february 21, 2006: what's for dinner?

i came home to a very ripe avocado and thought, "sandwich or omelette?"  with no bread in sight, and half a dozen eggs in the fridge, the decision was made for me.  using some leftover gruyere from a wild mushroom tart (recipe from one of my new favorite cookbooks: suzanne goin's sunday suppers at lucques) i made two weeks ago, i had a perfect combination - the milky taste of avocado punched up with the nuttiness of gruyere.  with some creme fraiche plus fresh tarragon and chervil left over from the same mushroom tart, i had some great ingredients for a creamy, herbal topping to my omelette.  served up with a plain arugula salad topped with grilled polenta and then dressed with a most-basic balsamic vinaigrette, and i had a simple yet elegant (thanks to that creme fraiche!) breakfast-for-dinner meal. 

food tip of the day: never underestimate how great breakfast food can be for a low-maintenance dinner.

avocado & gruyere omelette
serves 2
prep/cook time: 15-20 minutes

4 eggs
salt and fresh ground pepper
1 ripe avocado, thinly sliced
gruyere (as much or as little as you please)
olive oil
2 squares of butter
4 tablespoons creme fraiche
1 tablespoon fresh herbs, chopped (try tarragon, chervil or parsley)

whisk eggs in medium sized mixing bowl.  add a healthy dash of salt and fresh ground pepper.  set aside.

preheat medium sized omelette pan over medium-high heat.  add enough olive oil to coat pan and 1 square of butter.*  allow butter to melt and coat pan evenly.  add half of whisked eggs, coating pan evenly.  let the eggs sit for a bit, so they cook evenly.  when bottom of omelette has cooked, select one quarter of the omelette to add filling to. add half of the avocado slices and gruyere to it.  fold the omelette into quarters (fold omelette in half and then fold in half again).  cook until a golden color forms on both sides of omelette.  repeat for omelette #2.

mix fresh herbs with creme fraiche.  serve a generous dollop on top of omelette with some more freshly ground pepper.

*i use both olive oil and butter for two reasons: 1) the olive oil allows the omelette to cook at a higher heat; and 2) the butter provides the outside of the omelette with a buttery crisp that compliments the creamy texture of the avocado and gruyere.