Almond Souffléd Pudding

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Four straight-sided 7-ounce (200 ml) ramekins
• •Deep roasting pan for the bain-marie
• •Small rimmed tray for grilling the almonds
• •Heatproof mixing bowl and small saucepan for the sabayon
• •Balloon whisk or electric hand mixer

Instructions

1. 1

   Grill the almonds

   Heat the overhead broiler or grill and set a rack about 6 inches beneath it. Spread the slivered almonds in one layer on a small tray and grill them briefly, turning the tray as necessary, until they are evenly golden and smell of the finished pudding. Watch without wandering away; almonds pass from bronze to bitter in moments. Tip them onto a cool plate and let them cool completely, because hot almonds melt the butter lining and slide to the bottom of the moulds.

   The overhead broiler is the home equivalent of the salamander the original kitchen expected. It does the same work, only closer and faster.
2. 2

   Line the moulds

   Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Brush four 7-ounce (200 ml) ramekins generously with the softened butter, working upward from base to rim. Scatter in the cooled grilled almonds and roll each mould until the bottom and sides are well strewn, then shake any loose almonds into the next mould. Set the prepared moulds in a deep roasting pan.

3. 3

   Make the Saxon base

   Prepare the ⅗ batch of Saxon Pudding (No. 2504) exactly as its own entry directs, using almond milk measure for measure in place of cow's milk and stopping after the final fold. The original's fierce fire means decisive evaporation, not a scorched pan; follow the panade cue in that entry carefully, because a wet base is too heavy to rise. Once the whites are folded, do not beat the mixture again. If it loses a little volume while the moulds wait, portion it gently and continue; the puddings will be less lofty but still tender.

4. 4

   Fill without delay

   Divide the Saxon Pudding (No. 2504) preparation among the almond-lined moulds, filling each about three-quarters full. Smooth the tops lightly and wipe the rims clean, but do not tap the moulds against the counter. Tapping knocks out the air the preparation has just worked to hold.

5. 5

   Poach in bain-marie

   Set the roasting pan on the pulled-out oven rack, then pour freshly boiled water around the moulds until it reaches halfway up their sides. Slide the pan into the oven and poach for 22 to 28 minutes, until the puddings have risen, feel softly springy at the centre, and a fine skewer finds moist crumbs rather than liquid batter. The water should tremble gently, never pound against the ramekins. If it begins boiling hard, lower the oven by 20°F (10°C) and add a small pour of cool water to the bath.

6. 6

   Whisk the sabayon

   When the puddings have about 10 minutes left, reserve 1 teaspoon of the measured wine and combine the remaining wine with the egg yolks and sugar in a heatproof bowl. Set it over a saucepan of barely simmering water, keeping the bowl above the water, and whisk constantly until the sabayon, a warm whisked wine-and-yolk sauce, triples in volume and falls from the whisk in a pale ribbon, about 6 to 8 minutes. If grains appear at the edge, lift the bowl from the heat and whisk in the reserved cold wine immediately. Ça se rattrape. When smooth, remove from the heat and whisk in the orgeat; if the reserved wine wasn't needed for rescue, add it drop by drop only if the sabayon needs loosening.

7. 7

   Unmould and serve

   Lift the ramekins from the bain-marie and let them stand for 2 minutes. Run a thin knife around each rim, cover with a warm dessert plate, and invert decisively. Spoon the white-wine sabayon around the puddings so the grilled almond coats remain visible. A slight settling is natural; this is a souffléd pudding, not a freestanding oven soufflé. Serve while the sabayon is still light and the centres are tender. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Choose unsweetened, unflavoured almond milk with a full almond taste, and shake it thoroughly before measuring. Vanilla-flavoured or heavily sweetened milk changes the source formula and muddies the orgeat.
• •Grill the almonds until their aroma reaches you, then stop. Colour alone can mislead under a broiler; the finished pudding should smell deeply nutty, never acrid.
• •Use a dry, bright white wine without heavy oak. The sugar and orgeat round its acidity, so the sabayon needs freshness more than sweetness.
• •Set the roasting pan beside the oven before adding the boiling water. Carrying a sloshing bain-marie across the kitchen is unnecessary excitement.

Advance Preparation

• •Grill the almonds up to 2 days ahead, cool them completely, and store them airtight at room temperature so they remain crisp.
• •Butter and almond-coat the moulds up to 4 hours ahead, then keep them covered in the refrigerator. Bring them out while the oven heats.
• •Measure the sabayon ingredients earlier in the day, but whisk the sauce only during the final minutes of poaching. A finished sabayon waits poorly.
• •The Saxon Pudding (No. 2504) preparation should be made immediately before filling the moulds; once its whites are folded, time and stirring both work against its rise.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 165g)