Almost Arnold Bennett Omelette | Daily Mail Online

Almost Arnold Bennett Omelette

Food styling: Clare Lewis. Styling: Sue Radcliffe

Arguably the most decadent omelette ever devised – involving cream plus bechamel and hollandaise sauces – was created by a chef at London’s Savoy hotel for the novelist Arnold Bennett. This cheat offers much of the same pleasure as the original with slightly fewer calories!

Serves 4

10g unsalted butter

1 tsp vegetable oil

2 leeks, trimmed, halved lengthways and thinly sliced

sea salt, black pepper

grated nutmeg

300g lightly smoked skinned salmon fillets (ie, raw), cut into approx 3cm dice

5 medium or large eggs

80g grated gruyère or abondance hard cheese

coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley (optional) and lemon wedges, to serve

  •  Melt the butter with the oil in a 24cm nonstick frying pan over a medium-low heat, add the leeks, season and gently fry for about 5 minutes until softened and lightly coloured. Transfer to a large bowl and season with nutmeg.
  •  Heat the grill on high. Add the salmon to the pan and fry for several minutes until just cooked through and coloured on the outside. Gently fold into the leeks.
  •  Whisk the eggs with a little seasoning in a medium bowl.
  •  Tip out any fat in the pan, return to a medium heat, tip in the eggs and briefly scramble to start them setting and cook for 1 minute, scattering over the leeks, salmon and grated cheese. Pop under the grill for 2 minutes until the cheese has melted, and serve straight away with a scattering of parsley, if wished, and a squeeze of lemon.