Soufflé Palmyre

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •1.2-litre (1¼-quart) straight-sided soufflé dish or timbale
• •2-litre heavy-bottomed saucepan
• •Large grease-free mixing bowl
• •Balloon whisk or handheld electric mixer
• •Broad flexible spatula
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Heavy baking sheet

Instructions

1. 1

   Ready dish and oven

   Set a rack in the lower-middle of the oven, place a heavy baking sheet on it, and heat the oven to 190°C conventional, 170°C fan, or 375°F. Brush a 1.2-litre straight-sided soufflé dish with 1 tablespoon (14 g) of the butter, working from base to rim in upward strokes. Coat it with 2 tablespoons (25 g) of the granulated sugar, then tip out the loose excess. Butter gives the batter purchase; the sugar leaves a delicate crust.

2. 2

   Build the vanilla base

   Warm the milk with the vanilla seeds, pod, and 2 tablespoons (25 g) of the granulated sugar until small bubbles gather at the edge. Cover, remove from the heat, and infuse for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons (28 g) butter in a saucepan, stir in the flour, and cook gently for 90 seconds without letting it colour. Remove the vanilla pod, then whisk the warm milk into the roux in three additions. Return it to low heat and stir until very thick, smooth, and glossy, about 2 minutes. Off the heat, whisk in the yolks one at a time, followed by the salt. If the base forms lumps, whisk it firmly off the heat and pass it through a sieve. Spread it in a wide bowl and stir occasionally until warm rather than hot, about 8 minutes; a hot base steals the air from the whites.

3. 3

   Saturate the biscuits

   Mix the anisette and kirsch in a shallow dish. Turn each ladyfinger piece briefly through the mixture, letting it absorb the liqueurs through the centre while still holding its shape. Set the pieces in a single layer and brush any remaining mixture over dry-looking spots. They must be saturated, not left swimming; loose liquid weighs down the soufflé.

4. 4

   Whip the whites glossy

   Beat the 4 egg whites in a spotless, grease-free bowl until they hold soft peaks. Add the remaining ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar gradually, beating until the whites are glossy and hold a medium-firm peak whose tip bends slightly. Stop there. If they become dry and clumpy, ça se rattrape: whisk in the additional unwhipped egg white by hand, a spoonful at a time, just until the foam turns supple and glossy again.

5. 5

   Fold without crushing

   Stir one-quarter of the whipped whites into the warm vanilla base to lighten it. Add the remaining whites in two batches, cutting down through the centre with a broad spatula, sweeping across the bottom, and lifting the mixture over itself while turning the bowl. Stop when no broad white streaks remain. A few fine traces are safer than another dozen folds; overworking expels the air that must lift the biscuits.

6. 6

   Layer lightly and evenly

   Spoon one-third of the soufflé preparation into the prepared dish and level it gently. Arrange half the saturated ladyfinger pieces over it in one sparse, single-piece-deep layer, leaving narrow gaps between them. Cover with another third of the preparation, add the remaining biscuits in the same manner, then finish with the last third of the preparation. If the biscuits collect in a heavy mat, lift and redistribute them with the tip of the spatula before covering them. Do not overlap or press them down. Smooth the top lightly and run a clean thumb around the inner rim to make a shallow channel, then move the dish straight to the oven.

   Alternate quickly and evenly. The thin biscuit layers perfume the whole soufflé; a heavy layer stops the rise dead.
7. 7

   Bake and serve

   Set the dish on the heated baking sheet and bake without opening the oven for the first 22 minutes. Continue until the soufflé stands well above the rim, its crown is butter-gold with fine fissures, and the centre gives a small quiver without a liquid ripple, 25 to 30 minutes in all. Dust with confectioners' sugar and carry it directly to the table. If it settles before serving, spoon it at once into warm bowls; the texture will be softer, but every bit of vanilla, anisette, and kirsch remains. Never apologize at your own table. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Use dry biscuits à la cuillère or crisp ladyfingers that absorb the liqueurs without dissolving. Very soft cake-style fingers become a wet, heavy belt through the batter and interfere with the rise.
• •Anisette is sweet and distinctly anise-scented. Pastis is drier, more forceful, and not an invisible replacement; the source names anisette and kirsch together, so keep both if you want Palmyre rather than its cousin.
• •The vessel matters. A wide gratin dish spreads the batter and gives you a low pudding; a straight-sided 1.2-litre timbale or soufflé dish directs the expansion upward.
• •Have the table cleared, the dessert plates waiting, and your guests warned before the whites are whipped. A soufflé can wait as a base, but once folded and baked, it keeps its own appointment.
• •Serve with coffee or a small glass of demi-sec Champagne. The dessert already carries two spirits, so the accompaniment should refresh rather than compete.

Advance Preparation

• •The vanilla base can be prepared up to 4 hours ahead. Press parchment or reusable wrap directly against its surface, chill it, then let it stand for 20 minutes and beat it smooth before folding in the whites.
• •The soufflé dish can be buttered, sugared, and chilled for up to 8 hours. Measure the biscuits and liqueurs as well, but do not saturate the biscuits until the base has cooled and the oven is fully heated.
• •Whipping, folding, layering, and baking must happen together. The assembled soufflé cannot be held without losing the air that gives Palmyre its height.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 160g)