… i’ve just got back from a work trip to Belfast and Dublin and a jolly old time I had too… it was full-on work so there was very little actual time for seeing either beautiful city but I did get to meet some adorable folk who were so welcoming and I ate the most incredible sushi in Belfast at a restaurant called Zen… it was so fresh and quite sublime and even though the restaurant was having their Christmas party and we arrived quite late they insisted that we stay and eat… on the other hand we stayed at the most pretentious hotel in Dublin called The Gibson which had a proper case of the Emperors New Clothes… it was cold and un-inviting, the food was bad and it took the bar staff 30 minutes to look-up and then make a whiskey sour… not good. It still amazes me how, as guests, we seem to pander to the whim of the chef when surely we should be the one’s who should be looked after? How difficult is it to make a decent caesar salad?… One day I shall be held in reverence at one of these establishments and have a dish named after me… much like Arnold Bennet…
omelette arnold bennet
who’d a thunk you could cook an omelette in a slow-cooker – and who’d have thought you’d want to spend 2 hours cooking an omelette – but cook and omelette you can… and no ordinary omelette, indeed the arnold bennet is the king of omelettes… the writer Arnold Bennett was so delighted with the egg, smoked haddock and parmesan concoction that chefs at the Savoy hotel created for him, he insisted on it being made wherever he travelled. At the Savoy, Omelette Arnold Bennett remains a standard dish to this day… i’ve not actually been down to the Savoy to try it but after eating my home-made one I am sorely tempted.
3 large free-range eggs
150g smoked haddock – cut into chunks
fennel tops – thinly sliced (traditionally it would be spring onions but I didn’t have any and the fennel worked soooo well)
25g parmesan – finely grated
3 large free-range egg whites
salt and pepper
line your slow-cooker with greased proof paper… I went down the fiddly route of cutting and shaping but apparently you can buy slow-cooker liners
in a large bowl, beat the whole eggs then add the haddock, spring onions and parmesan and stir together
in another clean bowl beat the egg whites until soft peaks are formed, then gently stir this into the beaten egg mix and season
pour into the slow cooker and cook on low for 2 hours… the bottom will brown and crisp slightly but the top will remain pale and interesting, just how I like it… you can pop it under the grill for a few moments if you prefer
my inspiration comes from the brilliant book Slow Cooked by Miss South – the Queen of the Slow Cooker and of course I am entering this recipe into the Slow Cooked Challenge hosted so beautifully by Janice from Farmersgirl Kitchen. The theme this month is soup but i’ve bent the rules of this challenge so many times I think Janice has given up caring… I will no doubt be making a soup at some stage this month but until I do…
eat and of course, enjoy!
Unfortunately I'm not a fan of smoked fish but I must say your omelette looks delicious! Never thought of cooking one in my slow cooker, must give it a go 🙂
I did *not* know you could do an omelette in a slow cooker! I've not had the Arnold Bennett at the Savoy, but I have had it over the road at The Delaunay where it is sublime but insanely rich.
omelette in a slow cooker, who knew! Will definitely have to give this one a try
You are a very naughty boy, Dominic! The theme is not soup, its 'citrus' and I'm not seeing any in this omelette! But as you know, I have soft spot for you, you old rogue, so I'm turning a blind eye. I also love Omelette Arnold Bennet and I will be making that in MY slow cooker very soon.
Hee hee I love that Janice lets you get away with it. I do like an omelette or frittata made in the slow cooker, I think it is because I don't have to pay too much attention to it. This one sounds great, must try.
Emm….. I have never had an Arnold Bennet and never considered cooking an omelette in a slow cooker. An omelette is always fast food to me – something you throw together quickly for brekky or a snack or when the cupboard is bare! Although I have been known to have smoked salmon in one from time to time, and I am a fan of onions and cheese and cream in my eggs, so maybe I have had an Arnold Bennet and hadn't even realised!
Looks like shit but I bet it tastes great
I agree with your comments about pretentious hotels, restaurants and chefs who provide poor service (and often poor food) yet expect us to worship them. If a dish ever gets named after you Dom, it will be “Thighs a la Franks”. (I mean chicken thighs, of course!)
What a clever way to cook omelette! Looks so yum…
Wow… this is very special. The omelet looks soft and like a cake. I think I will like it very much. Of course, I probably will try to add in more ingredients such as bacon, bell pepper or broccoli. 🙂
Lol @ Janice being a softie when it comes to you. I'm sure there will be a dish named after you. I didn't know you can cook an omelette in the slow cooker, but it sounds very clever. And looks scrummy too.
GREAT recipe and idea, and, I make my lemon curd in the slow cooker too, so many things can be made in it!