Very Light Omelet

This recipe is not for the faint of heart.

4 large eggs
1/4 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt (or not)
1 tablespoon butter or margarine

Separate eggs, to do this you very gently crack the eggs (one at a time) on the edge of the counter (it works best for me). Take your thumbs and very gently crack the egg apart over a bowl, pouring the contents of the egg from one half of the shell to the other keeping the yolk in the shell halves.. In doing this the yolk will stay in the shell and the white will go into the bowl. Don't break the yolk. There is a kitchen tool that you can pour the whole egg into and the yolk will stay in the tool and the white will go into the bowl. If the yolk escapes into the bowl just take a large spoon and very carefully remove to another bowl – the egg white and the yolk do not like being separated.

Okay, so now we have the eggs separated. In a small bowl beat the egg whites and water until stiff, but not dry. In a separate bowl beat the egg yolks until very thick and lemon colored. Take the beaten egg yolks and fold into the egg whites, use a spatula or large spoon. Do not mix or stir, fold, see the glossary for the definition of "fold".

Heat the oven to 325 degrees. In a 10 inch skillet, iron is best as the handle can tolerate the heat, heat the butter until a drop of water sizzles when you drop it on to the butter. Pour the omelet mixture into the skillet, move the skillet around to level out the mixture (so it is even in the pan). Reduce the heat and cook slowly until the mixture is puffy and light brown on the bottom. (Lift the edge of the omelet with a spatula and take a quick look to check for color.)

Place the skillet in the oven and bake for about 12 to 15 minutes or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Remove skillet from the oven. Using a oven mitt tip the skillet and slip a spatula under the omelet. Fold the omelet in half carefully so as not to break it. Slip onto a heated plate and serve immediately.