Paulette Soufflé

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •1½-quart (1.4-liter) straight-sided porcelain soufflé dish, about 7 inches (18 cm) wide
• •2-quart (2-liter) heavy saucepan
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Electric hand mixer or large balloon whisk
• •Flexible spatula
• •Rimmed baking sheet

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare both fruits

   Purée the first quantity of strawberries and press it through a fine sieve. Measure exactly 5 tablespoons (75 ml / 75 g), because extra purée means extra water and a lower soufflé. Purée and strain the raspberries separately, then turn the cold strawberry halves through the raspberry purée until generously coated. Cover and chill them for at least 30 minutes; they must be properly cold when the soufflé reaches the table.

   Measure the strawberry purée after sieving, not before. Seeds and fibrous pulp alter the yield, and Paulette depends upon those exact five tablespoons.
2. 2

   Prepare dish and oven

   Heat the oven to 375°F (190°C) with a rack in the lower-middle position and a rimmed baking sheet heating on it. Brush the soufflé dish generously with the softened butter using upward strokes, then coat the base and walls with the superfine sugar. Tap out the excess and chill the dish. A paper collar is unnecessary at this home scale; straight, cleanly sugared walls give the batter its climb.

3. 3

   Build the vanilla panade

   Warm the milk with the vanilla seeds and pod until it just begins to tremble, then cover it and leave it for 10 minutes. Remove the pod. Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan, whisk in the flour, and cook this roux, the butter-and-flour foundation, for 1 minute without allowing it to color. Add the vanilla milk in three additions, whisking each one smooth, then stir in the sugar. Cook over low heat for 3 to 4 minutes, beating firmly with a wooden spoon, until the panade gathers into a glossy paste, pulls from the pan walls, and leaves a clear path when the spoon crosses the bottom.

4. 4

   Add strawberry purée

   Take the pan from the heat and beat in exactly 5 tablespoons (75 ml / 75 g) of strawberry purée. The panade will loosen, but it must still fall from the spoon in heavy, reluctant folds. If it runs like custard, return it to the lowest heat and stir for 30 to 60 seconds until a spatula drawn through it leaves the pan floor visible for two full seconds. Ça se rattrape. Do not add more flour, which would leave a raw, pasty taste.

5. 5

   Beat in yolks

   Transfer the base to a wide mixing bowl and let it cool until warm rather than hot, about 8 minutes. Beat in the four yolks one at a time, making each disappear before adding the next. The finished base should be smooth, glossy, and thick enough to mound briefly. If the heat catches a yolk and leaves yellow flecks, press the base through the clean fine sieve at once, then continue.

6. 6

   Whisk the whites

   Put the five egg whites in a spotless bowl and whisk until they hold soft peaks. Add the superfine sugar gradually, a spoonful at a time, and continue whisking until the whites are glossy and hold a firm peak whose tip bends slightly. Stop there. Whites beaten dry and clumpy resist the base instead of carrying it.

7. 7

   Fold without deflating

   Beat one-quarter of the whites briskly into the strawberry base to loosen it. Fold in the remainder in two additions, cutting down through the center with a flexible spatula, sweeping across the bottom, and lifting the mixture over itself as the bowl turns. Stop as soon as no broad white streaks remain. A few fine ribbons are safer than another dozen strokes.

8. 8

   Fill and bake

   Spoon the batter into the cold prepared dish, filling it no more than three-quarters full. Level the surface lightly, then run the tip of your thumb around the inside rim to make a shallow channel. Set the dish on the heated baking sheet and bake without opening the door for 20 minutes. Begin checking at 23 minutes; the soufflé is ready when it has risen well above the rim, the crown is deep butter-gold, and the center quivers softly without sloshing, usually after 23 to 27 minutes.

9. 9

   Serve at once

   Carry the Soufflé Paulette straight to the table in its baking dish. Spoon it onto warm dessert plates and pass the well-cooled strawberries coated with raspberry purée separately, giving each serving both warm soufflé and cold fruit. A soufflé waits for nobody, and nobody should wait for this one. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Choose fragrant strawberries that smell ripe before you taste them. The whole cold berries make Paulette a seasonal dish; frozen fruit gives an honest purée but cannot replace those berries beside the soufflé. When fresh strawberries are pale and hard, make Soufflé à la Vanille with a separate pear compote instead.
• •Use a straight-sided porcelain dish and butter it upward. The ridges of butter and sugar give the batter something to grip as it climbs; a shallow casserole lets it spread rather than rise.
• •Have everyone seated before the batter enters the oven. The soufflé begins settling as soon as it leaves the heat, which is natural, but its proudest crown belongs to the first few minutes.
• •A demi-sec Champagne suits the vanilla and red fruit without bullying them. Pour it before baking so the bottle, glasses, and guests are ready when Paulette is.

Advance Preparation

• •Both fruit purées can be made up to 6 hours ahead and kept covered in the cold. Coat the serving strawberries with raspberry purée at least 30 minutes, but no more than 2 hours, before serving.
• •The panade can be prepared through the yolks up to 4 hours ahead. Press reusable wrap directly against its surface, chill it, then let it stand for 20 minutes and stir until supple before folding in freshly whisked whites.
• •Butter and sugar the soufflé dish earlier in the day and keep it cold. Once the whites are folded into the base, the batter must be baked immediately.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 260g)