Omelette Arnold Bennett
200g plain flour
150g butter, plus extra for frying
1 litre milk
1 bay leaf
¼ tsp black peppercorns
1 slice of onion
1 kg smoked, undyed haddock
300g Hollandaise
300g double cream
20g parmesan, finely grated
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Oil, for greasing
3 eggs
Chives, Maldon Salt to garnish
- Pour the milk into a small pan and add the bay leaf, peppercorns and onion. Heat the milk gently over a low heat to just below boiling point. Lower in the haddock skin-side down.
- Cover the haddock with a dampened piece of greaseproof paper and poach gently for about four minutes, until the fish is just beginning to show signs of flaking when pressed. Remove the fish from the milk with a slotted spoon and, when it is cool enough to handle, remove the skin and any bones and flake into pieces.
- Strain the milk into a bowl and discard the aromatics. Pour the infused milk into a clean small pan and return to the heat. Melt butter in a separate pan, add flour and make a roux. Add milk whisking constantly until you have a smooth thickened sauce.
- Whisk cream until soft peaks, make Hollandaise. Mix equal quantities of whipped cream, Hollandaise and Béchamel and gently fold together; correct seasoning.
- Lightly oil an 18-20cm omelette pan and place over a medium to high heat. Break the eggs into a bowl, season and beat with a fork. Add a knob of butter to the pan and swirl it about to coat. When the butter starts to foam, pour in the eggs. Stir them continually, tilting the pan from side to side, until the eggs set on the bottom and the top is soft and creamy.
- Remove the pan from the heat then add the haddock to the omelette. Place into warmed serving dishes then spoon a thin layer of sauce over the omelette and grill for a few minutes until golden brown. Grate parmesan over the glazed omelette and garnish with chives and Maldon Salt flakes, serve immediately.
Note: Don’t make more than 2 omelettes in one pan. Remember that it is an omelette, not scrambled eggs.
Make sure you do not add too much glaze or the omelette will have too much cream in it.
