Stirred but not Shaken

Keith Floyd’s second autobiography, which was released just days after he died, is BBC Radio 4’s Book of the Week. Every day this week the actor Michael Cochrane will be reading excerpts. This from the Radio Times’ Tom Cole:

Keith Floyd, who died earlier this year following one final rich and boozy banquet, is probably the most colourful and passionate TV chef ever to have graced our screens. Rarely seen without his trademark dickie-bow and a glass of red plonk in hand, Floyd cut an enthusiastic and eccentric figure who wasn’t afraid to risk flambeing himself as well as his food in the name of good television. Fortunately, Floyd had just put the finishing touches to his autobiography Stirred but Not Shaken at the time of his death, and it has been adapted here for radio. Read in suitably upper-crust fashion by actor Michael Cochrane, this should prove to be an inspirational, entertaining and moving listen for anyone who tuned in to witness this flamboyant figure in action.

Go here and listen to it on the BBC Iplayer.

Floyd's Autobiography

Omelette Savoyarde

 

Omelette Savoyarde in the pan

PLATE OF SUNSHINE RATING: Sunny spells, warm.

 

My dear gastronauts. I can only apologise for the prolonged silence; Halloween and Guy Fawkes Night proved to be busy occasions. I can recommend an excellent Halloweeny chicken and pumpkin casserole, served inside a hollowed-out pumpkin – more on that another time.

Back to the Floydian experiment, and I am delighted to report another success from late October – my attempt to recreate the Omelette Savoyard from Floyd on France. This classic, simple French omelette is an awesome mix of tastes – from the potato to the wonderful Gruyere cheese to the bacon to the well-seasoned eggs. I urge you to give this a go. Here’s the recipe:

150g lean bacon, diced

Butter or lard

1 potato, peeled and finely chopped

1 leek, finely chopped

8 eggs

2 tablespoons double cream

Salt and pepper

75g Gruyere cheese, cut in small cubes

Parsley, chopped

(serves four)

How to make it:

Blanch the bacon in boiling water. Drain and dry before frying in an omelette pan with a little butter or lard until it has browned. Remove the bacon and add the potato and leek to the fat.

Beat the eggs with the cream, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Put more butter in the pan and return the bacon. When the fat is hot, pour on the eggs. Add the cheese and and parsley. Serve the omelette flat and moist. (From Savoy.)

Floyd says of the Savoy region: The cuisine of the French Alpine region of Savoy is relatively uncomplicated, relying mainly on fresh local produce – cheeses (Emmenthal, Reblochon, Beaufort), freshwater fish from the lakes, forest mushrooms and fruit.

Now I should stress that I am not a good omelette maker. The traditonal, fluffy omelette is a simple dish I struggle with. In opening his chapter on omelettes, Floyd writes that “the art of omelette cooking is an acquired skill, and practice is more useful than advice. The perfect omelette should be golden on the outside, fluffed up and creamy inside.”

Reading this did raise my spirits, as I always thought the omelette ought to be a piece of the proverbial cake, but apparently not. I could certainly use some practice. I always seem to overcook it and it’s never anywhere near fluffy enough.

Perhaps my utensils don’t help (although only a shyster blames his tools, right?) The great man says that we all ought to “have a small heavy-bottomed pan, 15 to 20cm in diameter, exclusively for omelettes.” I do not own such a pan – yet. But I may take Floyd’s advice and invest in one, once Christmas is over and I am truly mired in debt.

Fortunately, the Omelette Savoyarde is not a fluffy omelette but a flat one, so a lot easier for someone with my cack-handedness in the omelette stakes (and without an exclusive omelette pan).

Blanching the lean bacon left it looking like this:

 

Blanched bacon

 

 

 

 

 

 

Do you feel enriched now you have seen a photo of blanched bacon? You ought to.

 

 

I threw in my own little favourite seasoning for eggs – some Black and Red Pepper, more fiery than the usual stuff:

 

Fiery

 

 

 

Don’t add too much.

 

 

 

 

 

This was not a hard recipe to make, but it was full of flavour and very filling. I shouldn’t have bothered serving up a side plate of chips (that’s the English in me peeking through – there was already diced potato in the omelette, no need whatsoever for the oven chips). The chopped herb made a real difference, don’t neglect to add some. Ryan was guinea pig again and he gave it a firm thumbs up for taste and texture, and I must say I found it a very hearty dish, perfect for an autumn lunch.

I will certainly try more of the omelettes from the book in due course, but in the meantime my first foray into the Floydian omelettes was a successful one. Tres bon.

 

Omelette Savoyarde