French Classics Made Easy (57 page)

5.
Bake until the souffléed omelet colors but does not rise, 4 to 5 minutes.

6.
Dust with the confectioners’ sugar and serve immediately.

IN ADDITION

There are also first-course or savory souffléed omelets. For example, a souffléed cheese omelet can be prepared by mixing grated cheese with beaten egg yolks and folding stiffly beaten egg whites into this mixture. Pour into a buttered omelet pan and cook for a few minutes over medium heat, then finish in a hot oven with a little cheese sprinkled on top. Slide the souffléed omelet from the pan to a warm serving plate or platter and serve.

APRICOT SOUFFLE

[SOUFFLÉ À L’ABRICOT]

This is an example of a fruit soufflé made without the traditional pastry-cream base. Fruits with a lot of pulp and not much liquid, such as apricots, produce a thick base when puréed. The base can then be simply sweetened and mixed with beaten egg whites to produce a very light and luscious dessert. Fruit soufflés prepared this way are lighter and will rise faster than traditional pastry-cream soufflés and require less baking time. Generally they will rise in 8 minutes or less.

For this recipe I use the principle of puréed fruit as a soufflé base, but substitute dried California apricots (I find their flavor more intense than the Turkish variety) for fresh ones because they are available year-round. The apricots are puréed in a blender with hot water to replace the fruit’s natural moisture and to soften them.

Other fruits you can try are mangoes, pears, and papayas. With fresh fruit it is not necessary to add water. If the fruit needs sweetening, the sugar should be beaten with
the stiff egg whites to dissolve it, or use Heavy Sugar Syrup (
page 359
) instead.

SERVES 4

Butter and granulated sugar, for the soufflé mold

About ¾ cup (100g) dried California apricots

¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon (75g) granulated sugar

¾ cup hot water

2 tablespoons orange liqueur, such as Triple Sec, Cointreau, or Grand Marnier

5 egg whites

⅛ teaspoon cream of tartar

Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

1.
Preheat the oven to 475°F with the oven rack in the lowest position. Butter and sugar a 4-cup soufflé mold.

2.
Place the apricots in a blender (see Note). Dissolve the granulated sugar in the hot water and add to the blender. Add the orange liqueur. Blend until smooth. Transfer to a large bowl.

3.
In second large bowl, beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar until stiff peaks form. With a whisk, fold one-third of the stiffly beaten egg whites into the apricot mixture to lighten it. With a rubber spatula, fold the remaining whites into the mixture until it is smooth. Pour the soufflé batter into the prepared mold and level the surface with a spatula. Run your thumb around the top of the mold to clean off any excess batter.

4.
Bake the soufflé for 5 minutes. Lower the temperature to 425°F and bake until the soufflé has risen 3 to 4 inches above the top of the mold and is springy to the touch, another 3 to 4 minutes.

5.
Dust the soufflé with confectioners’ sugar and serve immediately.

P
REPARING
S
OUFFLES FOR THE
O
VEN
A
HEAD OF
T
IME

To find out just how far in advance you can make your soufflés, I suggest that you try the following: Make any of the soufflés in the book up to the point of baking, and instead of pouring the batter into a 4-cup mold, pour it into individual (¾- to 1-cup) molds. Place one of the molds in your freezer, one in your refrigerator, one on your kitchen counter, and one in your oven. Baking time is only about 5 minutes. You should have no problems with the first one baked. Bake the one that is sitting on your counter 2 hours later, the one in the refrigerator the next day for lunch, and the one from the freezer the following week. If all bake as well as the first, your advance preparation can be done at any time.

NOTE

The freezer method works only for individual-size molds. The surface of the larger ones tends to dry out and crack in the freezer, preventing them from rising when baked.

NOTE

If you have only a food processor, soften the apricots in the hot water first before puréeing them (with the water).

GRAND MARNIER SOUFFLE

[SOUFFLÉ AU GRAND MARNIER]

One of the most popular dessert soufflés is the
soufflé au Grand Marnier,
yet it is but one of many soufflés that can be made with liqueurs. Use any of your favorite liqueurs in place of the Grand Marnier and produce a soufflé with the name of the liqueur. (Don’t be tempted to add any more liqueur than called for in the recipe, for if too much is added, it will fall out of suspension and end up on the bottom of the soufflé dish in a liquid or pasty mass.)

SERVES 4

Butter and granulated sugar, for the soufflé mold

1 cup milk

3 egg yolks

¼ cup minus 2 teaspoons (50g) granulated sugar

3 tablespoons (25g) all-purpose flour

4 egg whites

⅛ teaspoon cream of tartar

¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Grated zest of 1 orange

¼ cup Grand Marnier

Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

1.
Preheat the oven to 475°F with the oven rack in the lower third. Butter and sugar a 4-cup soufflé mold.

2.
In a small saucepan, bring the milk to a boil over medium heat.

3.
While the milk is heating, whisk the egg yolks and granulated sugar together in a small bowl. Add the flour and mix well, until smooth and free of lumps.

4.
Thin the egg yolk mixture with about ¼ cup of the warm milk. When the remaining milk begins to boil, add it to the egg yolk mixture and stir well. Return the mixture to the saucepan and whisk rapidly over medium-high heat, making sure to whisk the bottom and the sides of the pan until the mixture thickens and boils, about 1 minute.

5.
Cook the pastry cream an additional 2 minutes over medium heat, whisking while it boils gently, until it becomes shiny and is easier to stir. Remove the pan from the heat and cover to keep warm.

