98-Year-Old Mel Brooks Has a Breakfast Recipe Worth Buying Eggs For

Mel Brooks is one of Hollywood’s all-time greats. His movies, like Young Frankenstein and The Producers, are touted as some of the best comedies ever made. The 98-year-old is one of only 21 people with an EGOT (aka Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony awards). If all that isn’t illustrious enough, he also happens to be a good cook.

Brooks has sworn by one recipe for years. His late wife, the actress Anne Bancroft, said it’s “perfect.”

What is Mel Brooks’s recipe?

It’s an omelet with tomato and caramelized onions! Brooks first mentioned the omelet in a 2013 interview with Bon Appétit. He even shared a photo of the recipe written on a cocktail napkin.

Brooks says his style of omelet is called a baveuse. It’s a French method, so it’s different from the typical omelet you order at a diner. This kind of omelet is “well-done on the outside, soft and runny on the inside,” according to his recipe. This is a good method to use when you have fresh tomatoes—their high water content can make traditional omelets too wet. But if “soft and runny” is the goal, then fresh tomatoes will help you get there.

The blog Silver Screen Suppers tested the recipe straight from the napkin illustration. The author, Jenny Hammerton, said that it was the best omelet she’s ever made. As if I needed another reason to be impressed by Mel Brooks! Now he’s officially good at everything, from making you laugh to giving you a good reason to use your expensive eggs!