Chef Juliette
Almond Pudding
Six almond-lined moulds, gently poached until softly risen, with white-wine sabayon scented by orgeat. The lesson is simple and exact: the bain-marie must tremble, never boil.
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Strawberry Soufflé
Created by Chef Juliette
Based on No. 2527, Strawberry Soufflé, from Le Guide Culinaire (1907) by Auguste Escoffier
Soufflé aux Fraises rises fragrant with kirsch beside orange-macerated strawberries chilled nearly to ice, a last-minute French dessert built on the clean contrast of hot, tender soufflé and cold, vivid fruit.
Desserts
French
Romantic
Date Night
Special Occasion
35 min
Active Time
30 min cook•1 hr 45 min total
Yield4 servings
Soufflé aux Fraises teaches one true thing: the rise is prepared in the mixing bowl, not rescued in the oven. Glossy egg whites, folded without squeezing out their air, give you the proud golden cap; the oven merely finishes what your hands began.
Here the strawberries do not go into the batter. The soufflé itself is scented with kirsch, while ripe berries macerated in orange juice arrive nearly iced beside it. Hot against cold, cherry spirit against bright fruit, tender interior against juicy berries: that contrast is the dish, and turning the fruit into a purée would erase it.
The original entry could be brief because it assumed a pastry station with a finished base ready, an even professional oven, and someone waiting to carry the dish the instant it rose. At home, the brigade scaffolding becomes one saucepan, one mixing bowl, and one 1.5-liter dish scaled for four. What cannot change is the last-minute folding and immediate service. One cook, one stove, one evening. Whip the whites only to glossy medium-firm peaks, then fold with a light hand; that is the step that matters most.
Hot sweet soufflés belong to the Parisian grand-kitchen repertoire, where pastry cooks built many flavors on a thickened milk base and lifted them with egg whites only when service called. This version's title can mislead: the baked soufflé is scented with kirsch, while orange-macerated strawberries arrive iced alongside, so the fruit contributes temperature and acidity rather than purée. Generations of bourgeois home cooks kept the dish alive because its foundation is modest and its effect comes from timing, not elaborate equipment.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
ripe strawberries
Quantity
3 cups (720 ml / 450 g)
hulled and halved or quartered if large
freshly squeezed orange juice
Quantity
1/2 cup (120 ml / 124 g)
granulated sugar
Quantity
2 tablespoons (30 ml / 25 g)
for the strawberries
unsalted butter
Quantity
1 tablespoon (15 ml / 14 g)
softened, for the dish
granulated sugar
Quantity
2 tablespoons (30 ml / 25 g)
for the dish
unsalted butter
Quantity
2 tablespoons (30 ml / 28 g)
for the soufflé base
plain flour
Quantity
1/4 cup (60 ml / 30 g)
whole milk
Quantity
1 cup (240 ml / 247 g)
granulated sugar
Quantity
1/4 cup (60 ml / 50 g)
for the soufflé base
large eggs
Quantity
4
separated and brought to room temperature
large egg white
Quantity
1
brought to room temperature
kirsch
Quantity
2 tablespoons (30 ml / 29 g)
granulated sugar
Quantity
3 tablespoons (45 ml / 38 g)
for whipping the whites
fine sea salt
Quantity
1/8 teaspoon (0.6 ml / 0.8 g)
confectioners' sugar
Quantity
1 tablespoon (15 ml / 8 g)
for finishing
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| ripe strawberrieshulled and halved or quartered if large | 3 cups (720 ml / 450 g) |
| freshly squeezed orange juice | 1/2 cup (120 ml / 124 g) |
| granulated sugarfor the strawberries | 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 25 g) |
| unsalted buttersoftened, for the dish | 1 tablespoon (15 ml / 14 g) |
| granulated sugarfor the dish | 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 25 g) |
| unsalted butterfor the soufflé base | 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 28 g) |
| plain flour | 1/4 cup (60 ml / 30 g) |
| whole milk | 1 cup (240 ml / 247 g) |
| granulated sugarfor the soufflé base | 1/4 cup (60 ml / 50 g) |
| large eggsseparated and brought to room temperature | 4 |
| large egg whitebrought to room temperature | 1 |
| kirsch | 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 29 g) |
| granulated sugarfor whipping the whites | 3 tablespoons (45 ml / 38 g) |
| fine sea salt | 1/8 teaspoon (0.6 ml / 0.8 g) |
| confectioners' sugarfor finishing | 1 tablespoon (15 ml / 8 g) |
Equipment Needed
- •1.5-liter straight-sided ceramic soufflé dish
- •Heavy baking sheet
- •Medium heavy saucepan
- •Electric hand mixer or stand mixer with whisk attachment
- •Balloon whisk
- •Flexible rubber spatula
- •Fine-mesh sieve
- •Chilled glass serving bowl
Instructions
- 1
Macerate the strawberries
Stir the orange juice with 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 25 g) granulated sugar until the sugar dissolves. Fold in the strawberries without crushing them, cover, and refrigerate for 45 minutes. The juice should turn scarlet and lightly syrupy while the berries remain distinct, not slump into compote.
