When I was a kid, my mother made a cold omelet for every picnic (pique-nique) we ever had, usually served with a baguette. This combination of leek, mushrooms, ham and chives is one my mother would have made, but you can vary the ingredients to your taste and what you have on hand. Be sure to season well, maybe even slightly over season, since it’s served cold.

Cold Pique-Nique Omelet

Category

Category name

Serves

2 to 4

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, plus additional as needed
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • ⅓ cup chopped leek
  • ½ cup chopped mushrooms
  • 6 large eggs
  • Fine sea salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 teaspoons chopped chives, plus additional for serving
  • ⅓ cup (½-inch) diced ham
  • Extra virgin olive oil, for serving

Method

  1. In a medium (8-to 9-inch) non-stick skillet, heat the butter and 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium heat. Add the leek and mushrooms, season with salt and cook until the liquid from the mushrooms is gone and the mixture is frying, about 3 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, beat the eggs, then add ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper, chives and ham. Pour the egg mixture into the pan and stir the curds as they set along the edges toward the center, allowing the runny parts to fill in the areas between the curds. Continue in this manner until most of the eggs are set, but the center of the omelet is still moist (or cook longer to your liking).
  3. Fold the omelet into thirds. If you like, add a little more (1 to 2 teaspoons) of butter to the pan to brown the underside more. Invert the omelet onto a plate and let cool. To serve, cut into 1 ½-inch wedges, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with chives.