Orange or Tangerine Soufflé Righi

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Sharp paring knife
• •Grapefruit spoon or small serrated spoon
• •Citrus press and fine-mesh sieve
• •Small heavy saucepan
• •Electric hand mixer and mixing bowl
• •Rimmed metal baking sheet, about 13 by 18 inches (33 by 46 cm)
• •Four chilled shallow dessert plates

Instructions

1. 1

   Hollow the fruit

   Cut a neat circular opening around the stem of each fruit, about 1 1/4 inches (3 cm) wide for oranges or 3/4 inch (2 cm) for tangerines. Angle the knife toward the center and lift out a conical plug rather than slicing the fruit across. Working over a bowl, loosen and remove the flesh through that opening with a grapefruit spoon, keeping every peel whole. Press the extracted flesh and strain the juice. If you make a pinhole in a peel, keep it and mark the damaged side so it can be buried deeply in the ice; a long tear requires another fruit because the shell must support the frozen filling.

2. 2

   Half-fill and freeze

   Spoon the matching citrus sorbet into each shell until the cavity is exactly half full, pressing it against the sides so no air pockets remain. Keep the upper half empty for the appareil. Stand the shells upright in a small tray and freeze for at least 1 1/2 hours, until the sorbet and peels are thoroughly firm. The half-fill is part of the structure, not decoration: too much sorbet leaves no room for the crown, while too little loses the hot-cold balance.

3. 3

   Cook the citrus base

   Reserve 1 tablespoon of the citrus juice. Simmer the remaining juice in a small saucepan until reduced to about 5 tablespoons (75 ml), concentrating the fruit without adding another flavor. Whisk 3 tablespoons of the sugar with the cornstarch and yolks until smooth, then temper with the hot reduction. Return everything to the saucepan and whisk over medium-low heat until the base thickens and gives two or three slow bubbles. Cook for 30 seconds more, remove from the heat, and whisk in the butter. If it catches into small lumps, immediately whisk in the reserved cold juice and pass it through a fine sieve. Ça se rattrape. Cover the surface directly and chill until cold but still pliable.

4. 4

   Ready fierce heat

   Set an oven rack about 4 inches (10 cm) below the upper element. Heat the oven to its maximum setting, ideally 500°F (260°C), for 30 minutes, then turn the broiler to high for another 5 minutes. Spread 4 cups of the crushed ice in a cold rimmed metal baking sheet, making a bed deep enough to hold the shells upright. Keep the remaining ice frozen for serving. The heat must be fully ready before the whites are whipped; a slow oven melts the ice before the appareil can rise.

5. 5

   Whip and fold

   Beat the egg whites with the lemon juice and salt until foamy. Add the remaining 3 tablespoons of sugar gradually, beating until the whites are glossy and hold medium-firm peaks whose tips bend slightly. Stir one-third of the whites into the cold citrus base to loosen it, then fold in the rest in two additions with broad strokes. Stop as soon as no white streaks remain. If the chilled base has become rigid, soften it with a spatula before adding any whites; forcing delicate whites through a solid base knocks out the air the Righi needs.

6. 6

   Crown the shells

   Move the frozen shells directly from the freezer to the crushed-ice tray, burying their lower halves so they stand perfectly upright. Spoon the appareil over the frozen sorbet, filling each opening and building a rounded crown about 1 inch (2.5 cm) above the peel. Smooth the surface upward with the back of the spoon. Work briskly and load the oven within 90 seconds of folding.

7. 7

   Bake by the clock

   Slide the tray beneath the fully heated broiler and close the door. Bake tangerines for exactly 2 minutes and oranges for exactly 4 minutes. Do not open the door, rotate the tray, or wait for a darker crust. The crowns should rise, set around the surface, and color pale gold at their highest ridges, while the lower peels remain cold. Pale is correct. Another minute trades the frozen heart for unnecessary browning.

8. 8

   Serve at once

   Divide the reserved crushed ice among chilled shallow dessert plates. Lift each Righi from the hot tray with a small spatula, settle it upright in the fresh ice, and carry it straight to the table. The spoon should pass through the tender soufflé crown into firm citrus ice beneath. There is no holding time and no second reheating. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Choose fruit with thick, unblemished peel and a stable, nearly round shape. Thin-skinned fruit tears while being hollowed, and flattening the base with a knife would puncture the vessel. The crushed ice supplies all the support it needs.
• •Use sorbet, not ice cream. The source calls for orange or tangerine ice, and a clean water-based sorbet preserves that bright fruit flavor and firm frozen layer.
• •The stated two-minute and four-minute exposures depend on a completely heated oven and strong upper element. Lower heat applied for longer is not equivalent; it warms the shell and melts the sorbet before the crown sets.
• •Because the appareil receives only a brief final cooking, use pasteurized shell eggs when serving anyone medically advised to avoid lightly cooked egg.
• •Serve the Righi without sauce, sugar, herbs, or decorative fruit. Its intact peel, risen crown, and hidden layer of citrus ice are already the entire argument.

Advance Preparation

• •The citrus shells can be hollowed, half-filled with sorbet, and frozen up to 8 hours ahead. Freeze them uncovered until firm, then cover loosely so the peels do not dry out.
• •The cooked citrus base can be made up to 6 hours ahead and kept covered in the refrigerator. Let it soften for a few minutes if it becomes too firm to fold.
• •Crush the ice, chill the serving plates, and measure the whites before dinner. Whip, fold, crown, and bake only when everyone is ready for dessert.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 180g)