In the first non-pilot episode of Columbo, Murder By The Book, our favourite TV detective makes an omelet. Well, he starts to make an omelet but we don’t get to see anyone eat it, as events interrupt his cooking session…
Work continues apace on the Columbo Cookbook test cooking, and yesterday morning I made myself an omelet exactly to the Lieutenant’s specifications. It was yummy. Omelets are not difficult to make of course, but you can tell that Columbo knows what he’s doing. The eggs, for example, are cracked into the bowl with one hand. Can you do that? I can’t!
Columbo says: “I’m the worst cook in the world, but there’s one thing I do terrific, and that’s an omelette. Even my wife admits it.” But he’s being modest here, as later on in the series, we see him cooking up Escalope de Veau au Cèpes which I also made this weekend and that is bloody delicious! Report on that soon!
So, after watching Columbo preparing his omelet several times, here’s approximately how the Lieutenant likes his eggs…
3 eggs
Roughly 25g cheese
1/2 a medium sized onion
Tablespoon butter
Break eggs into a bowl – with one hand if you can!
Grate cheese on the fine part of a cheese grater.
Put cheese in with eggs.
Slice onions and add to the eggs and cheese (Columbo eats a couple of bits of raw onion on the way).
Heat butter in a skillet / frying pan.
We hear the butter sizzling on the soundtrack, then Jack Cassidy turns up and spoils everything…
So for my version of Columbo’s omelet, I whisked everything up with a fork, poured it into the omelet pan once the butter was sizzling, and waited for the bottom to cook. I then popped it under a grill (broiler) to cook the top part and then I scoffed the lot! Columbo was kindly cooking his omelet to share with a murder victim’s wife, but I am VERY greedy. Mmmmmmm – eggs!
French version : “Madame Ferris, je suis un des meilleurs cuisinier du monde. Et ce que je fais de mieux, ben… c’est encore l’omelette. Ma femme est la première à le dire”. In French translation, Lt Columbo claims that he’s one of the best cook in the world.
Un des meilleurs cuisinier du monde? C’est fantastique! Merci beaucoup Cedric! This made my day, thank you so much for taking the time to let me know this – really made me laugh xx