Artist’s Palate: Xavier Veilhan’s crouton omelette

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Xavier Veilhan’s crouton omelette
‘Joy No.3’ tray, £70, by Claudia Raimondo, for Alessi. Pan, £95, by Barnaby Tuke, for Crane Cookware. Table, £820, by Fritz Haller, for USM. ‘Namasté’ plate, £92 for three, by Jean Marie Massaud, for Kartell, from Amara. Fork, ‘41’, by Koichi Futatsumata, for Valerie Objects. ‘Easy’ tools, from £8, by Cecilie Manz, for Rig-Tig, from Skandium (Image credit: TBC)

Through sculpture, photography and painting, French artist Xavier Veilhan transforms the mundane into something arresting. His 2009 sculpture of steel horses galloping across the cobblestones of Versailles displays not just a firm grasp of history and drama, but also of anatomy and the physics of motion. This sense for the transformative is also evident in the kitchen. His crouton omelette is based on nothing more than day-old bread and yet it is, he says, ‘the most comforting, the kind of dish you prepare on Sunday evenings when there’s nothing left in the fridge’. Nothing except imagination.

Method

Not only easy to make, but also very heartening to savour!

Heat on medium heat some extra virgin olive oil in a pan.
Flip in the dry bread croutons.
Once the croutons become a crispy golden brown, add the battered eggs.
Add some parsley.
Make sure to serve the omelette moist and juicy!

This dish is very compatible with truffles.

As originally featured in the April 2017 issue of Wallpaper* (W*217)

INFORMATION

Xavier Veilhan will represent France at this year’s Venice Biennale. For more information, visit Xavier Veilhan’s website

Daven Wu

Daven Wu is the Singapore Editor at Wallpaper*. A former corporate lawyer, he has been covering Singapore and the neighbouring South-East Asian region since 1999, writing extensively about architecture, design, and travel for both the magazine and website. He is also the City Editor for the Phaidon Wallpaper* City Guide to Singapore.