Editor’s note: Contributor Georgia Freedman says the sweet, savory combination of cheese and jam is an unlikely, but genius mix of flavors. We also recently explored a variety of sweet and savory condiments to go with cheese. While Freedman suggests this dish for breakfast, we think it would also make a soothing dinner.
The first time a friend offered me a cream cheese and jam omelet I was, frankly, horrified by the idea. Cream cheese, jam, and eggs sounded like a Frankenstein-ish combination of foods. Surely, I thought, eggs should be cooked with savory ingredients, like cheddar and vegetables, not something as sweet as jam. And cream cheese belonged on bagels or in baked goods.
It only took me one bite to realize how wrong I’d been. The sweet-savory-creamy combination was a revelation, a mix of breakfast and dessert all at once. Paired with a sweet jam, the eggs and the creamy cheese transformed, reminding me of eggy flans or rich Dutch baby pancakes. The dish was like a deconstructed version of my favorite desserts, and it quickly became a favorite low-effort meal. Over the years, I’ve played with this unusual dish, offering it to my family as a hearty weekend breakfast or even a surprising treat for dinner. I’ve also begun to experiment with the form, trying out different cheese options. However I make it, it’s always delicious.
Which Cheese Goes in an Omelet with Jam?
This dish works well with any relatively creamy, fairly mild cheese. Creamy ricotta works well in place of the cream cheese, giving the meal a blintz-like flavor and a pillowy texture. I’m particularly fond of using rich Bellwether Farms ricotta, because it maintains its robust structure without becoming grainy. Just be careful to add it when the eggs are almost set; you don’t want to cook it too long, or it will melt and lose its lovely pillowy quality. I’ve also made this dish with Marin French Cheese’s flagship Petit Breakfast Brie. The extremely mild cheese, which was developed to serve at breakfast (in an era when eggs could be scarce), is a great stand-in for the cream cheese and offers a nice melty texture when cooked.
But my favorite combination is actually jam and brie. A mild brie gives the dish a slightly salty, funky note that the original version doesn’t have, and this complexity takes the dish to another level. I also turn to Marin French Cheese for this version, because their brie (made near where I live, in California) is a sturdier cheese than most bries. Because it is not terribly gooey at room temperature, it can be sliced easily, and it melts at an even rate inside the eggs.
How to Cook An Omelet with Jam and Cheese
To keep your omelet from becoming too melty and gooey, you’ll want to have your eggs mostly cooked before you add your cheese and jam. Once your eggs are in the pan, use a spatula to push the edges around a bit, so that the liquid part of the eggs spill over the edges. You can even push the center of the eggs into ridges, breaking the bottom layer of eggs a bit so that the uncooked portion in the center hits the pan in some places. (These ridges will also form great pockets for your cheese and jam to sit in.) But after you’ve moved your eggs around a bit, let them sit and brown in the pan so that the outsides form a nice pancake-like structure that will be easy to fold over. Add the cheese and jam just before the eggs are done, particularly if you’re using soft cheese, and make sure to keep the fillings away from the edges—otherwise they will run into the pan fairly easily and leave you with a messy meal.
Omelet with Brie and Jam Recipe
Makes 1 serving
3 large eggs
1 pinch salt
1 grind fresh black pepper
1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 ½ oz brie, cut into ½” pieces
2 teaspoons jam (apricot or strawberry preferred)
1. In a small bowl, beat the eggs well with a fork. Season with it with the salt and pepper.
2. Melt the butter in a non-stick omelet pan over medium heat. When the butter is frothy, pour the egg into the pan, and use a rubber spatula to push the edges of the egg into the center of the pan, to create ridges throughout the pool of egg and to help the edges thicken up a bit.
3. Turn the heat down to low. Scatter the cheese into the egg so that the pieces for a line going horizontally across the center of the egg. Spoon the jam over the cheese, distributing it evenly.
4. Gently fold the top third of the egg over the filling, then fold the bottom third up over both. Cover the pan, and let the cheese begin to melt and the egg in the center begin to firm up, 30-60 seconds.
5. Gently slide the omelet onto a plate. Serve on its own or with a salad of soft greens.