If you’re a fan of FX’s The Bear, you will be intrigued by that hypnotizing scene where the character Sydney makes an omelette for a very pregnant Natalie. The recipe for The Bear Omelette starts from a classic French omelette with a special cheese filling and topped with crushed potato chips and chives. I knew the omelette would be good but I was honestly in total awe after the first bite! You need to try this recipe for your next breakfast or brunch.
About the series
The main character in The Bear TV show is a successful young chef Carmy Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White) who inherits his deceased brother’s restaurant. The brother’s restaurant is far from the refined dining experience Carmy has had in the past. Fans of The Bear love it for its chaos and how it presents the reality of many kitchens and family-run businesses. Carmy’s sister, Natalie (Abby Elliott) also runs the restaurant and their cousin works there as well. Most characters are loud and opinionated and like to talk on top of each other. This is, believe it or not, part of the charm of the series. After getting used to the chaos for almost two whole seasons, we get this beautiful scene where we meet The Bear Omelette.
The Bear Omelette Scene
The Bear Omelette Scene happens in the penultimate episode of the second season. In it, Carmy’s sous-chef, Sydney Adamu (Ayo Edebiri), prepares an omelette for Natalie who hasn’t had breakfast and is very pregnant. The scene is a stark contrast to the usual chaotic kitchen we usually see. Everything is in silence as it’s only her in the kitchen. You can just hear the rhythm and noises from the cooking process. The whisking, the butter on the pan, the eggs sizzling, it’s hypnotic! Sydney’s dish has since then been a viral sensation on social media, with everyone obsessing over the creamy filling and crunchy topping of The Bear Omelette.
How to make a classic French Omelette
The Bear Omelette is essentially a French omelette with a twist. To make French omelettes, you first mix together the eggs with salt in a medium bowl. Preheat a non-stick pan to medium heat, add a tablespoon of butter and the whisked eggs. A French-style omelette actually starts as scrambled eggs, mixing constantly with a rubber spatula in a circular motion. Once you have a soft scramble, you flatten out the egg into an even layer and let it form a cooked base. The top should remain very moist, which in French is called “babeuse.” Once It has set enough to roll, you unstick it from the sides of the pan with the spatula and carefully roll it on itself. Now it’s time to place it on a plate with the seam side at the bottom. This is a lot, but it doesn’t cover the variations in The Bear Omelette.
What makes The Bear Omelette Special
Now that you know how to make a classic French Omelette, let’s talk about The Bear Omelette. An omelette is well-known as a skills test for a chef. It’s hard to get the moisture correct, not get it golden on the outside and have it nice and shiny. Actually, in the film “The Hundred-Foot Journey” they use an omelette as the ultimate test for a fine dining restaurant applicant. I greatly recommend that film if you’re into cooking. There are several things that the character in The Bear did that stir away from a classic omelette. This had the chef community in turmoil. Purists are extremely offended and others, like me, who love to play with food, were intrigued. Here’s what’s different:
- Use of a mesh strainer. Before adding the eggs to the pan, Sydney Adamu (Ayo Edebiri) whisks the eggs with a fork in a fine mesh sieve/colander. This helps bring together the eggs in a more even manner. It also avoids any traces of egg whites that don’t completely blend with the yolks.
- Filling with Boursin Cheese. Before rolling the French omelette, she uses a piping bag to form a line of cheese along the center of the omelet. The cheese used in The Bear Omelette is “Boursin”, a soft cheese with garlic and herbs. It isn’t always available, so there’s a replacement for Boursin cheese as well in the recipe below.
- Buttered up. After rolling the omelette and serving it on a plate, she butters up the outside of the omelette. She uses a bit of unsalted butter while the omelette is still warm. This gives it a lovely shine.
- Topped with Sour Cream and Onion Chips. After buttering the omelette, she sprinkles crushed-up sour cream and onion potato chips on top of the omelette.
- Sprinkled with Chives. The finishing touch to The Bear Omelette is a light sprinkling of chives for a fresh taste.
The Bear Omelette Recipe
Ingredients
For the omelette
- 3 eggs
- Salt
For cooking
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter cold
Option 1: Boursin cheese filling
- 50 g Boursin cheese in a piping bag
Option 2: Boursin cheese replacement (mix and place in a piping bag)
- 50 g cream cheese at room temperature
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- ⅛ tsp dried chives
- ⅛ tsp dried parsley
- Pepper
For Finishing
- Crushed sour cream and onion potato chips
- Chives chopped
Instructions
For the omelette
- Place a fine mesh sieve/colander over a medium bowl. Crack the eggs open on the sieve.
- Use a fork to mix the eggs as they pass through the mesh. Don't add the bits of egg white that don't go through.
- Add salt to the eggs and mix.
- Preheat a nonstick pan over medium heat.
- Add a tablespoon of butter and spread it using a rubber spatula.
- Add the eggs at the centre and use the rubber spatula to scramble the eggs in circular motions. Once the scrambled eggs are starting to set, flatten them out in an even layer.
For the Boursin cheese filling
- After 1-2 minutes when the base has set but the top is still moist, pipe the cheese along the centre of the omelette.
- As soon as you piped the cheese, use the spatula to separate the edges of the omelette and roll it. As time goes by, the cheese melts, making it more difficult to roll, so be quick. Finally, roll it onto the dish with the seam underneath.
- Use another bit of butter to butter the outside of the omelette.
For finishing
- Finish with crushed potato chips and chopped chives.
