Why it works: Egg and butter are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 17% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 118,967 recipes. Both carry decanal, which smells soap, orange peel. The science ↓
Omelettes Soufflees
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a moderate oven”. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare the batter
Combine egg yolks, pounded sugar, bitter macaroons, candied orange-flowers, and salt in a small bowl. Mix well for a few minutes.
Whip egg whites until stiff peaks form in a separate bowl.
Gently fold the whipped egg whites into the yolk mixture.
Cook the omelette
Melt butter in an omelette pan over medium heat.
Pour the mixture into the pan.
As the omelette begins to set, stir gently.
Once it starts to color, fold it over and turn it out onto a serving dish.
Fold the ends underneath to create a round shape.
Place the omelette in a preheated oven at 350°F (175°C).
Glaze and serve
When it turns a nice yellow color, sift sugar over the top and glaze it.
Serve immediately.
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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Egg + buttertop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together118,967 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
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Sugar + buttertop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together98,233 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
-
Sugar + orangetop 20% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together19,212 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).
-
Orange + buttertop 23% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,301 recipes
Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
Sugar and orange barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 19,212 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Egg yolks
- Add richness and moisture, and help give the omelette its custard-like texture.
- Egg whites
- Whipped to stiff peaks, they trap air that lifts the omelette so it puffs and stays light.
- Pounded sugar
- Sweetens the omelette and helps the yolks stay smooth when mixed.
- Bitter macaroons
- Add almond flavour and a tender, slightly crumbly texture to the mixture.
- Fresh butter
- Greases the pan so the omelette releases cleanly and adds richness to the surface.
The step that matters
Folding the whipped whites into the yolks. Stiff whites hold the air that makes the omelette rise. Folding gently keeps that air in; stirring or beating it down makes the omelette dense and flat.
Swap the orange
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, sugar, butter):
- Vanillafits better
- Lemonfits better
- Raisinfits better
- Orangethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, sugar, butter. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
“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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