Christmas Omelets

Here is the basic omelet. Taught to me by my French mother. Not the only way, but a great way. Gentle folds of fluffy egg, moist and infused with flavors of veggies and herbs - however you chose to finalize it. You can use spinach, tomatoes, ham - you define your holiday colors and flavors - but I'd always vote for cheese.

Just have everything ready on your counter right before you are ready to cook the omelet - the classic "Mise-en-Place".

2 eggs

2 tsp light cream or milk

1/8 tsp dried dill

dash salt and pepper to taste

1 Tbsp butter, or olive oil

2 oz fresh baby spinach leaves

2 slices favorite meltable cheese - I used Swiss

1 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

fresh parsley for garnish - optional

Prepare your 'mise-en-place'. That is, get all your ingredients ready and next to the stove before you start! That means all ingredients, pans, utensils and spices.

Omelets cook quickly and must be tended to at all times - there’s no time to run to the refrigerator!

Heat a dash of olive oil in a skillet.

Wilt the spinach over medium high heat with a dash of olive oil in a skillet and transfer to a small bowl.

Meanwhile, whisk the eggs together with the dill and cream in a small bowl. Season with a dash of salt and pepper to taste.

Preheat an 8-10 inch skillet (I used a 9-inch blackened steel, but you could use a non-stick) to medium high and then add a dash of butter and/or olive oil. Swirl well to melt the butter. Allow butter to sizzle down over medium-high heat - you should see a bit of smoke coming out of the pan, but not browning the butter much. Now pour the eggs into the pan and allow the edges to set. You should hear a slight sizzle.

Use a rubber spatula to pull in the sides of the omelet, as you tilt the pan to allow the uncooked egg to fill in the space created. Do this for successive sides as the omelet cooks to form folds throughout the omelet.

Once most of egg has cooked, but still has a lot of moisture, turn heat to low and scatter the spinach on half the omelet - whichever half is NOT your dominant hand.

Then top spinach with cheese slices and scatter Parmesan about omelet, and cover pan.

Allow cheese just to melt at low heat - only about a minute.

Season with a dash of crushed red pepper flakes if desired (I use finely ground Turkish Aleppo pepper). Uncover pan and flip the un-topped half of the omelet over the other half. Gently shake omelet out of the skillet onto a plate. Garnish with some fresh parsley if desired.

Makes one omelet.

Cook's Note: I used a 10-inch blackened steel skillet. It is well seasoned - like a cast iron, but much less heavy. I have also used non-stick skillets which are great for omelets but for the concern of fluorocarbons. The non-stick I used for the tomato and cheese omelet below was an 8-inch - which is perhaps the perfect size for two eggs.

You can add whatever ingredients float your boat. For Christmas you could do spinach and cheese and diced tomatoes and cheese for the festive color effect - cook many up - keeping warm in a 200F oven as you progress, and halve or quarter them so everyone gets all colors!

Umami Beef Short Ribs Samin Nosrat

This is the penultimate prep for beef short ribs. Based on the superb documentary by Samin Nosrat, Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat, this is the most umami rib dish you will ever have. Its the combination of red miso and soy sauce that marinates and flavors the beef - give it a long time to work right - that means overnight in the fridge; it's worth the planning ahead. 6 beef short ribs on the bone, about 3-4 lb 1 large sweet yellow onion, diced 2 stalks celery, diced 1 jalapeño pepper, minced 4 cloves garlic, halved Marinade: 1/4 cup red miso 1/4 cup soy sauce 1/4 cup pale dry sherry or Mirin rice wine 1 Tbsp sesame oil 1 Tbsp honey 2 cloves garlic, minced Salt the ribs generously with coarse salt and let rest overnight in the refrigerator in a resealable plastic bag. Whisk together the marinade. Pour into the plastic bag and allow to marinate on the counter for about 2-3 hours, or again overnight in the refrigerator. Preheat oven to 375F.

Scrambled Benedict

This is the ultimate Sunday brunch item. Don't be intimidated about making a Hollandaise sauce - it is so much easier and quicker than you may think. And it is oh, so luscious over eggs. You can poach your eggs or fry them; whatever you prefer. My favorite is poached, but others in the family like scrambled better, so I scrambled. Happy brunching. Hollandaise Sauce: 2 egg yokes, in a small bowl 1/2 cup butter, just melted in microwave 1 Tbsp lemon juice 1 tsp Dijon mustard 1/4 tsp salt ~1 Tbsp lukewarm water 2 English muffins 2 remaining egg whites 3 eggs 1 Tbsp cream dash dried dill Set up a double boiler (I use a medium pot with a metal bowl on top), and bring 2 cups water to the boil. Reduce heat to low. In the yet unheated double boiler top bowl, whisk together the butter, lemon juice, mustard and salt. Warm over double boiler. Whisk the egg yokes together. Slowly whisk the yokes into the warmed butter mixture, drizzling the yokes in slowly. Whisk continuously. If the

Coconut Rice Noodles with Eggplant

Noodle bowls are always a welcome dish for a wholesome dinner meal after an outing like grooming roses with your Park friends. Or whatever you've been doing in the afternoon. This will satisfy an appetite after a good day's work, with hearty eggplant, satisfying noodles and a cozy broth of coconut and tomatoes. Garnish with basil or mint. 1/2 lb dried wide rice noodles 2 Tbsp olive oil plus 2 Tbsp salted butter 1 medium onion, sliced kernels from 1 fresh corn stalk, or 1/2 cup frozen 3/4 lb eggplant, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 4 cups) 2 cloves garlic, minced 3/4-inch fresh ginger, minced 1 tsp favorite curry powder 1 can whole coconut milk (I used Trader Joe’s) 2 cups chicken (or veggie broth) - I used home-made stock 1 dozen grape tomatoes, halved Set a medium pot of water to boil for the noodles. Simmer according to package directions until just before cooked. Meanwhile, melt the butter in the olive oil in a wide skillet. Add the onion and sauté for about 5 minutes on

Cuisine Eric

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