Apple Omelet
Steam two good sized apples and press them through a sieve, add to them two tablespoonfuls of powdered sugar, the well beaten yolks of three eggs, a tablespoonful of lemon juice, and stand aside to cool. When cold, stir into this carefully the well beaten whites of six eggs, turn into a greased baking dish, dust thickly with powdered sugar, and bake in a quick oven about fifteen minutes and serve at once or it will fall.
This is a sweet soufflé omelet rather than a folded omelet, and it behaves like one: it rises on beaten whites alone and begins to sink the moment it leaves the oven.
- Quick ovenRead "quick" as somewhere in the 400-450F range. Fifteen minutes at that heat sets the outside while the centre stays creamy; lower and slower gives a dense, weeping omelet.
- Egg countThree yolks to six whites is deliberate, not a misprint. Reserve the three spare yolks for custard or mayonnaise.
- The applesTwo "good sized" cooking apples yield roughly 1 to 1 1/4 cups of purée after sieving. Use a tart variety such as Bramley or Granny Smith; sweet dessert apples make the whole thing cloying against only two tablespoons of sugar. The purée must be genuinely cold before the whites go in or it will deflate them.
- Powdered sugarIn this period powdered sugar means finely ground white sugar, closer to today's caster or superfine than to confectioners' sugar, which contains cornstarch. Caster sugar in the batter, and either will do for the dusting on top.
- Folding"Stir into this carefully" means fold in a third of the whites to loosen the heavy apple base, then fold in the rest in two additions with a spatula. Streaks of unincorporated white are better than a batter you have knocked flat.
- The dishAn 8-inch round or oval baking dish, buttered, is right. Do not fill past two-thirds. Have the oven fully preheated and the dish ready before the whites are beaten.
- Serving"Serve at once or it will fall" is the hinge of the recipe. Carry it to the table straight from the oven and spoon it out there. It serves two generously, three modestly.
- DonenessThe top should be domed, browned and set, with a faint wobble at the centre when the dish is nudged. A skewer is unhelpful here; it will always come out damp.