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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Soufflé “à la d’Orléans”
Created by Chef Juliette
Based on No. 2534, Soufflé “à la d’Orléans”, from Le Guide Culinaire (1907) by Auguste Escoffier
Peach liqueur and kirsch perfume tender Reims biscuit, cherry and angelica inside a cream soufflé that rises gold above its dish, proof that moisture control, not ceremony, gives this dessert its lift.
Desserts
French
Dinner Party
Special Occasion
Celebration
35 min
Active Time
30 min cook•1 hr 5 min total
Yield4 servings
Soufflé à la d’Orléans (a light baked cream pudding with liqueur-soaked Reims biscuit and candied fruit) teaches the discipline of moisture. The biscuit must drink peach liqueur and kirsch, then surrender every loose drop before it meets the base. Saturated gives perfume and tenderness; wet gives weight. That is the one true thing to know before touching a pan.
The original entry assumed a pastry station with cream soufflé-preparation ready in quantity, Jeanne-d’Arc biscuits within reach, semi-candied fruit already diced, and an oven held for service. At home, one small crème pâtissière, four egg whites, a straight-sided dish, and a properly heated oven do the work. The brigade batch is scaffolding and goes; the thick cream base, liqueur-soaked biscuit, one ounce each of cherry and angelica, and last-minute folding are the dish and stay. Scarce Jeanne-d’Arc biscuits become biscuits roses de Reims, their honest modern kin. One cook, one stove, one evening.
When it is right, the crown is butter-gold, the centre creamy, and the fruit arrives in ruby and green dice between bites of perfumed biscuit. Bring the base to lukewarm, fold without crushing those pieces, and bake at once. Most of all, drain the biscuit completely before you fold.
Soufflé à la d’Orléans belongs to the named-dessert repertoire of France’s grand pastry kitchens, not to the household cooking of Orléans. Its geography is carried by the Jeanne-d’Arc biscuit, identified in the canon as a Reims biscuit from Champagne, whose name evokes the Maid of Orléans; peach liqueur, kirsch, semi-candied cherry, and angelica complete the confectioner’s garnish. The title is an allusion rather than proof of regional origin, while the Soufflé itself uses the national French grammar of a thick cream base lightened with egg white and baked at the last moment.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
unsalted butter
Quantity
1 tablespoon (15 ml / 14 g)
softened, for the dish
granulated sugar
Quantity
2 tablespoons (30 ml / 25 g)
for coating the dish
Jeanne-d’Arc biscuits or biscuits roses de Reims
Quantity
4 biscuits (about 1½ oz / 40 g)
cut into ½-inch pieces
peach liqueur
Quantity
2 tablespoons (30 ml / 28 g)
kirsch
Quantity
2 tablespoons (30 ml / 28 g)
semi-candied cherries
Quantity
2 tablespoons (30 ml / 28 g)
drained and cut into ¼-inch dice
candied angelica
Quantity
3 tablespoons (45 ml / 28 g)
cut into ¼-inch dice
whole milk
Quantity
¾ cup (180 ml / 185 g)
heavy cream
Quantity
¼ cup (60 ml / 60 g)
granulated sugar
Quantity
¼ cup (60 ml / 50 g)
for the crème pâtissière
cornstarch
Quantity
3 tablespoons (45 ml / 24 g)
large egg yolks
Quantity
3
fine sea salt
Quantity
⅛ teaspoon (0.6 ml / 0.7 g)
unsalted butter
Quantity
1 tablespoon (15 ml / 14 g)
for the crème pâtissière
large egg whites
Quantity
4
at room temperature
superfine sugar
Quantity
¼ cup (60 ml / 50 g)
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| unsalted buttersoftened, for the dish | 1 tablespoon (15 ml / 14 g) |
| granulated sugarfor coating the dish | 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 25 g) |
| Jeanne-d’Arc biscuits or biscuits roses de Reimscut into ½-inch pieces | 4 biscuits (about 1½ oz / 40 g) |
| peach liqueur | 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 28 g) |
| kirsch | 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 28 g) |
| semi-candied cherriesdrained and cut into ¼-inch dice | 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 28 g) |
| candied angelicacut into ¼-inch dice | 3 tablespoons (45 ml / 28 g) |
| whole milk | ¾ cup (180 ml / 185 g) |
| heavy cream | ¼ cup (60 ml / 60 g) |
| granulated sugarfor the crème pâtissière | ¼ cup (60 ml / 50 g) |
| cornstarch | 3 tablespoons (45 ml / 24 g) |
| large egg yolks | 3 |
| fine sea salt | ⅛ teaspoon (0.6 ml / 0.7 g) |
| unsalted butterfor the crème pâtissière | 1 tablespoon (15 ml / 14 g) |
| large egg whitesat room temperature | 4 |
| superfine sugar | ¼ cup (60 ml / 50 g) |
Equipment Needed
- •1-quart (1-liter) straight-sided porcelain soufflé dish
- •2-quart (2-liter) heavy saucepan
- •Electric hand mixer or large balloon whisk
- •Fine-mesh sieve
- •Flexible spatula
- •Rimmed baking sheet
Instructions
- 1
Prepare dish and oven
Set a rack in the lower third of the oven, place a rimmed baking sheet on it, and heat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Brush the softened butter up the sides of a 1-quart (1-liter) straight-sided soufflé dish, coat the interior with granulated sugar, and tap out the excess. The butter and sugar give the rising mixture something to grip, while a clean, straight rim keeps its path open.
