- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 8 ripe tomatoes, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch dice
- 3/4 teaspoon coarse salt, plus more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, plus more to taste
- 21 large eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup grated Vermont Cheddar cheese
- 3/4 cup grated Gruyere cheese
- 2/3 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves, torn in half
- 8 ounces spinach, leaves picked and torn in half
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
- For garnish:
- 1 small leek, julienned
- 2 tablespoons snipped fresh chives
- In a medium saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add tomatoes, and simmer until almost all the liquid has evaporated, about 25 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper. Transfer tomatoes to a stainless-steel colander, and drain any excess liquid. Set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, combine eggs, salt, black pepper, nutmeg, and cayenne pepper. Lightly beat mixture with a fork.
- Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a 10-inch heat-proof, nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Pour one-third of the egg mixture, about 1 1/2 cups, into skillet. Using a rubber spatula, stir eggs until they just begin to set, about 1 minute. Sprinkle both cheeses on top. Using spatula, gently pull sides of omelet toward center so any uncooked liquid runs underneath. Cook until eggs have almost completely set, 3 to 4 minutes.
- Transfer the skillet to oven, and bake until fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove skillet from oven. Place a baking sheet on top of skillet, and invert skillet onto baking sheet, releasing the omelet layer; hold both baking sheet and skillet firmly so omelet doesn't slide. Set aside in a warm place.
- Carefully wipe out the hot skillet with a paper towel. Add 1 tablespoon butter, and melt over medium-high heat. Pour another third of the egg mixture into the skillet, and stir with the rubber spatula until the eggs just begin to set, about 1 minute. Add half of the reserved cooked tomatoes to the eggs. Using the spatula, gently pull sides of the omelet toward the center so any uncooked liquid runs underneath. When the eggs have almost completely set, spread the remaining tomatoes on top.
- Transfer skillet to oven, and bake until fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from oven, and place another baking sheet on top of skillet; carefully invert skillet to release second layer. Carefully slide on top of the first one, and set the two aside in a warm place.
- Wipe out the hot skillet with a paper towel. Add remaining 1 tablespoon butter, and melt over medium-high heat. Pour the remaining third of the egg mixture into the skillet, and stir with the rubber spatula until the eggs just begin to set, about 1 minute. Add half of the spinach and thyme; incorporate into the eggs. Using the spatula, gently pull sides of the omelet toward the center so any uncooked liquid runs underneath. When the eggs have almost completely set, spread remaining spinach and thyme on top.
- Transfer skillet to the oven, and bake until fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Invert the third layer onto a baking sheet, and slide on top of the other two layers.
- Transfer the three-layer omelet to a serving platter, and garnish with leeks and chives. Serve warm.