Lérina Soufflé

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Four straight-sided 8-ounce (240 ml) porcelain ramekins
• •2-quart (2 L) heavy saucepan
• •Electric hand mixer or large balloon whisk
• •Flexible rubber spatula
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Rimmed baking sheet

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the ramekins

   Set a rack in the lower third of the oven and heat it to 400°F (200°C, or 180°C fan). Brush four straight-sided 8-ounce (240 ml) ramekins generously with the soft butter, working from base to rim in upward strokes. Add the coating sugar, turn each ramekin until the inside is evenly covered, and tap out the excess. Set them on a baking sheet and keep the rims clean; butter or batter smeared across the lip can tether the rise.

   The butter and sugar make a lightly crisp wall for the soufflé to climb. Straight sides matter more than decorative porcelain.
2. 2

   Cook the panade

   Melt the 2 tablespoons butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir in the flour and cook this roux blanc (white roux) for about 90 seconds without allowing it to colour. Whisk in the milk gradually, then add the base sugar and salt. Cook, whisking steadily, until the panade, the thick cooked soufflé base, turns glossy, bubbles slowly, and holds a clear track from the whisk, about 2 to 3 minutes. It must be thicker than pastry cream because the liqueur will loosen it. If lumps appear, press the hot base through a fine sieve. Ça se rattrape.

3. 3

   Add yolks and Lérina

   Remove the saucepan from the heat and let the base stand for 3 minutes, until warm rather than fiercely hot. Whisk in the four yolks one at a time, making each disappear before adding the next. Stir in the Lérina last, entirely off the heat, and transfer the base to a wide mixing bowl. If the yolks form cooked streaks, pass the mixture through the fine sieve immediately, then continue. Let the base cool until just warm while you prepare the whites.

4. 4

   Whisk glossy whites

   Put the four egg whites in a spotless, dry bowl. Whisk at medium speed until they form an even white foam, then add the meringue sugar gradually and continue until the whites are glossy and hold medium-firm peaks whose tips still bend. Stop there. Dry, clotted whites do not fold cleanly. If you have taken them too far, whisk in the optional unwhipped egg white by hand, a teaspoon at a time, only until the foam becomes supple again; you may not need all of it.

   A trace of yolk or grease weakens the foam. Separate the eggs while cold, then let the whites lose their chill before whisking.
5. 5

   Fold without deflating

   Stir one quarter of the whipped whites firmly into the Lérina base to lighten it. Add the remaining whites in two batches, cutting down through the centre with a flexible spatula, sweeping across the bottom, and turning the mixture over itself. Rotate the bowl as you work and stop as soon as no broad white streaks remain. Patience, not pounding. A few pale wisps are safer than another dozen strokes that knock out the air.

6. 6

   Fill and bake

   Divide the mixture among the prepared ramekins, filling them to just below the rims. Level the tops lightly, wipe every rim clean, and run the tip of your thumb around the inside edge to make a narrow channel. Transfer the baking sheet to the oven at once. Bake without opening the door for the first 10 minutes, then continue until the soufflés stand well above their rims, the crowns are butter-gold, and the centres retain a gentle tremble, 12 to 15 minutes in all. If the tops colour before the rise is complete, lower the oven to 375°F (190°C, or 170°C fan) and give them another minute or two.

7. 7

   Serve at once

   Dust the crowns lightly with confectioners’ sugar if using and carry the ramekins directly to the table. The centre should be tender and custardy, not liquid, with Lérina’s herbal fragrance arriving before the first spoonful. A soufflé settling at the table has not failed; that is its nature. What matters is that everyone sees the proud rise first. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Lérina is the dish, not a decorative splash. Use the island liqueur if you can find it. Chartreuse is its closest classical cousin, but with Chartreuse you have made a Chartreuse soufflé, delicious but honestly renamed.
• •A properly heated oven matters. Give it at least twenty minutes after the temperature indicator says it is ready, and use an oven thermometer if yours runs unpredictably.
• •Serve the soufflé without a heavy sauce. Cream or chocolate would bury the guarded herbal character the off-heat addition worked to preserve; coffee or a small cordial of Lérina is enough beside it.
• •Because the liqueur is added away from direct heat and the bake is brief, some alcohol may remain. Serve accordingly when cooking for children or guests who avoid alcohol.

Advance Preparation

• •Butter and sugar the ramekins up to one day ahead, cover them, and keep them cold. Set them on the baking sheet before beginning the base.
• •The cooked base can be prepared through the addition of the yolks and Lérina up to four hours ahead. Press reusable wrap directly against its surface, chill it promptly, then let it stand for about twenty minutes before folding in the whites.
• •Whisking, folding, and baking must wait until the table is ready. Once the whites enter the base, the soufflés go straight into the oven.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 140g)