- 2
Soak and drain
Put the biscuit pieces in a shallow bowl and sprinkle them evenly with the peach liqueur and kirsch. Turn them once and leave them for 3 minutes, just long enough to become saturated without dissolving. Tip them into a fine-mesh sieve and drain for 10 minutes. No loose liqueur should follow them into the soufflé. If they still drip, spread them on absorbent paper for 5 minutes. Ça se rattrape, but don't squeeze them into paste.
Saturated biscuit carries perfume and tenderness. Undrained biscuit carries excess liquid, and excess liquid weighs down the egg whites. - 3
Cook the cream base
Bring the milk and cream just to a simmer in a heavy saucepan. Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks with the granulated sugar, cornstarch, and salt until completely smooth. Pour in half the hot milk mixture gradually while whisking, then return everything to the saucepan. Cook over medium heat, whisking without pause, until the crème pâtissière, the thick pastry-cream base, bubbles and becomes dense enough to hold the whisk's tracks. Continue for 1 minute to cook the starch fully, then remove it from the heat and whisk in the butter. If it forms small lumps, pull it from the heat, whisk firmly, and pass it through the sieve while warm.
- 4
Cool and add fruit
Scrape the crème pâtissière into a wide bowl and whisk it every few minutes until it is lukewarm, about 10 to 15 minutes. It should feel no warmer than your hand; a hot base collapses the whites, while a cold, rigid one makes folding clumsy. Fold in the diced semi-candied cherries and angelica, keeping the pieces evenly distributed.
- 5
Whip and fold
Whip the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Add the superfine sugar a spoonful at a time and continue whipping only until the meringue is glossy and holds a medium-firm peak whose tip bends slightly. Dry, grainy whites have lost the elasticity a soufflé needs. Stir one-quarter of the meringue into the crème pâtissière to loosen it, then fold in the remainder in two additions. Add the drained biscuit with the final addition and fold only until distributed. A few pale streaks are better than a mixture worked flat.
Cut the spatula down through the centre, sweep it beneath the mixture, and turn the bowl as you lift. This preserves air without leaving dense cream at the bottom. - 6
Fill and bake
Spoon the mixture into the prepared dish and level the top without pressing. Run a clean thumb around the inside edge to make a shallow channel between the mixture and the rim. Set the dish on the heated baking sheet and immediately lower the oven to 375°F (190°C). Bake without opening the door for 20 minutes, then check. After 25 to 30 minutes, the soufflé should stand 1½ to 2 inches above the rim, with a deep golden crown, a gentle quiver at the centre, and no liquid batter on a thin skewer. If the crown colours before the centre sets, lay a loose sheet of foil over it after the first 20 minutes, without touching the top.
- 7
Serve without delay
Carry the Soufflé à la d’Orléans directly to the table and spoon it into four dessert plates. The centre should be creamy and light, with ruby cherry, green angelica, and tender liqueur-soaked biscuit through every portion. It will settle when the first spoon enters. That is the nature of a soufflé, not a failure. Never apologize at your own table. À table!
Chef Tips
- •The source is exact about the fruit: one ounce each of semi-candied cherry and angelica. Keep that balance. If semi-candied cherries are unavailable, briefly rinse good glacé cherries, dry them thoroughly, and dice them; ordinary red cocktail cherries are too wet and too bluntly sweet.
- •Jeanne-d’Arc biscuits are scarce, but biscuits roses de Reims belong to the same Reims biscuit tradition and absorb liqueur without vanishing immediately. Soft sponge fingers become sodden too quickly and change the texture.
- •Candied angelica supplies a green, herbal bitterness against the sweet cherry and peach. Don't replace it with a green cherry. A confectionery supplier is the honest errand here.
- •Serve the soufflé as soon as it leaves the oven, with no sauce or decorative clutter. A small glass of demi-sec Champagne suits the Reims biscuit and the candied fruit without drowning the kirsch.
Advance Preparation
- •The crème pâtissière can be made up to 6 hours ahead. Press parchment directly against its surface, chill it promptly, then let it stand for 20 minutes and whisk until supple before folding in the fruit and meringue.
- •The cherries and angelica can be diced several hours ahead and held separately in covered containers. Butter and sugar the soufflé dish at the same time.
- •Soak and drain the biscuits no more than 30 minutes before folding. Whip the egg whites and assemble the soufflé only when the oven is fully heated and the table is ready.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 165g)
Calories
435 calories
Total Fat
16 g
Saturated Fat
9 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
6 g
Cholesterol
180 mg
Sodium
170 mg
Total Carbohydrates
62 g
Dietary Fiber
0 g
Sugars
52 g
Protein
8 g
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