Breakfast with the Q: Quisp Cereal and a Quisp Omelet

If you're an old fart like me, you might have fond childhood memories of the original Quisp cereal. It was introduced in 1965 along with a companion cereal called Quake. Both of them were actually knock-offs of Cap'n Crunch - the same ingredients, flavor, and crunch as in the Cap'n, but in different shapes (Quisp was formed into little "flying saucers" and Quake was in the form of letter Qs.)  

Although eventually Quisp's popularity faded in the early 1970's and the cereal faded out of the national market, fans have long been nostalgic about it, and Quaker has never really pulled the plug on it.  Quisp has been available sporadically in test markets since the early 1980's, and it has also been "pop up marketed" by Quaker in an unusual way for a large corporation since the 1990's - A freestanding display would be set up in the cereal aisle of a supermarket, filled with boxes of Quisp, and remain until the display was sold out.  Quaker was able to keep interest in the cereal alive for quite awhile with this teasing sort of marketing unitl finally, in the early 2000s with the widespread use of this intertube doubleya-doubleya-doubleya-thing, Quisp became one of the first online-marketed cereals, consistently available through an online store.

I've always really like Quisp in no small part because, while it shares flavor and crunchability with Cap'n Crunch, it does not have the Cap'n's roof-of-the-mouth-destroying qualities (fans of Cap'n Crunch will know what I mean.)  I noticed the Quisp seemed to be returning to stores a couple of weeks ago, first appearing at the local Shop Rite and then showing up in Stop & Shop.  The box art references Quisp's reputation as a hard-to-find cereal, but also promises that it's going into wider distribution again, which is good news for fans.

It's also good news if you want to make a Quisp omelet.  Stop laughing.

Quisp Omelet
Serves 1

1 tablespoon butter
2 or 3 eggs as desired
Milk
Salt and pepper to taste
Mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup Quisp cereal

Melt butter in a skillet over medium-low heat until foamy.  Meanwhile, beat the eggs together with a splash of milk - just enough to temper the eggs, but not to dilute them.  Pour the eggs into the heated skillet and allow them to set slightly, pulling back the edges of the eggs to allow liquid egg to flow under the edges and start to cook.  Season the eggs to taste with salt and pepper.

When the eggs are starting to set and the top is getting tacky, sprinkle a line of mozzarella cheese down the center of the eggs.

Add half a cup of Quisp cereal.

Fold the sides of the omelet in to the center, wrapping the cereal and the cheese in a comfy blanket of egg.

Flip the omelet over briefly to cook the side with the fold, then remove to a plate and serve.

Enjoy your delicious Quisp omelet.

Ideally, the Quisp cereal should stay at least somewhat crunchy as it's folded into the omelet, but unfortunately the wet egg does have a bit of a tendency to seep in and soften the crunchiness out a bit.  Still, the sweetness of the Quisp lends a brown-sugar/honey sort of flavor to the omelet, which is really good served with sausage or ham.