Use berries that smell strongly of strawberries before you cut them. Cold dulls aroma, so bland fruit becomes blander still when iced. - 2
Prepare dish and oven
Set a heavy baking sheet on the lower-middle rack and heat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Brush the softened butter over the inside of a 1.5-liter straight-sided soufflé dish, working upward from base to rim, then coat it evenly with 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 25 g) sugar and tap out the excess. Chill the prepared dish while you make the base. At this home scale, a paper collar is brigade scaffolding and can go; straight buttered sides, the sugar coating, and enough empty space above the batter provide the honest equivalent.
- 3
Cook the soufflé base
Melt 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 28 g) butter in a medium heavy saucepan over low heat. Stir in the flour and cook this roux, the butter-and-flour thickener, for 1 minute without letting it color. Whisk in the milk gradually, making each addition smooth before adding the next, then cook for 2 to 3 minutes until the base is very thick and pulls cleanly from the pan. Stir in 1/4 cup (60 ml / 50 g) sugar and remove from the heat. Cool for 5 minutes, then whisk in the four yolks one at a time, followed by the kirsch. The base should fall from the whisk in a heavy ribbon. If it has lumps, press it through a fine sieve while warm; nothing is lost.
- 4
Whip glossy whites
Combine the five egg whites, reserving 1 tablespoon of unbeaten white in a small cup. Put the remainder in a spotless, grease-free bowl with the salt and beat until foamy, then until soft peaks form. Add the 3 tablespoons (45 ml / 38 g) sugar gradually and continue beating to a meringue française, a French meringue, that is glossy and medium-firm. Its peak should stand but bend gently at the tip. Dry, clumpy whites expand poorly and are miserable to fold. If you take them slightly too far, whisk in the reserved unbeaten white a teaspoon at a time by hand until the gloss returns. Ça se rattrape.
- 5
Fold without deflating
Stir one-quarter of the meringue briskly into the warm, not hot, kirsch base to lighten it. Add the remaining meringue in two batches, cutting the spatula down through the center, sweeping across the bottom, and lifting the mixture over itself as you turn the bowl. Stop when no broad white streaks remain. A few fine traces do less harm than ten unnecessary folds. Spoon the batter into the chilled dish, stopping about 1 cm below the rim, level the top lightly, and run a clean thumb around the inside edge to form a shallow channel.
- 6
Bake to full rise
Set the dish on the heated baking sheet, immediately lower the oven to 375°F (190°C), and bake without opening the door for 20 minutes. Continue for 4 to 8 minutes, until the soufflé has risen proudly above the rim, the cap is deep butter-gold, and the center trembles as one body without a liquid slosh. If the top colors too quickly after the first 20 minutes, lay a loose sheet of foil over it and finish baking. If the center is plainly fluid when checked, return it to the oven for 3 minutes; a small loss of height is better than raw batter.
- 7
Ice the strawberries
As soon as the soufflé enters the oven, place the macerated strawberries and their orange juice in the freezer for 15 to 20 minutes. These are fraises glacées, iced strawberries: intensely cold, glossy, and just beginning to firm at the edges, never frozen solid. Transfer them to a chilled serving bowl and keep them cold until the soufflé reaches the table.
- 8
Serve without waiting
Dust the risen cap lightly with confectioners' sugar and carry the soufflé straight to the table. Break the center with two serving spoons and place a generous portion on each plate, then spoon the iced strawberries and their orange syrup alongside, never over the top. The cold fruit would press down the rise, and the clean meeting of hot soufflé and cold berries is the whole composition. À table!
Chef Tips
- •Kirsch is a dry, clear cherry eau-de-vie, not sweet cherry cordial. The difference matters because a sugary liqueur makes the base cloying and weakens the clean cherry fragrance.
- •This dish truly belongs to strawberry season. Frozen berries release too much water and lose their shape under maceration; when good fresh berries aren't available, its honest cousin is Soufflé au Kirsch served alone.
- •Keep every trace of yolk and grease out of the whipping bowl. Fat interferes with the egg-white structure, and no amount of determined beating repairs a greasy bowl.
- •Set the plates, spoons, and chilled fruit on the table before the whites are whipped. A soufflé can wait for nobody, not even someone searching for the confectioners' sugar.
- •A demi-sec Champagne has enough fruit and sweetness for the berries without flattening the kirsch. Serve modest glasses because the dessert already carries its own spirit.
Advance Preparation
- •The strawberries can macerate in the orange juice for up to 2 hours in the refrigerator. Move them to the freezer only during the final 15 to 20 minutes, or their edges will freeze hard.
- •The kirsch base can be prepared up to 4 hours ahead, covered directly on its surface, and refrigerated. Bring it out 30 minutes before folding so it is cool but pliable.
- •The soufflé dish may be buttered, sugared, covered, and refrigerated earlier in the day. Do not whip or fold the egg whites until the oven is hot and the table is ready.
- •A baked soufflé does not keep its height. Leftovers still taste fine chilled, but reheating will not restore the rise, so serve the full dish the moment it leaves the oven.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 300g)
Calories
430 calories
Total Fat
16 g
Saturated Fat
8 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
6 g
Cholesterol
215 mg
Sodium
190 mg
Total Carbohydrates
58 g
Dietary Fiber
3 g
Sugars
48 g
Protein
11 g
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