nding the gravy, great care should be taken that the
flavour does not overcome that of the omelette, a thing too little
attended to: a fine gravy, with a flavouring of sweet herbs and onions,
we think the best; some add a few drops of tarragon vinegar; but this is
to be done only with great care: gravies to Omelettes are in general
thickened: this should never be done with flour; potato starch, or arrow
root, is the best.

Omelettes should be fried in a small frying-pan made for that purpose,
with a small quantity of butter. The omelette's great merit is to be
thick, so as not to taste of the outside; therefore use only half the
number of whites that you do yelks of eggs: every care must be taken in
frying, even at the risk of not having it quite set in the middle: an
omelette, which has so much vogue abroad, is here, in general, a thin
doubled-up piece of leather, and harder than soft leather sometimes. The
fact is, that as much care must be bestowed on the frying, as should be
taken in poaching an egg. A salamander is necessary to those who will
have the top brown; but the kitchen shovel may be substituted for it.

The following receipt is the basis of all omelettes, of which you may
make an endless variety, by taking, instead of the parsley and eschalot,
a portion of sweet herbs, or any of the articles enumerated in the
table of materials used for making forcemeats, see No. 373; or any of
the forcemeats between Nos. 373 and 386.

Omelettes are called by the name of what is added to flavour them: a ham
or tongue omelette; an anchovy, or veal kidney omelette, &c.: these are
prepared exactly in the same way as in the first receipt, leaving out
the parsley and eschalot, and mincing the ham or kidney very fine, &c.,
and adding that in the place of them, and then pour over them all sorts
of thickened gravies, sauces, &c.

_Receipt for the common Omelette._

Five or six eggs will make a good-sized omelette; break them into a
basin, and beat them well with a fork; and add a salt-spoonful of salt;
have ready chopped two drachms of onion, or three drachms of parsley, a
good clove of eschalot minced very fine; beat it well up with the eggs;
then take four ounces of fresh butter, and break half of it into little
bits, and put it into the omelette, and the other half into a very clean
frying-pan; when it is melted, pour in the omelette, and stir it with a
spoon till it begins to set, then turn it up all round the edges, and