Soufflé au Parmesan

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •1 1/4-quart (1.2-liter) straight-sided porcelain soufflé dish
• •8-inch (20 cm) medium-fine tamis or sturdy fine-mesh sieve
• •2-quart (2-liter) heavy saucepan
• •Electric hand mixer or large balloon whisk
• •Flexible bowl scraper or broad rubber spatula
• •Parchment paper
• •Heavy baking sheet
• •Instant-read thermometer

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare oven and mould

   Set a rack in the lower-middle oven and heat it to 375°F (190°C), with a heavy baking sheet heating on the rack. Butter the base and sides of a 1 1/4-quart (1.2-liter) straight-sided soufflé dish. Cut a parchment strip long enough to circle the inside wall and stand about 2 inches (5 cm) above the rim; butter the face that will touch the mixture and press it snugly into the dish. This collar is the home equivalent of the source's buttered paper band and gives the rising soufflé somewhere to go.

   Use a straight-sided vessel. A shallow gratin dish spreads the mixture outward when the whole intention is to send it upward.
2. 2

   Cook the panade

   Whisk the flour and cold milk together in a heavy saucepan until no dry pockets remain, then add the salt, white pepper, and nutmeg. Set the pan over medium heat and stir constantly, scraping the base and corners. The mixture will thicken suddenly into a very firm panade. At the first heavy bubble, take it off the heat immediately, exactly as the original directs. If it clumps on the way, pull the pan off the heat and whisk hard until it loosens. Ça se rattrape: the tamis in the next step will catch any stubborn lumps.

3. 3

   Enrich and sieve

   While the panade is still hot, stir in the Parmesan and the 17 g of butter until both are completely incorporated. Beat in the yolks one at a time, working briskly so each disappears before it can set. Immediately rub the warm mixture through the tamis into a broad bowl, pressing firmly with a flexible scraper or wooden spoon and scraping the smooth paste from underneath. Do not skip this because the paste looks acceptable from above; the tamis removes cooked flour beads and fine strands of yolk that would mark the finished crumb. If the panade cools and becomes too stubborn to pass, set its bowl over barely warm water for thirty seconds and beat until pliable. Do not thin it with more milk, because the ratio is the structure.

   Pass the panade while it is warm. Once the Parmesan cools and the butter sets, the same job requires twice the force and gives a rougher result.
4. 4

   Whisk the whites

   Let the sieved panade cool until lukewarm but still supple. In a perfectly clean, dry bowl, whisk the whites until they hold stiff, glossy peaks that stand upright when the whisk is lifted. Stop there. Whites beaten to dry, separate clumps have lost the elasticity needed to expand in the oven; glossy and firm is the mark.

5. 5

   Fold with restraint

   Stir one-third of the whites firmly into the panade to loosen it. This first portion is sacrificed for structure, so gentleness gains you nothing. Add half the remaining whites and fold with a broad spatula, cutting down through the center, sweeping along the bottom, and turning the mixture over itself while rotating the bowl. Fold in the last whites just until no white pockets remain. If the panade feels stiff and the whites slide around it, stir another spoonful in firmly before resuming the fold. If some volume is lost, do not discard the mixture; bake it at once. The crown may be lower, but the crumb will still be tender and deeply flavored.

6. 6

   Fill and bake

   Spoon the mixture into the prepared dish without knocking the bowl against the rim, then level the surface lightly. Set the dish on the heated baking sheet and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Do not open the oven during the first 18 minutes. The Soufflé au Parmesan is ready when its crown stands above the rim, the high ridges are deep butter-gold, and the center gives a small, unified quiver rather than a liquid slosh. An instant-read thermometer inserted near the center should register at least 160°F (71°C).

7. 7

   Serve without delay

   Carry the soufflé directly to the table, peel away the parchment collar gently, and serve with a large spoon, cutting down through the bronzed crown to reach the soft center. A little settling is natural and no cause for alarm. What matters is the smooth crumb underneath. À table!

Chef Tips

• •This is an exact one-fifth scale of the source formula: 90 g flour, 285 ml milk, 90 g Parmesan, 17 g butter, two yolks, and two whites. It is deliberately rich in panade, giving a close, silky crumb with more body than an omelette soufflée. Reducing the flour would change the preparation rather than translate it.
• •Grate the Parmesan finely from a piece. Coarse curls melt unevenly, while packaged grated cheese often carries enough anti-caking powder to leave the panade sandy. Technique first, then good cheese.
• •A medium-fine tamis or sturdy fine-mesh sieve is essential here. The original makes a point of passing the entire enriched panade through it because this is how a large, flour-rich base becomes smooth enough for the whites to lift evenly.
• •Have the table ready before the whites are folded. Serve the soufflé beside roast chicken, veal, or a plainly dressed bitter-leaf salad, with a dry white Burgundy or Champagne. The dish supplies all the ceremony required.

Advance Preparation

• •The dish can be buttered and fitted with its parchment collar several hours ahead, then kept in a cool place until needed.
• •The panade can be enriched, passed through the tamis, covered directly on its surface, and refrigerated for up to 4 hours. Let it lose its chill before folding; if it remains rigid, warm the bowl briefly over barely warm water and beat it until supple.
• •Whisk and fold the whites only when the oven is hot and the table is ready. Once folded, the mixture must go directly into the dish and then the oven.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 130g)