Apple Omelette

This sweet apple omelette takes the breakfast omelette in a dessert direction, French-style. Paper-thin apple slices macerate in rum and sugar before being folded into beaten eggs and cooked into a tender, fruit-studded omelette. Set the whole thing on fire at the table with a hot rum flambé and you’ve got a showpiece dessert that takes 20 minutes from start to flames.

The paper-thin apple slicing matters more than anything else. The apples barely cook in the omelette’s quick stovetop turn, so they need to be sliced thin enough to be tender already. A mandoline gives you the most consistent paper-thin slices; a sharp knife works with patience. Anything thicker than 1/16 inch and you’ll bite into raw apple chunks.

Macerating the apples in rum (or lemon juice for non-alcoholic) and sugar serves multiple purposes. The acid prevents browning, the sugar draws out apple juice that mixes with the rum into a light syrup, and the brief rest softens the apples a touch.

Use a quality firm baking apple. Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, or Braeburn slice cleanly and have enough acid to balance the sugar. Avoid Red Delicious; it’s too soft and bland.

For the flambe, warm the rum slightly before pouring over the omelette and lighting. Cold rum doesn’t ignite cleanly, while warm rum (not hot) catches a clean blue flame. Use a long match and stand back. Keep pouring the flaming rum over the omelette until the alcohol burns off.

Pro Tips

• Use a non-stick or well-seasoned pan. Sweet egg mixtures with sugar are extra prone to sticking, and a torn omelette ruins the presentation.
• Cook the omelette in butter, not oil, for the right rich flavor and beautiful golden color.
• The flame is theatrical but optional. Skip it for a kid-friendly version and finish with a dust of powdered sugar instead.

Variations

• Substitute pears or peaches for the apples in season for different fruit flavors.
• Add ¼ teaspoon of cinnamon or ⅛ teaspoon of cardamom to the apple mixture for warming spice.
• Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for full restaurant-style decadence.