Read Around My French Table Online
Authors: Dorie Greenspan
Carefully slide the baking sheet into the oven and bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center of the custards comes out clean. Transfer the baking sheet to a cooling rack and allow the custards to cool to room temperature.
(Once cooled, the custards can be covered and refrigerated for up to 2 days; bring them to room temperature before continuing.)
To make the topping, finely grate the remaining 2 ounces of cheese and sprinkle it evenly over the tops of the crèmes. If you've got a mini propane torch, pull it out and use it to brown the cheese evenly. If you're torchless, turn on the broiler and run the custards under it, watching ceaselessly and pulling the crèmes from the heat as soon as the cheese is golden. Serve immediately.
MAKES 6 SERVINGS
SERVING
The custards should be served as soon as the topping is browned. They need nothing more than a little spoon and a glass of Champagne or white wine.
STORING
You can bake the custards up to 2 days in advance and keep them tightly covered in the refrigerator; bring them to room temperature before finishing them. Once you've topped them, they should be eaten right away.
A dense, ivory-colored, nutty-flavored cow's-milk cheese, Comté is made in the Jura, the mountainous region that straddles France and Switzerland. In fact, it's that straddle that accounts for the differences between Comté and the more widely known Gruyère, since the process of making them, the look of the cheeses, and their flavors are almost identical.
The difference? Comté is French, Gruyère is Swiss. For a Comté to comply with the French A.O.C. (
appellation d'origine contrôlée
) designation, it must have holes (like—dare I say this and confuse things further?—what we call Swiss cheese), while a Gruyère, to be a true Gruyère, must not. Both cheeses are made in large wheels and bought by the thick slice or wedge. They are excellent solo—I always have a Comté or Gruyère on my cheese platter (my favorites are Comtés and Gruyères that have been aged, so that they are firmer and slightly saltier)—and terrific in the kitchen, because they melt smoothly. In fact, they are the cheese of fondue, whose name means melted. You can generally use Comté and Gruyère interchangeably.
T
HIS IS THE CLASSIC,
the soufflé that's served in the grandest restaurants and the most legendary bistros throughout France and the one that's got such a reputation for fussiness that novices don't dare attempt it. Really, the soufflé should be ashamed of itself, scaring off cooks for no good reason! There's nothing complicated about the dish, although there are three things you should know: 1) it's important to beat the egg whites until they hold firm peaks, but make sure they're still glossy—it's better to stop just shy of firm than to over beat the whites and have them separate into little puffs; 2) fold the whites into the soufflé base gently, so you don't knock out all the air you so carefully beat into them—again, less is more, and it's better to have a few streaks of unincorporated whites speckling the batter than to work the mixture too much; and 3) it's crucial to get your guests to the table before you pull the soufflé out of the oven—a soufflé's drama is fleeting.
| Fine dry bread crumbs | |
| 2½ | cups whole milk |
| 3 | tablespoons unsalted butter |
| 6 | tablespoons all-purpose flour |
| Salt and freshly ground white pepper | |
| Freshly grated nutmeg | |
| 6 | large eggs, separated |
| ½ | pound cheese, such as Gruyère, Emmenthal, or Swiss, grated |
Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Give the inside of a 6- to 7-cup soufflé mold a thick coating of butter. Dust with bread crumbs, tap out the excess, and set aside. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
Bring the milk to a boil in a medium saucepan; set it aside.
Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the flour and cook this mixture (a roux) for about 2 minutes, just long enough to rid the flour of its raw taste but not color it. Stirring with a whisk, slowly blend in the hot milk. When all the milk is incorporated and the béchamel is smooth, cook, stirring, for another 8 to 10 minutes, or until the sauce thickens—the whisk will leave tracks. Season the sauce generously with salt and white pepper and a little nutmeg. Pull the pan from the heat and pour the béchamel through a fine-mesh strainer into a medium bowl; allow the béchamel to cool for about 10 minutes.
(At this point, you can pack the béchamel into an airtight container and refrigerate it for up to 3 days; bring it to room temperature before using.)
One by one, whisk the yolks into the béchamel, then stir in the grated cheese.
Working in a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or in a bowl with a handheld mixer, whip the egg whites until they hold firm, shiny peaks. Stir one quarter of the whites into the béchamel to lighten it, then use a rubber spatula to gently fold in the remaining whites. Delicately turn the soufflé batter into the prepared mold, put the mold on the baking sheet, and slide the sheet into the oven.
Bake the soufflé for 40 to 50 minutes, or until it is well risen, golden brown, and firm to the touch but still a little jiggly at the center. If, after 25 to 30 minutes (don't even think about opening the oven door before the 25-minute mark), the soufflé is browning too much, carefully open the door and gently slide a piece of aluminum foil over the top.
Serve immediately.
MAKES 4 TO 6 SERVINGS
SERVING
Serve the instant you lift the soufflé dish off the baking sheet. Bring the soufflé to the table, bow to the applause, and then use a large spoon to scoop out portions.
"And I'd like six eggs, please, to make a cake," I told the
fromager.
And, even though I'd asked for
moyenne
(medium) eggs, because they correspond best to the large eggs I use in the United States, monsieur pulled a six-pack from the shelf and said, "I'm sorry, I've only got
gros
[large]. The mediums are extra-fresh, and it's not worth paying the higher price if you're going to bake with them."
While it might sound like a marketing expression, in France, "extra-fresh" is a real term on a use-by sticker. Farm eggs will often come with two best-if-used-by dates. One is the fresh-until date, and the other is the extra-fresh-until date, which is about 2½ weeks earlier than the first date and usually about 9 days after the eggs were laid (and, yes, that date is also on the box or stamped on the eggs).
