Soufflé de Volaille with Cooked Meat

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Food processor
• •Fine drum sieve or sturdy fine-mesh sieve
• •Flexible bowl scraper
• •Heavy saucepan
• •Electric hand mixer or stand mixer
• •Large mixing bowl
• •Broad silicone spatula
• •2-quart (1.9-litre) straight-sided soufflé dish
• •Instant-read thermometer

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare dish and oven

   Set a rack in the lower third of the oven and heat it to 350°F (180°C). Butter the bottom and sides of a 2-quart (1.9-litre) straight-sided soufflé dish, making upward strokes around the wall, then chill the dish while you prepare the mixture. Butter alone belongs here, with no flour or cheese coating added to the source formula.

   The deep, straight wall is the home equivalent of the timbale. A shallow gratin dish spreads the mixture too thinly and trades the soufflé's proud rise for a broad baked mousse.
2. 2

   Pound and pass

   Put the cold cooked chicken in a food processor and work it until finely pounded, stopping often to scrape the bowl. Add the cold reduced Béchamel a spoonful at a time and continue processing until the preparation becomes a dense, even paste. Press it firmly through a tamis, a fine drum sieve, or the finest sturdy sieve you own, using a flexible scraper. Scrape every bit from the underside. The processor replaces the mortar, but it does not replace the tamis; passing removes fibres the blade leaves behind and gives the finished soufflé its fine crumb.

3. 3

   Warm the base

   Transfer the passed mixture to a heavy saucepan and warm it over the lowest heat, stirring and scraping constantly, until it is hot throughout but never bubbling, about 140°F (60°C). Take the pan off the heat and beat in the cubed butter until completely absorbed. Let the base stand for 2 minutes, then beat in the yolks one at a time. If the pan catches or the mixture begins to bubble, lift it off immediately, move the unscorched portion to a clean bowl, and pass it through the sieve again. If the yolks form a few visible flecks, the same warm sieve rescue will remove them. Ça se rattrape.

   The base should fall heavily from the spoon but remain supple enough to fold. A loose base cannot support the whites; a dry one crushes them.
4. 4

   Whisk stiff whites

   Put the egg whites in a spotlessly clean, dry bowl. Whisk slowly until foamy, then increase the speed and beat until the whites hold stiff, glossy peaks. Stop while they still look smooth and moist. Dry, granular whites resist folding and break into little clumps, taking their air with them.

5. 5

   Fold without crushing

   Stir one-quarter of the whites firmly into the warm chicken base to loosen it. Add half the remaining whites and fold with a broad spatula, cutting down through the centre, sweeping across the bottom, and turning the mixture over itself. Repeat with the final whites just until no large white streaks remain. Scrape the mixture into the prepared dish without banging it, smooth the top lightly, and run a clean thumb around the inside rim to free the edge. Put it in the oven at once.

6. 6

   Bake at moderate heat

   Bake without opening the oven for the first 25 minutes. Continue for 10 to 15 minutes more, until the soufflé stands well above the rim, its crown is deep butter-gold, and the centre gives a small, resilient tremble rather than a liquid slosh. A thin skewer inserted near the centre should emerge moist but without raw paste, and the centre should reach at least 160°F (71°C). If the crown colours too quickly after the first 25 minutes, lay a loose sheet of foil over it and finish baking.

7. 7

   Sauce and serve

   During the final 10 minutes, warm the finished Suprême sauce gently according to its own formula, keeping it short of the boil. Bring the soufflé straight to the table in its dish. Open it with a serving spoon, lift generous portions onto warmed plates, and spoon the Suprême sauce alongside or just beneath each serving, never over the whole crown. A soufflé waits for nobody. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Use plainly cooked breast meat, poached or gently roasted, with the skin, bones, and any firm browned edges removed. It must be cold and reasonably dry before pounding; warm or wet chicken makes a loose, fibrous paste.
• •The reduced Béchamel should be cold and thick enough to hold the track of a spoon. If it runs, reduce it further in its own pan and chill it again before beginning. The concentration is part of the dish, not brigade decoration.
• •The Béchamel and Suprême sauce carry the seasoning here. Don't add nutmeg, herbs, cheese, or pepper to the soufflé out of habit; the source formula keeps the flavour cleanly on chicken, butter, and cream.
• •Use real butter in both the base and the dish. Margarine brings extra water and an alien flavour to a preparation whose whole structure depends on a concentrated base. We don't apologize for butter.
• •Suprême sauce belongs beside each portion, not poured over the whole soufflé. The sauce should enrich the bite while the crown remains tall and bronzed.

Advance Preparation

• •Cook and chill the chicken breast up to 1 day ahead. Keep it covered and cold, then blot away any surface moisture before pounding.
• •The chicken and cold Béchamel can be processed and passed through the tamis up to 8 hours ahead. Press wrap against the surface and refrigerate it; warm the base and add the butter, yolks, and whites only when you are ready to bake.
• •Prepare the reduced Béchamel and finished Suprême sauce ahead according to their own formulas. Chill them promptly, then warm only the Suprême sauce for service.
• •Do not hold the folded mixture or the baked soufflé. Once the whites enter, the dish goes directly into the oven, and once it rises, it goes directly to the table.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 275g)