Souffléd Pudding à la Régence

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •1-litre (4-cup) seamless metal charlotte or pudding mould
• •Deep roasting pan for the bain-marie
• •Small and medium stainless-steel saucepans
• •Instant-read or sugar thermometer
• •Electric hand mixer or stand mixer
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Long-handled whisk
• •Heatproof spatula
• •Thick oven gloves

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the water bath

   Heat the oven to 325°F (160°C), with a rack in the lower middle. Bring a kettle of water nearly to the boil and set a deep roasting pan nearby. Put the dry mould on a heatproof board beside the stove, with thick oven gloves ready. A bain-marie is a hot-water bath, and here it poaches the pudding gently so the eggs set without turning coarse.

2. 2

   Make the caramel custard

   Warm the 1 2/3 cups (400 ml) milk until small bubbles gather at the edge. In a clean medium saucepan, combine the 7 tablespoons (88 g) sugar and 2 tablespoons (30 ml) water, following The Cooking of Sugar (No. 2344). Boil without stirring until the syrup reaches a clear chestnut amber, about 350°F (177°C). Remove it from the heat and add the hot milk in several cautious additions. It will surge and the caramel may seize into a hard mass. This is expected; return the pan to low heat and stir until every piece dissolves. Whisk the five yolks in a bowl. Slowly whisk in half the caramel milk, then return everything to the saucepan. Stir constantly over low heat until the crème anglaise reaches 180 to 183°F (82 to 84°C) and leaves a clean line when you draw a finger across the coated back of the spoon. Do not boil it. If tiny curds appear, stop at once. Ça se rattrape: pour the custard into a cold bowl, blend briefly, and strain through a fine sieve. Cover its surface and let it cool while you make the pudding.

   Add the milk to the caramel with the pan turned away from you. Hot caramel burns deeply, so use a long-handled whisk and keep bare hands clear of the pan.
3. 3

   Clothe the mould

   Combine the 3/4 cup (150 g) sugar, 3 tablespoons (45 ml) of the mould-caramel water, and the lemon juice in a small stainless-steel saucepan. Cook by The Cooking of Sugar (No. 2344), swirling the pan only after the sugar has dissolved, until the caramel reaches 352 to 360°F (178 to 182°C) and turns deep amber. If crystals spread through the syrup, add the reserved water, cover for one minute, and dissolve everything gently before beginning the colour stage again. Ça se rattrape. Immediately pour the caramel into the dry mould. Wearing oven gloves, lift and rotate the mould so the caramel runs across the base and well up the sides before it sets. This is clothing the mould, the coating motion carried over from Another Method of Preparing Aspics de Filets de Soles (No. 916); only the motion belongs here, not the aspic or its ice. Set the coated mould upright. If the caramel is black or smells acrid, it cannot be rescued. Let it cool completely, then dissolve it with hot water and begin again.

4. 4

   Cook the vanilla panade

   Heat the pudding milk with the vanilla bean and seeds until just below a simmer, then cover and leave it for 10 minutes. Remove the pod. If using extract, hold it until the base comes off the heat. Melt the butter in a saucepan, stir in the flour, and cook gently for 2 minutes without letting it colour. Whisk in the warm milk little by little, keeping the mixture smooth, then cook until it becomes a thick panade, a cooked base that pulls cleanly from the pan. Take it off the heat, stir in the vanilla extract if using, and cool for 5 minutes. Beat in the four yolks one at a time. The base should be glossy, thick, and just warm, not hot enough to deflate the whites.

5. 5

   Fold the soufflé

   Beat the four egg whites with the salt until they hold soft peaks. Add the caster sugar gradually and continue beating only until the whites are glossy and hold a supple medium peak. Dry, clumpy whites do not fold cleanly. If they begin to look grainy, stop the machine and whisk by hand just until the foam becomes cohesive again. Fold one-third of the whites firmly into the panade to lighten it. Add the remaining whites in two portions, cutting down through the centre and turning the mixture up from the bottom until no large white streaks remain. Stop there. A few fine traces are better than batter worked flat.

6. 6

   Poach the pudding

   Spoon the soufflé preparation into the caramel-clothed mould, filling it no more than three-quarters full, and level the surface lightly. Set the mould in the roasting pan, place the pan in the oven, and pour in enough hot water to come halfway up the mould. Poach in the bain-marie for 45 to 55 minutes, until the pudding is risen, resilient under a fingertip, and a thin skewer comes out with moist crumbs rather than liquid batter. The water should barely tremble. If it begins boiling hard, lower the oven by 20°F (10°C) and add a small splash of cool water to the bath. Ça se rattrape; violent water is what toughens the edge.

7. 7

   Turn it out

   Lift the mould from the bain-marie and rest it for 7 minutes. Run a thin knife just around the upper rim, place a warm shallow serving dish over the mould, and invert both in one confident motion. Wait several seconds before lifting the mould. If the pudding refuses to release, set only the base of the mould in hot water for 10 seconds and try again. Do not wrench at it; the brief warmth loosens the caramel without tearing the pudding.

8. 8

   Sauce at table

   Stir the crème anglaise au caramel until smooth and pour it into a sauce boat. Serve the pudding warm, spooning the custard beside each portion so the airy vanilla interior and darker caramel remain distinct until the first bite. The pudding may settle slightly after unmoulding. That is its nature, not a failure. Bring it promptly to the table. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Use a tall, seamless metal charlotte or pudding mould. Metal takes the caramel coating quickly and releases it cleanly; a springform leaks, and thick ceramic responds too slowly when the sugar must be turned up the sides.
• •The aspic title beside a dessert looks alarming, but Another Method of Preparing Aspics de Filets de Soles (No. 916) contributes only the technical meaning of clothing a mould. No fish, forcemeat, jelly, or ice enters this pudding.
• •Colour matters more than the thermometer alone. Pale caramel tastes merely sweet; black caramel tastes burnt. Pull it when it is the colour of polished chestnut, remembering that the hot pan carries it darker for several seconds.
• •Serve with a small glass of demi-sec Champagne if the occasion asks for wine. Its acidity is useful against the caramel, and its gentle sweetness won't bully the vanilla.

Advance Preparation

• •The crème anglaise au caramel can be made up to 48 hours ahead, covered directly on its surface, and refrigerated. Serve it cool or let it lose its refrigerator chill before dinner.
• •The mould may be clothed with caramel several hours ahead and kept dry at room temperature. Humid refrigeration makes the coating sticky and uneven.
• •The vanilla panade can be made through the addition of the yolks up to 3 hours ahead. Cover its surface, cool it, and return it to room temperature before folding in freshly beaten whites.
• •Fold and poach the pudding close to serving. Once the whites enter the base, waiting costs lift, and no brigade scaffold or home convenience replaces that lost air.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 210g)