A Sweet and Savory Omelette

Shopping at the Belle Meade Publix on Sunday morning after working a twelve hour shift is an invitation to do some silly impulse buying. I have a whole duck sitting in my freezer because of this, and one day soon I will have to defrost, then dismember it so I can cook it piece by piece-

Yesterday I bought a cup sized clamshell container of red currants. I bought them because I had never seen a fresh currant before. Currants and gooseberries and rhubarb come from the north country. They will not grow in the South where evening comes early all year and where the Aurora Borealis is never seen. Red currants are exotic fruits here. And expensive. $4.99 a cup. A lot of money to spend on fruit one has no idea what to do with. Muffins came to mind. But that would have been too easy, too reflexive.

I once ate an omelette filled with jelly. I remembered that this morning. Why not mash the currants, saute them in some butter spiced with sugar and a tablespoon of guava jelly and let the sauce evaporate and thicken. Then use it as an omelette filling. The pictures tell the story. After I folded the omelette, I sprinkled it with a little more sugar( I used raw turbinado sugar), and then with a little bit of sea salt.

The omelette was very tasty, and visually stunning. What a dish for a brunch! Or to impress a mother-in-law, or a new boyfriend.

There is something very European about this dish. Northern European. My usual cooking aligns itself with the hot countries, because I live in one. I know little of Irish cooking, or Scandinavian cooking, or English or German cooking. Those cuisines are lacunae in my repertoire- Perhaps I need to branch out-




Easy omelette for those who do not have the confidence that they can cook one.

In a smallish fry pan or a crepe pan, melt a tablespoon or two of butter.
( Your filling should already be prepared and ready.) Beat two eggs in a bowl. When the fry pan is very hot and the butter begins to brown, dump in the eggs. Tilt the pan so the eggs cover the whole surface. Pour on the filling and let the omelette bubble away for a few minutes. Using a spatula, lift an edge gently.If the omelette bottom is blonde turning brown, fold it over itself, as I have shown in the picture. Let it cook another minute or so, then lift it gently to a serving plate. This omelette will serve two restrained people, but I ate the whole thing myself, which is why I walk 2 miles a day.

One final thought. No currants? How about peaches? Mashed mango? Figs! Raspberries or blackberries? Pear preserves. All with a little butter and sugar. Or-baby bananas. I just bought some at the world market.