Why it works: Sugar and rum are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 14% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,908 recipes. Both carry beta-damascenone, which smells apple, rose. The science ↓
Omelet Au Rhum
Ingredients
Directions
Make the omelet
Beat the eggs in a bowl until well mixed.
Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat and pour in the eggs.
Cook until the edges are set, then sprinkle powdered sugar on top.
Flame and serve
Ignite the rum in a large spoon using a lighted wooden taper.
Pour the ignited rum over the omelet just before serving.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.
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Sugar + rumtop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together2,908 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Egg + sugartop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Egg + rumtop 27% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,589 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Eggs
- Set into the omelet's structure as they cook, giving it a soft, tender texture.
- Powdered sugar
- Adds sweetness that balances the savory egg and the warm rum.
- Rum
- Adds aroma and flavor; igniting it burns off much of the alcohol while leaving the taste.
The step that matters
Igniting the rum. Rum must be warm enough for its alcohol vapor to catch fire, and the flame only lasts while alcohol burns off. Work with the spoon away from face and hair, and pour only just before serving so the flame and aroma are still present.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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