Ramp, Goat Cheese, Pink Peppercorn Omelette
It's ramp season again. I'll spare you the long soliloquy on my love of ramps. After buying a small garden of them recently, I had some leftover tops and bulbs the morning after a recent dinner.
After coming in from a morning of tennis, I looked in the fridge and realized what an amazing day was ahead of me. If I could start every day with ramps in the morning, I'd be a happy dude.
The key to my recent omelette success is the square nonstick griddle pan. I love the long, skinny omelettes the pan produces. I started by crushing about a teaspoon of pink peppercorns and toasting them in a dry pan for about 1 minute or so. I then sauteed the ramp bulbs in a bit of olive oil and salt for about 5 minutes on medium heat. As I waited for the ramps to cook, I whisked the pink peppercorns into a mixture of 2 eggs and 1 egg white. I like the addition of an egg white into my omelette - it ensures a light fluffiness without sacrificing the richness of the yolks.
Just when the ramps are al dente in texture, I added the green ramp tops to the pan and followed a minute later with the egg mixture. I crumbled in some fresh goat cheese just before rolling the omelette and sliding it onto my plate.
The combination of flavors in this brunch treat was stunning to me. The pink peppercorn provides a floral quality that marries perfectly with the creamy goat cheese and the richness of the eggs. The ramps accent this floral richness with the unique garlic/onion flavors I crave this time of year.
Plenty of ramp and pink peppercorn geekiness in the archives for your perusal.
Ah, yes. We weren't sure we would get to Union Square in time yesterday, but we scored four bunches of ramps, two of which I used for brunch this morning. I love ramps.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jenblossom/468569541/
Posted by: Jennifer Hess | April 22, 2007 at 01:34 PM
your ramp dishes are looking very tasty, jen!
Posted by: joe | April 27, 2007 at 05:49 PM