French omelette, plain with chives and stuffed with sautéed mushrooms

Put just enough water in the pan to cover the bottom and bring it to a boil; while water is in it, the pan cannot get hotter than boiling water, which is the right temperature for butter to foam without burning.

Crack three eggs (for an eight-inch pan), season with salt before beating so the proteins tighten less and the omelette stays moist and tender, and beat with a fork until homogeneous.

Swirl the boiling water to even the temperature, then pour it out.

Add butter, which should foam immediately; spread it over the bottom and up the sides.

On fairly high heat, add the eggs and agitate with the back of a fork held just above the pan surface while shaking the pan, for the finest curds.

While still a little wet, tilt the pan away so the eggs collect at the far end, roll the omelette up with the tips of the fork tines, bang the pan so it rides up the edge, fold it over and turn it out seam down.

Rub a little butter over the outside for a glisten and top with chives; finish with sea salt and pepper on top if wanted rather than mixing pepper in. Lower heat gives a paler omelette.

Variation: for a richer, more tender omelette, add very fine cubes of butter to three and a half eggs before beating, so the butter melts as the eggs cook.

Variation: cook it the same way, flip it briefly to seal the bottom seam, roll it out and shape it into a torpedo with the fork.

Variation: for the filling, mushrooms sautéed in butter finished with a squeeze of lemon juice and soy sauce, seasoned with salt and pepper, and a little butter emulsified in on high heat into a sauce.

Variation: split the omelette open with a knife, spoon the filling inside, drizzle the sauce around and finish with chives.