2023-07-06 16:12:37
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This article contains spoilers for the first two seasons of “The Bear.”
FX’s “The Bear,” a show about a family-run sandwich shop in Chicago transitioning into a fine-dining restaurant, depicts a lot of crave-worthy food in its second season. There’s the day Sydney Adamu (Ayo Edebiri) spends eating at restaurants across the city, the time Marcus (Lionel Boyce) spends in the pastry kitchen at a high-end restaurant in Copenhagen, and the pasta Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White) makes for his love interest Claire (Molly Gordon), to name a few.
But the food that I’ve seen talked about and even replicated the most on my social media feeds is an omelet Sydney makes for Natalie “Sugar” Berzatto (Abby Elliott) in the season’s penultimate episode, aptly titled “Omelette.”
Get the recipe: ‘The Bear’ Boursin Omelet With Potato Chips
What makes this omelet so hunger-inducing is the line of Boursin cheese piped down the middle before it gets rolled up and then a sprinkling of crushed sour cream and onion potato chips — “The type with the ridges,” Sydney specifies.
According to the show’s culinary producerCourtney Storer, the Boursin Omelet With Potato Chips was inspired by chef Ludo Lefebvre’s Bours omelette (sans potato chips). The omelet on the show starts with Sydney whisking the eggs through a mesh strainer. While I am loath to dirty the extra dish, straining the eggs achieves an extremely smooth texture with no streaks of egg whites or bubbles. Made in the French style, the omelet is cooked so that the eggs don’t brown on the bottom and are baveuse, or still wet on top.
The cheese melts into the eggs for an extremely creamy center like I’ve never had before. Lefebvre recommends the cracked black pepper flavor of Boursin in the recipe he shared online, but in my re-creation, I opted for the garlic and herb version to mimic the flavors of the potato chips. (Or you could use whatever flavor of soft, spreadable cheese that you want to make the dish your own. The show does not specify which flavor of cheese is used.)
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Thanks to the cheese, the potato chips and a sprinkling of chives, the dish is full of onion-y, herb flavor with textural contrast between the creamy, supple omelet and the crisp chips.
“I could cry,” Natalie said after taking her first bite.
While the flavor of the omelet is delicious, what truly makes it special is the care it represents, which is what great hospitality is all about.
At this point in the series, Natalie is well into her pregnancy while also serving as the manager of the soon-to-reopen restaurant. As the team gets ready for their friends and family debut, Natalie is looking the worse for wear and says she hasn’t eaten. After initially turning down Sydney’s offer to make her something, Natalie asks for an omelet. Sydney sees someone in clear need of nourishment and jumps at the chance to provide it.
This scene speaks to part of what drew Sydney — and others both on the show and in real life — to food in the first place. Cooking and serving others can help foster a sense of connection and satisfaction.
How to make your best omelet yet
In a conversation with Carmy, Sydney calls the act of making an omelet for Natalie the best part of her day.
“You like taking care of people,” he responds.
Get the recipe: ‘The Bear’ Boursin Omelet With Potato Chips
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