During those precious few days when the eggs are extra-fresh, they're meant to be eaten soft- or medium-boiled, or even raw. Extra-fresh is to eggs what sushi-grade is to fish. If you've got extra-fresh or organic eggs and you want to take full advantage of them, coddle them (
[>]
), make ruffly eggs (
[>]
), poach them (
[>]
), or use them in mayonnaise (
[>]
) or a mousse (
[>]
).
I
F THE MUENSTER YOU KNOW IS
the cheese sold at the supermarket deli counter, you're in for a wonderful surprise. True Muenster, the pride of Alsace, is a cow's-milk cheese that is cosseted to maturity and coveted by connoisseurs. It's one of those cheeses that is famous for its fragrance, which is big and bold (some might say room-clearing), and its flavor, which is far more subtle than you'd expect. It's great on a hunk of rye bread or on a wedge of apple or as the base of this soufflé.
| Fine dry bread crumbs | |
| About 7 ounces very cold French Muenster | |
| 1¼ | cups whole milk |
| 1½ | tablespoons unsalted butter |
| 3 | tablespoons all-purpose flour |
| Salt and freshly ground white pepper | |
| ¼ | teaspoon ground cumin |
| 3 | large eggs, separated |
Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Generously butter the insides of four 8-ounce soufflé molds. Dust with the bread crumbs, tap out the excess, and set aside. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
With a sharp paring knife, carefully slice away the rind from the cold cheese. Measure out 4 ounces of cheese (about how much you'll have left once you remove the rind) and cut it into ¼- to ½-inch cubes (you should have 1 cup).
Bring the milk to a boil in a small saucepan; set aside.
Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook this mixture (a roux) for about 2 minutes, to rid the flour of its raw taste but not color it. Slowly whisk in the hot milk. When all the milk is incorporated and the béchamel is smooth, cook, whisking constantly, for another 5 to 8 minutes, or until the sauce thickens—the whisk will leave tracks. Remove the pan from the heat, season the sauce generously with salt and white pepper, and stir in the cumin. Press the béchamel through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl and allow it to cool for 10 minutes.
(At this point, the béchamel can be refrigerated for up to 3 days; bring it to room temperature before continuing.)
One by one, whisk the egg yolks into the béchamel, then stir in the cubes of cheese.
Working in a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or in a bowl with a handheld mixer, beat the egg whites until they hold firm but still glossy peaks. Stir about one quarter of the whites into the béchamel to lighten it, then use a rubber spatula to gently fold in the remaining whites. Delicately divide the batter among the soufflé molds, filling each mold about three-quarters full. (If you have leftover batter, bake it in another mold or in an ovenproof coffee cup.)
Put the molds on the lined baking sheet, slide it into the oven, and bake the soufflés for 20 to 25 minutes, or until they are well risen, golden brown, and firm to the touch but still a little jiggly at the center. Serve now!
MAKES 4 SERVINGS
SERVING
Soufflés aren't hard to make, but once they come out of the oven, they're prima donnas: they demand to be served immediately, or all of your whipping and folding will fall. If you'd like, serve a little tomato and pepper salad on the side (see Bonne Idée).
BONNE IDÉE
Tomato and Pepper Salad.
This is a nice little salad for any dish that needs a colorful accompaniment, but it's particularly good with the soufflé. Toss together about 20 grape tomatoes, cut in half, ½ red bell pepper and 1 roasted red pepper, both diced, 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, and a pinch of ground cumin. Season with salt and pepper and, if you think the salad needs it, a drop of white wine vinegar.
P
ATRICIA WELLS, COOKBOOK AUTHOR,
cooking teacher, and friend, served this to accompany the Christmas goose we had at her house in Provence one year. I was crazy about the recipe, and when I asked if she'd give it to me, she said it was a variation of a recipe originally created by Michel Richard, the French chef who came to America forty years ago as a pastry chef and stayed to create several restaurants and write several books. The recipe is a brilliant play on the classic spaghetti carbonara, but, as Richard jokes, it contains zero carbs, since the pasta is replaced by steamed onions cooked al dente. While missing the carbs, the dish contains everything else that makes a carbonara so impossibly good, that being cream, bacon (or pancetta), butter (Patricia didn't use the butter and the dish was still excellent), Parmesan, and an egg yolk to thicken and smooth the sauce.
I went back to Paris and made the recipe two nights in a row for friends, each time serving it as a starter, my thinking being that the dish was so good it deserved to have the spotlight to itself. I must have been right, because my friends asked me for the recipe just as instantly as I had asked Patricia.
| 2 | pounds onions, halved, thinly sliced, and separated into half rings |
| 5 | strips bacon |
| ½ | cup cream (Patricia uses light cream) |
| 1 | large egg yolk |
| 1 | tablespoon unsalted butter |
| Salt and freshly ground pepper | |
| 2-3 | tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan |
The onions need to be steamed, so if you have a large steamer, set it up now; if not, put some water in a large pot, fit the pot with a steaming basket, and bring the water to a simmer. Put the onions in the steamer, cover the pot, and let them steam for 6 minutes, or until they are just "al dente." Remove the basket from the pot.
(You can do this up to 3 hours before serving. Let the onions cool, then cover them lightly.)
Lay the bacon slices in a cold skillet, place the skillet over medium heat, and cook, turning occasionally, until the bacon is crisp on both sides. Drain the bacon between layers of paper towels, then cut the strips crosswise into slender pieces.
(You can do this ahead as well.)
Just before you're ready to serve, whisk ¼ cup of the cream and the egg yolk together in a small bowl.
Place a skillet large enough to hold all the ingredients over medium-low heat and add the butter. When it has melted, add the bacon and pour in the remaining ¼ cup cream. Warm it for just 30 seconds, then scrape in the steamed onions, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring, until the onions are heated through, 2 to 3 minutes.