Mirka Mora was one of Melbourne’s most significant artists. She was also a dab hand in the kitchen, as she and husband Georges opened three cafés, which were frequented by Melbourne’s mid-century bohemian set. Mora’s specialty was her omelettes, which you can now learn to cook at home.
Heide Museum of Modern Art has released one of Mirka Mora’s omelette recipes, taken directly from the notebooks of the artist herself. The recipe for ‘Omelette a la Parisienne with Sauce Bercy’ was released on Instagram in the lead-up to Mother’s Day (Mora had three sons with Georges) and was originally published in Mirka and Georges: A Culinary Affair – a book exploring the duo’s recipes, lives and Mora’s colourful art. This recipe has been republished with the permission of Heide Museum of Modern Art.
Omelette a la Parisienne with Sauce Bercy
Serves two for dinner or four for breakfast.
Ingredients for the omelette:
- 225g chipolata sausages
- 1 onion, chopped
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 6 button or small field mushrooms
- 8 eggs, lightly beaten
- Salt and pepper
- Freshly chopped parsley
Ingredients for the Sauce Bercy:
- 2 large shallots, very finely chopped
- 1 ¼ cups dry white wine
- Lemon juice
- Salt and pepper
Method
To make the sauce, simmer the shallots in the wine until the liquid has reduced by half.
Add a good squeeze of lemon juice, season to taste and stir in the butter. Set aside.
Grill the sausages. Meanwhile, sauté the onion in a tablespoon of the butter until soft and golden, then set aside.
Using half the remaining butter, sauté the mushrooms very lightly, then add them and the onion to the eggs. Season with salt and pepper.
Melt the remaining butter in the frying pan and cook the omelette in the usual way.
Gently reheat the sauce, being careful not to let it boil.
Slice the sausages lengthways on the diagonal. Serve the omelette hot from the pan with the sausage slices on top and the sauce on the side.
Garnish with parsley and eat with hot, crusty bread.
If you try your hand at making Mora’s omelette recipe, Heide is encouraging you to share your creations with them on Instagram using the #heideathome. You can also buy Mirka and Georges: A Culinary Affair from the Heide online shop.
Heide also has plans to open a "healing garden" later this year.
Here's what we know so far about when Melbourne's arts scene can reopen.