Soufflé de Tomates à la Napolitaine

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •10-inch (25 cm) wide skillet
• •Small heavy saucepan
• •1-quart (950 ml) straight-sided ceramic soufflé dish
• •Electric hand mixer or large balloon whisk
• •Flexible spatula
• •Fine grater
• •Rimmed baking sheet

Instructions

1. 1

   Reduce the tomato

   Purée the tomatoes and their juices until smooth, then pour them into a wide skillet. Bring to a lively simmer over medium-high heat, lower the heat to medium, and cook for 35 to 45 minutes, stirring more frequently as the purée thickens. Stop only when you have 1¼ cups (285 ml / about 340 g), a spatula dragged across the pan leaves a clean path for three seconds, and the purée falls from a spoon in a heavy mound rather than a stream. If it still flows at the measured volume, trust the texture and keep reducing. If a patch catches, transfer the clean purée to another pan without scraping up the scorched film and continue over gentler heat. Ça se rattrape. Spread the finished purée in a wide bowl and cool it completely.

   A wide skillet releases water much faster than a deep saucepan. Near the end, scrape the corners and pan floor constantly; the purée can move from properly concentrated to caught in a minute.
2. 2

   Make stiff Béchamel

   Melt 1½ teaspoons (7.5 ml / 7 g) of the butter in the smallest saucepan you own. Stir in the flour and cook this roux, the butter-and-flour foundation, for one minute without allowing it to color. Add the milk in three small additions, whisking each one smooth before adding the next. Simmer gently for 2 to 3 minutes until you have a very stiff Béchamel, the roux-bound milk sauce, which holds the ridges of the whisk. Measure exactly 2 tablespoons (30 ml / about 35 g) for the soufflé and let it cool. If it forms lumps, remove it from the heat and whisk firmly; strain it while warm if any remain.

3. 3

   Dress the macaroni

   Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil and season it with 1 teaspoon (5 ml / 6 g) of the salt. Add the macaroni and cook until just tender at the center but still holding its shape. Drain it thoroughly, return it to the dry hot pan for 30 seconds to drive away clinging water, then take it off the heat. Toss with 1 tablespoon (15 ml / 14 g) of the butter and ⅓ cup (80 ml / 28 g) of the Parmesan until lightly cohered. Spread the macaroni on a plate so it cools to just warm. If it looks wet after draining, dry it over low heat before adding the butter; loose water here would undo the tomato reduction.

4. 4

   Prepare dish and oven

   Set a rack in the lower third of the oven and heat it to 375°F (190°C), without convection. Butter the inside of a 1-quart (950 ml) straight-sided soufflé dish with the remaining 1½ teaspoons (7.5 ml / 7 g) butter, brushing upward from base to rim. Set the dish on a rimmed baking sheet for an easy, level transfer. The straight sides replace the old metal timbale honestly: they give the mixture a wall to climb.

5. 5

   Build the tomato base

   Combine the completely cooled tomato purée with the reserved 2 tablespoons of stiff Béchamel and the remaining ⅔ cup (160 ml / 57 g) Parmesan. Add the egg yolks one at a time, mixing each in fully before the next, then season with the remaining ¼ teaspoon (1 ml / 1.5 g) salt and the white pepper. The base should be dense enough to hold a furrow from the spoon. If it has loosened or begun to weep, return it to a clean pan before adding the yolks and reduce it gently again, then cool it completely.

6. 6

   Whip and fold

   Beat the egg whites in a spotless bowl until they form a firm, glossy froth whose peaks stand upright with only their tips bending. They must be stiff, as the original formula requires, but not dry or grainy. Fold one-third of the whites briskly into the tomato base to lighten it, then fold in the rest in two additions with broad strokes down through the center and up around the sides. Stop when only a few pale wisps remain. Chasing every streak presses out the air you have just built.

7. 7

   Layer without pressing

   Spoon one-third of the soufflé mixture into the buttered dish and spread it lightly. Scatter half the macaroni over it in a loose, even layer, keeping a narrow margin around the edge so the egg mixture can rise freely. Repeat with another third of soufflé and the remaining macaroni, then cover with the final third of soufflé mixture. Smooth the top with one gentle pass and wipe the rim clean. Do not press the layers together. If the dish is more than three-quarters full, bake the excess in a small buttered ramekin rather than overfilling it.

8. 8

   Bake and serve

   Transfer the soufflé to the oven immediately and bake it like an ordinary Soufflé for 28 to 34 minutes. Do not open the door during the first 24 minutes. It is ready when the crown has risen above the rim and turned deeply bronze, the edges feel set, and the center trembles without sloshing. If the center still moves like liquid, close the door gently and give it another 3 minutes. Carry the whole dish straight to the table. It will settle after the first spoon enters; that is the nature of a soufflé, not an apology. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Good canned whole tomatoes are the sound choice unless the market has fully ripe tomatoes with dense flesh. Pale winter tomatoes carry water and little else; the classical pantry solved that problem before the soufflé ever reached your oven.
• •Grate the Parmesan finely. Long, heavy shreds form dense pockets that interfere with the rise, while a fine grating melts through the tomato base and binds the macaroni evenly.
• •Use a straight-sided 1-quart (950 ml) dish. A broad gratin dish will still taste splendid, but it spreads the mixture outward and gives you less height; geometry matters more than ornament here.
• •Serve the soufflé beside roast chicken, veal, or a simply cooked fish, with a sharp green salad after it. A dry, brisk white wine has enough acidity for the tomato and Parmesan without crowding them.
• •Leftovers will not regain their rise. Spoon them into a small buttered gratin dish, cover lightly with Parmesan, and bake until bronzed at the edge. Cooking well is not cooking fancy.

Advance Preparation

• •The tomato purée can be reduced up to 2 days ahead. Cool it quickly, cover it, and refrigerate; bring it fully to room temperature before mixing in the yolks.
• •The stiff Béchamel can be made 1 day ahead with wrap pressed directly against its surface. Let it soften at room temperature and whisk it smooth before measuring the required 2 tablespoons.
• •Cook the macaroni shortly before assembly and beat the whites only when the oven and dish are ready. Once folded and layered, the soufflé must go directly into the oven.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 180g)