Tahini Omelet

A French omelet is iconic, and making a perfect one is often held up as the test of a French chef’s skill. Fluffy in the center, with large billowing curds barely contained by a thin, firm exterior, omelets really don’t need anything substantial as a filling. A little cheese or some herbs can set off their eggy richness nicely. That said, I can never resist adding garlic pretty much everywhere there’s an opportunity (blame my parents—it’s how I was brought up). I got the idea for the garlicky tahini sauce, indirectly, from Yotam Ottolenghi. His brilliant Middle Eastern–inspired recipes drastically increased my tahini consumption, and I’ve been using the sesame paste in ways far beyond the usual hummus. For this omelet, after folding in the tahini and garlic sauce, I douse the whole thing with an herbed yogurt sauce. It’s more assertively flavored than most other omelets, with a distinctive Mediterranean flair. If making an omelet seems too fussy—all that folding and flipping can take some concentration—just scramble your eggs and drizzle them with the tahini sauce and yogurt. It may be sloppier looking, but it will be just as satisfying to eat. Thinking Ahead Tahini sauce: You can make and refrigerate the sauce, covered, up to 2 days in advance. Bring to room temperature before serving. Yogurt sauce: You can make and refrigerate the sauce, covered, up to 3 days in advance. Drain off any excess water before serving. This sauce is also great on fish or chicken.

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% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Step 1

In a small bowl, combine the lemon juice, garlic, and ½ teaspoon fine sea salt. Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes (to let garlic mellow in the acidic lemon juice), then whisk in the tahini. Whisk in cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until very smooth (2 to 3 tablespoons water total). The sauce should be as thick as crème anglaise and just as silky.

Step 2

In another small bowl, whisk together the yogurt, 1½ tablespoons of the herbs, and a pinch of salt. Set aside.

Step 3

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, remaining 1 tablespoon herbs, 2 tablespoons cold water, and a large pinch of salt and pepper.

Step 4

In a large nonstick skillet set over medium-high heat, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter until foaming. Then pour in half the egg mixture and reduce the heat to medium. Stir briefly with the flat back side of a fork, to agitate the eggs and keep them from immediately setting. Cook until the eggs are mostly set on the bottom, 45 seconds to 1 minute and 15 seconds, then drizzle them with a quarter of the tahini sauce. Fold the omelet using a heat-proof spatula and carefully transfer it to a plate. Repeat with the remaining 2 tablespoons butter, egg mixture, and another quarter of the tahini sauce.

Step 5

Drizzle the omelets with the remaining tahini sauce, sprinkle with the paprika, if using, and flaky sea salt, and add a dollop of the yogurt sauce. Serve immediately, topped with more herbs.