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1
Combine the flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Add the eggs, melted butter, orange flower water, lemon zest and rum or pastis if using. Mix until a rough dough forms, then turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead briefly until the dough is smooth and elastic. It should be soft but not sticky. Wrap tightly in cling film and rest at room temperature for a minimum of 2 hours. The dough is ready when it yields to a finger press without springing back at once.
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2
Divide the rested dough into manageable portions. Using a rolling pin on a well-floured surface, roll each portion progressively thinner — or drape the dough over floured fists and stretch by gently moving the fists apart, rotating the sheet as you go, as one would stretch strudel dough. Continue until the sheet is 1 mm or thinner. This is where the dish lives or dies: the sheet must be translucent enough to read a printed page through it. If the dough resists or tears, it has not rested long enough.
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3
Cut the translucent sheets into large rectangles or diamond shapes. To form the traditional ear shape, make a short central slit in each piece and pull one end through the slit to create a twist. Work quickly so the cut pieces do not dry out before frying.
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4
Heat clean frying oil to exactly 170 °C in a deep, wide pan. Lower the oreillettes in small batches — no more than two or three at a time — to avoid dropping the temperature. They puff dramatically within seconds and turn an even pale gold. Fry for 30 to 45 seconds per side. The surface should be uniformly coloured, without deep browning. Lift out with a spider or slotted spoon.
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5
Drain the oreillettes on absorbent paper for a few seconds, then dust immediately and generously with icing sugar while still hot. Arrange in stacked pyramids on a platter. They are ready to eat when they shatter cleanly at the first bite. Serve within a few hours of frying; they do not hold their crispness beyond that.