The Preparation of the Soufflé with Cooked Ham

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •1.5-quart (1.4-liter) straight-sided soufflé dish
• •Parchment paper and kitchen twine
• •Food processor
• •Fine-mesh sieve or tamis
• •Electric mixer and scrupulously clean mixing bowl
• •Digital scale
• •Small heavy saucepan and flexible spatula
• •Instant-read thermometer, optional

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare dish and oven

   Heat the oven to 375°F (190°C) with a rack in the lower third. Brush a 1.5-quart (1.4-liter) straight-sided soufflé dish with half the butter, working upward from base to rim so the rising mixture meets no dry patches. Wrap a buttered parchment collar around the outside, extending about 3 inches (7.5 cm) above the rim, and secure it with kitchen twine. Set the dish on a baking sheet.

2. 2

   Concentrate ham essence

   Put the unsalted ham cooking liquor in a small saucepan and boil it down to 2 teaspoons (10 ml / 10 g). It should taste distinctly of ham without tasting aggressively salty. If the original liquor is already salty, dilute it with a little water before reducing; concentration is the purpose here, not added salt. Set this ham essence aside.

3. 3

   Build the Béchamel

   Melt the remaining butter over medium-low heat, add the flour, and stir for 2 minutes to cook a roux blanc, a white roux that stays pale and smells faintly of warm biscuits. Add the milk in small installments, whisking each one smooth before the next, then whisk in the cream and simmer gently for 4 to 5 minutes. The Béchamel should fall from the whisk in a broad, creamy ribbon. If lumps form, ça se rattrape: press the sauce through the fine sieve and return it to the pan. Measure 2¼ tablespoons (34 ml / 35 g) into a shallow bowl and chill it over ice until very cold. Reserve exactly 7 tablespoons (105 ml / 110 g) for the hot portion; the little extra in the pan covers transfer losses.

4. 4

   Pound and sieve ham

   Put the chilled diced ham in the food processor and work it to a fine paste, stopping often to scrape down the bowl. Add the very cold Béchamel in three small additions, processing each completely into the ham before adding the next. Press the resulting purée through a fine-mesh sieve with a flexible scraper, working in small batches. The processor replaces the mortar, but the sieve stays; it removes the last resistant fibers and gives the soufflé its fine, tender crumb.

5. 5

   Finish the ham base

   Put the sieved ham purée in a clean sauté pan. Bring the reserved 7 tablespoons (105 ml / 110 g) of Béchamel to a boil, whisk in the reduced ham essence, and stir the hot sauce into the purée in three additions until perfectly smooth. If the base is loose enough to pour, stir it over low heat until the spatula leaves a track for a moment; if it has tightened into a paste, gentle warmth will restore its suppleness. Remove it from the heat and wait 2 minutes, then beat in the yolks one at a time. Fold in the Parmesan now, if using. Transfer the base to a broad bowl and cool until barely warm, about 105°F (40°C); a hot base cooks the whites before the oven can lift them.

6. 6

   Whip the whites

   Set aside 1 tablespoon of the measured egg whites. Beat the remainder in a scrupulously clean bowl until soft peaks form, then add the reserved white gradually and continue beating until the peaks stand stiff but remain smooth and glossy. Stiff does not mean dry. If the whites begin looking grainy, the reserved liquid white will bring them back together; beat only until the surface smooths, then stop.

7. 7

   Fold and fill

   Whisk one-quarter of the beaten whites firmly into the warm ham base. This first addition is sacrificial: let it disappear, because its job is to loosen the dense purée so the remaining whites can keep their air. Fold in the rest in two additions, cutting down through the center, sweeping across the bottom, and lifting the base over the whites. Stop when only a few pale streaks remain. Scrape the mixture into the prepared soufflé dish, smooth the surface lightly, and run a clean thumb around the inside rim. If making the full joint presentation, reach instead for the prepared Jambon Soufflé (No. 1421) ham form and use this mixture exactly as that separate entry directs; its boning, banding, shaping, and moist poaching remain whole in that recipe.

8. 8

   Bake and serve

   Bake immediately for 30 to 35 minutes without opening the oven during the first 25. The soufflé is ready when it stands well above the collar, its crown is deep butter-gold, and the center gives only a slight tremble; an instant-read thermometer inserted discreetly near the center should register at least 160°F (71°C). If the top colors too quickly after 25 minutes, lay a loose sheet of foil above it without touching the crown. Remove the collar and carry the dish straight to the table. Every soufflé settles a little after leaving the oven, which is its nature, not a failure. Never apologize at your own table. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Choose lean, plainly cooked ham with a clean pork flavor. Sweet glaze, assertive smoke, or injected water will follow the meat into every bite; this preparation concentrates what you give it.
• •The three-quarter scaling is deliberate: 12 ounces of ham, 2¼ tablespoons of cold Béchamel, 7 tablespoons of hot Béchamel, three yolks, and 135 grams of whites. We reduce the brigade quantity, never the proportions that make it rise.
• •Do not skip the sieve after using the processor. The machine handles the old mortar's labor, but only the sieve removes the last ham fibers. Cooking well is not cooking fancy, but this particular refinement is the dish.
• •Parmesan is the book's own optional addition, and 3/4 cup finely grated preserves its proportion. Use it when you want a rounder, saltier soufflé, but let the ham remain the first flavor.
• •Seat everyone before you fold the whites. Serve the soufflé with a sharply dressed green salad and a dry, lively white wine; it needs acidity beside it, not another rich sauce.

Advance Preparation

• •The Béchamel and ham essence may be made up to one day ahead. Chill them separately with parchment pressed directly against the Béchamel's surface, then measure and reheat only the hot portion when needed.
• •The ham may be processed with its cold Béchamel and passed through the sieve up to six hours ahead. Cover and refrigerate it, then warm it gently before adding the hot Béchamel and yolks.
• •Butter and collar the soufflé dish earlier in the day. Nothing after the whites are beaten waits well; fold, fill, and bake in one uninterrupted movement.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 175g)