Omelette aux fromages – French three-cheese omelette Recipe
A fluffy French omelette filled with a mix of three cheeses: mild and melty, creamy, and bold. In France this is as likely to appear as a quick bistro lunch as it is for breakfast. The flavours are a bit like a cheese pizza, just without the crust and made in a pan.
A classic French-style omelette upgraded with three contrasting cheeses gives you a luxurious, bistro-style meal in just a few minutes, with minimal ingredients and washing up.
Chef's tips
Use a pan that’s not too large so the omelette stays nicely thick and fluffy. Take the omelette off the heat while the centre is still slightly moist – it will finish cooking from the residual heat and stay tender instead of dry.
How to serve
Serve with a crisp green salad with mustard vinaigrette and a slice of crusty baguette. For a more substantial meal, add a side of roasted cherry tomatoes or sautéed mushrooms.
Ingredients
- egg at room temperature - 4 piece
- yellow cheese grated, e.g. Emmental - 40 g
- blue cheese e.g. Roquefort-type, crumbled - 30 g
- cream cheese e.g. spreadable, in spoonfuls - 40 g
- butter for frying - 15 g
- milk optional, for extra fluffiness - 2 tablespoon
- chives chopped, for sprinkling - 1 tablespoon
- salt to taste, go easy if using blue cheese
- black pepper freshly ground, to taste
Preparation
- In a bowl, whisk the eggs with the milk (if using), a pinch of salt and pepper until the mixture is uniform and slightly foamy. Don’t beat for too long, 20–30 seconds with a fork or whisk is enough.
- Prepare the cheeses: grate the yellow cheese, crumble the blue cheese into small pieces, and portion the cream cheese into small spoonfuls.
- On a medium (preferably non-stick) pan melt the butter over medium heat until it starts to foam lightly but does not brown.
- Pour the egg mixture into the pan. For the first 20–30 seconds gently lift the edges of the omelette with a silicone spatula and tilt the pan so the runny egg flows underneath.
- When the top of the omelette is still slightly moist but no longer runny, sprinkle evenly with the yellow cheese and blue cheese, then dot the top with small spoonfuls of cream cheese.
- Reduce the heat to low, cover the pan with a lid and cook for another 1–2 minutes, until the cheeses have melted and the bottom of the omelette is lightly golden but not burnt.
- Fold the omelette in half using a spatula, gently sliding it onto a plate. Sprinkle with chopped chives and serve immediately.
Storage
If you have leftover omelette, let it cool, then store it tightly covered in the fridge for up to 1 day and reheat gently in a pan over low heat. The texture will be less fluffy than freshly made.
This omelette is my go-to when I crave something comforting and cheesy but don’t feel like turning on the oven. Changing just one of the cheeses completely shifts the character of the dish, so it never gets boring.
