IHOP Spicy Poblano Omelette

Home reconstruction

Poblanos have a thick, waxy skin that does not break down with the gentle heat of an omelette. Diced raw and folded in, you get bitter, chewy strips that peel away from the flesh as you eat.

Roast and peel them. It takes ten minutes, it removes the skin entirely, and it converts the pepper from grassy and slightly bitter to sweet and smoky. Every poblano dish in every restaurant kitchen starts this way.

Roasting them properly

Under a hot grill, turning, until the skin is blackened and blistered all over. Not browned — blackened. A pepper that is only browned will not peel.

Then into a bowl with a plate over it for ten minutes. The trapped steam lifts the skin away from the flesh, and afterwards it comes off in sheets with your fingers.

Do not rinse them under the tap to speed it up. It works, and it washes away most of the smoky flavour you just spent ten minutes creating.

The omelette itself is a low-heat job

Restaurant omelettes of this style are pale and tender, not browned. That means a lower heat and more patience than most people use at home.

Medium-low, and pull the set edges into the middle so the liquid egg runs underneath. Repeat until there is only a thin film of wet egg on the surface, then add the filling and fold. The residual heat finishes it.

An omelette cooked hot enough to brown has tightened its proteins and squeezed out water. That is the rubbery, weeping omelette.

What you need

• 2 poblano peppers
• 6 large eggs
• 3 tbsp double cream or whole milk
• 90 g pepper jack cheese, grated
• 60 g cheddar, grated
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 1 jalapeño, deseeded and finely diced
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1/4 tsp ground cumin
• salt and black pepper
• fresh coriander, to serve

Method

1. Grill the poblanos, turning, until blackened all over. Into a covered bowl for 10 minutes, then peel, deseed and slice.
2. Soften the onion and jalapeño in 1 tbsp butter for 5 minutes. Add the cumin and the sliced poblano, one minute more. Set aside.
3. Beat 3 eggs with half the cream, a pinch of salt and pepper. **Beat until just combined, not frothy** — air makes an omelette souffle up and then collapse.
4. Medium-low heat, 1/2 tbsp butter, pour the eggs in.
5. As the edges set, pull them to the centre and tilt the pan so the raw egg runs into the gap.
6. When only a thin film of wet egg is left on top, scatter over half the filling and half the cheeses.
7. Fold in three, slide onto a plate, and let it sit a minute.
8. Repeat for the second omelette.

The minute of resting

The centre of a folded omelette is still slightly underdone when it leaves the pan, and a minute on a warm plate finishes it with residual heat rather than direct heat. That is how you get a set omelette that is still tender.

How hot is it

Poblanos are mild — roughly a tenth of the heat of a jalapeño. The jalapeño is doing most of the work, so deseed it if you want this gentle and leave the seeds in if you do not.

Storing

Omelettes do not keep. Eat them immediately.

The roasted poblano and onion filling keeps three days in the fridge and freezes for three months, so roasting a batch of peppers is worth doing.