6.
In a large bowl, beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar until stiff peaks form.

7.
Pour the pastry cream into a large bowl and stir in the vanilla, grated orange zest, and Grand Marnier.

8.
Fold one-third of the stiffly beaten egg whites into the pastry cream with a whisk to lighten it. Fold the remaining whites into the mixture with a rubber spatula until it is smooth. Pour the soufflé batter into the prepared mold and level the surface with the spatula. Run your thumb around the top of the mold to clean off any excess batter. (The
soufflé can be made ahead to this point; see “Preparing Soufflés for the Oven Ahead of Time,”
page 264
.)

9.
Bake the soufflé for 5 minutes. Lower the temperature to 425°F and bake until the soufflé has risen 3 to 4 inches above the top of the mold and it is golden brown in color and springy to the touch, another 4 to 5 minutes.

10.
Dust the soufflé with confectioners’ sugar and serve immediately.

IN ADDITION

As with most soufflés, the center of this Grand Marnier soufflé will be soft and creamy when cooked to perfection. Although a sauce is never necessary with a creamy-centered soufflé, I realize that many people feel that a soufflé is not complete without one. For those of you who are so inclined, Grand Marnier–flavored Crème Anglaise (
page 346
) or fresh Raspberry Coulis (
page 345
) should suit the purpose admirably.

VARIATIONS

M
OCHA
S
OUFFLE

[SOUFFLÉ MOKA]

Omit the vanilla, orange zest, and Grand Marnier. Add Coffee Essence (
page 358
) or instant coffee to taste to the warming milk in step 3. Taste the pastry cream in step 4, and if the coffee has made it too bitter, add up to 2 tablespoons sugar to the beaten egg whites in step 6 and beat again until stiff. Serve the soufflé with chocolate sauce made from 4 ounces (115g) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, ⅓ cup water, and 2 tablespoons Cognac (optional).

S
TRAWBERRY
S
OUFFLE

[SOUFFLÉ AUX FRAISES]

Replace the orange zest and Grand Marnier with 2 tablespoons kirsch and add to the pastry cream in step 7. Fold 1 cup diced strawberries into the pastry cream with the second half of the beaten egg whites in step 8.

CHOCOLATE SOUFFLE
WITH GRAND MARNIER

[SOUFFLÉ AU CHOCOLAT ET AU GRAND MARNIER]

This is an extremely light chocolate soufflé made from my basic chocolate mousse recipe with the addition of orange zest and Grand Marnier. A plain chocolate soufflé can be made by omitting them.

The soufflé mixture can also be baked in a water bath (
bain-marie
) for a little bit longer, to give you a
pudding au chocolat,
a wonderful, dense fallen soufflé dessert (see Variation).

SERVES 4

Butter and granulated sugar, for the soufflé mold

4 ounces (115g) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate

4 tablespoons (½ stick; 60g) unsalted butter

4 eggs, separated

Grated zest of 1 orange

2 tablespoons Grand Marnier

⅛ teaspoon cream of tartar

Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

1.
Preheat the oven to 475°F with the oven rack in the lowest position. Butter and sugar a 4-cup soufflé mold.

2.
In a small saucepan, combine the chocolate and butter and melt over low heat. Remove from the heat, whisk in the egg yolks, and pour into a large bowl. Stir in the grated orange zest and Grand Marnier.

3.
In a large bowl, beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar until stiff peaks form.

4.
With a whisk, fold one-third of the beaten egg whites into the chocolate mixture. Fold in the remaining egg whites with a rubber spatula. Pour into the prepared soufflé mold and level the surface with a spatula. Run your thumb around the top of the mold to clean off any excess batter. (The soufflé can be prepared ahead to this point; see “Preparing Soufflés for the Oven Ahead of Time,”
page 264
.)

5.
Bake the soufflé for 5 minutes. Lower the temperature to 425°F and bake until the soufflé has risen 3 to 4 inches above the top of the mold and is springy to the touch, another 4 to 5 minutes.

6.
Dust the soufflé with confectioners’ sugar and serve immediately.

IN ADDITION

I usually make this soufflé in advance and refrigerate it. When it is time for dessert, I ask my guests if they would like a chocolate mousse or soufflé. If the majority want a soufflé, I bake it. If they want mousse, it is served cold.

VARIATION

F
ALLEN
C
HOCOLATE
S
OUFFLE

[PUDDING AU CHOCOLAT]

A French
pudding
is basically a fallen soufflé. Follow the soufflé recipe through step 4, buttering a 4-cup soufflé dish or charlotte mold. Pour the soufflé mixture into the prepared mold. Place the mold in a deep roasting pan and fill with enough boiling water to come halfway up the sides of the mold. Place in the oven, reduce the temperature to 400°F, and bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. (The inflated puffed portion will drop back into the mold.) To serve, unmold onto a platter. The pudding can be served warm or cold and can be accompanied by Crème Anglaise (
page 346
).

Any of the soufflés in this book can be baked and unmolded using this method, if desired.

CREME CARAMEL

[CRÈME RENVERSÉE AU CARAMEL]

Crème renversée
au caramel,
commonly called
crème caramel
and known as
flan
in Spanish, is one of the world’s most popular desserts. It is a vanilla custard cooked in a caramel-lined mold, so that when it is unmolded it is covered with a liquid caramel sauce.