were gone, I was fed up with grating cheese. I love you, Chef John, but I think I'll let someone else do the cheese grating.

Unknown said...

We loved it! Kicked it up a notch (accidentally) by adding a tiny bit of lemon zest to the Parmigiano Reggiano and garnished with some julienned fresh Italian parsley and dried oregano.

Hope to try your Shakshuka recipe soon!

Anonymous said...

Alright, CJ. When are you spillin' the beans on the So Cal thing?!

Unknown said...

I think I left my eggs in too long...mine was sort of dry and flavorless...didn't seem like I could really taste the cheese much either.

Will try again...probably with pecorino and some other stuff.

Thanks as always!!

Unknown said...

This is really awesome. It's like no other omelette: very crispy on the outside, very tender on the inside. If you like a classic french omelette, I strongly recommend to flip the omelette even if the surface looks pretty wet, since it will cook very fast after you flipped it. I prefer it runny on the inside. Great contrast to the crispy surface! Don't use too much cheese. It can easily overpower the eggs. The nutty flavor will become very strong.

Billy MacKenzie said...

Wouldn't a real G also add parmesan to the top?

Roberto said...

I made two of these last night and they were perfect. The only downside is the time it takes. I can make standard omelettes quickly enough to feed 6 so that everyone can eat at the same time. With this method, two is the limit, at least for me.

Unknown said...

First I want to tell you that I love you! Then it's funny that my first comment to any of your recipe which I have made many for my family, but I have to say that by this simple but amazing omelette, my husband was n heaven eating it... I guess I never make enough eggs for dinner! Lol ... Anyhow, thank you, Chef John, you are a FoodGenous!

puttermuch said...

Yay! Crispy cheese is so good all by itself, now I can make a real meal out of it. Thanks Chef!

Unknown said...

Made this today. I used a little too much cheese, got the eggs a touch too done and it was still fantastic,

Anonymous said...

Chef John what brand of knifes do use? I am looking to buy a new set. Do you have any recommendations? Thanks

Elisha said...

OMG, parmelet, where have you been my entire life?!? That was amazing. Game changer. The game has been changed.

Justin said...

Wow! WOW! How do I describe how awesome this dish is? I dislike eggs. Always have. But I've always wanted to like them. So a few times a year, I make myself some eggs in various ways to see if my tastes have matured and I've started to like them. Every time, nope. 41 years old, I'd given up. One day, I'm watching welding videos on youtube, and this video is suggested for some reason. I clicked. Looked good, so in my never ending quest for brownie points, I made this for my wife. She loved it! More importantly, I loved it! I didn't tolerate it. I loved it. I'm craving it now as I type this. My slight variation is a little sharp cheddar shredded in the center before folding, and some hot sauce. I'm happy to report, I'm now a Food Wishes fan AND and egg eater!

Unknown said...

Parmelet. Pargiamelet. By any name, a very interesting and delicious turn on an old idea. Excellent.

Unknown said...

Not only is this delicious but it's also incredibly resiliant! I prefer to follow recipes exactly as provided the first time I make something so I can use it as a baseline for tweaks in the future. This was so good I had to make it again right away. The second time, after using the same cooking times and everything, as I moved the omlet to the plate, I realized I'd forgotten to drop the heat when I added the egg. It came out exactly the same and was just as delicious!

Unknown said...

Is it me or does anyone else eyeing that delicious looking toast?
Man if I only knew what kind of toast that was I could start enjoying my breakfast again.