Ham and Cheese Omelette

• Heat control – If at any stage your omelette is cooking too fast, remove the pan off the stove to let it cool down and lower the heat.
• Whisk the eggs, salt and cream in a bowl for 10 seconds until slightly foamy.
• Warm ham – Melt 1/3 of the butter in a 24cm/9.5" non-stick pan (or thereabouts, Note 5) over medium heat until foamy. Swirl/spread to coat the base, then cook ham using a rubber spatula for 90 seconds until warmed through. Remove into bowl.
• Semi-scramble eggs – Melt and swirl remaining butter in the pan. Give the eggs a quick whisk then pour into the pan. Leave for 15 seconds or until the very edges set, then do long leisurely strokes around and across the pan to scrape up cooked egg and let the raw egg run onto the base. Continue for 30 seconds or so until the egg is partially cooked. GOAL: wet enough to spread like jam, but not so wet that the egg runs when you tilt the pan.
• Spread the egg evenly across the pan (no need to be meticulous). Top half with cheese, then ham. (By this time, the omelette should be almost cooked through but still shiny/custardy on the surface).
• Loosen the naked side then fold over using 2 rubber spatulas. Leave in the pan for another 30 seconds to melt the cheese and finish cooking inside.
• Serve – Slide or flip onto a plate and serve! Sprinkle with chives if desired.

Recipe Notes:

1. Cream or milk is said to make omelettes more creamy (as well as adding a bit of extra bulk). But honestly, the right cooking method makes much more of a difference. Cook an omelette well, and no one can tell if you’ve included cream or not – I’ve done a blind test. However, I still add it out of habit!2. Ham – I like the ham bits to have a bit of chunk to them. If using thin slices, chop into small strips or tear with hands.3. Cheese – Any melting cheese works fine here, I like Colby as a great all-rounder I use for many things. Mozzarella melts great but doesn’t have flavour like other cheeses so either add a sprinkle of parmesan or pinch of salt on the cheese.Shred your own cheese to be sure it melts. Store bought pre-shredded is thicker cut and has anti-caking agent on it so it doesn’t melt as well. It has a place in life for convenience, but omelettes is not one of them!4. Roasted cherry tomatoes – Drizzle with oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast 15 minutes at 200°C/400°F (180°C fan) until a bit wrinkly (I do this for the last 15 minutes with mushrooms).5. Skillet size –6. Leftovers will keep for 3 days in the fridge or freezer for 3 months.Nutrition per omelette. This is filling, even without toast!