Protein Hit

I don't eat a lot of eggs. I can't face them early in the morning and usually by lunchtime I'm looking for something I don't have to cook. Every now and then, however, I'm in the mood for their rich protein and breakfasty goodness.

My Beloved was hungry around eleven one Sunday morning recently, so I decided to whip up an omelet with some Black Forest ham and Jarlsberg Swiss cheese we had in the reefer. When I went to take those out, I noticed a carton of creme fraiche that had sat, neglected and lonely, in the fridge for quite some time, so I had the idea of adding some of that, too.

The result was one of the best omelets it has ever been my pleasure to devour. All I did was plop four teaspoons of creme fraiche here and there in the four-egg omelet we shared. The mild ham and cheese were lent a creamy richness by the creme fraiche, which melted and swam around a bit, leaving just the slightest hint of a tang everywhere it went. It seemed to slow the cooking down a bit, too, so when it was finished the omelet had a golden brown bottom and a fluffy, creamy center fit for a food stylist's camera.

Next time you have an urge for a serious protein hit, think about adding creme fraiche to turn your omelet from plain to patrician.

Stolen from Deetsa

Last week, Deetsa mentioned an Alsatian specialty that sounded good to me so I "borrowed" the idea from her blog and went searching on the internet for a recipe.

Tarte Flambee'. Or, if you're one of those who believe that Alsace really should still belong to Germany, Flammekueche.

It's a simple dish of very flat, thin bread covered with a mixture of creme fraiche, sauteed onions and crisped bacon bits with a little nutmeg, salt and pepper for spice and baked until the crust turns nice and brown. It sounded like heaven to me.

The dough for this pizza-like dinner rises twice, developing the flavor of the bread nicely. It's not as much of a hassle as it sounds, either - I was interrupted by some fun during the rising, stuck it in the fridge overnight, and it was still delicious the next day. Then, you roll it out very thinly on a baking sheet, top with the mixture of cooled, sauteed onions, creme fraiche and spices, and sprinkle on the bacon bits before sliding it into a 450 degree oven for about 12-15 minutes, or until the crust is richly browned but, ideally, not as close to burned as one side of ours got.

We liked it but we didn't love it. I guess we like bolder flavors. I'd make it again but I'd jazz it up a little with something more tangy than creme fraiche, maybe add some plain yogurt or mild feta cheese. When you had a bite with bacon in it, it was really yummy (as Dagny says, everything is better with bacon) but the in-between bites were a little flat. I'd also add zucchini slices and/or fresh tomato slices next time and I might not saute' the onion first.

It's a fun start to a whole bunch of different ideas for dinner, however, and I send thanks out to Deetsa for a fun idea!