Pommes à la Moscovite

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Wide 3-quart (3-liter) saucepan
• •Small heavy saucepan
• •Sharp paring knife
• •1-inch (2.5 cm) melon baller or small spoon
• •Fine-mesh sieve or sturdy potato masher
• •Hand mixer or balloon whisk
• •Shallow 2-quart (2-liter) ovenproof serving dish
• •Four snug ovenproof ramekins for emergency support, if needed

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the thin syrup

   Combine the water, 1 cup (240 ml / 200 g) sugar, and 1 tablespoon (15 ml / 15 g) lemon juice in a wide saucepan. Bring to a gentle simmer, stirring only until the sugar dissolves, then hold it just below a boil. This is a thin poaching syrup, not a glaze; it should sweeten the apples without coating them heavily.

2. 2

   Shape the apple cases

   Cut straight across each apple at two-thirds of its height, removing the upper third. With a melon baller and then a small spoon, hollow the lower portion into a case, leaving walls about 3/8 inch (1 cm) thick and a base about 1/2 inch (1.25 cm) thick. Do not pierce the bottom. Recover the usable flesh from the cut tops and cavities, discarding peel from the tops, stems, seeds, and tough core. Toss the flesh with most of the remaining lemon juice and rub the last few drops over the cut rims.

3. 3

   Poach them firm

   Lower the apple cases into the barely simmering syrup. Poach for 4 to 7 minutes, turning them gently so every side meets the syrup. Test early and often: a fine skewer should enter the surface but meet distinct resistance within the flesh. Lift each case as soon as it reaches that point, drain it upside down for 5 minutes, then stand it upright. If a case begins to widen or slump, remove it immediately and cool it; ça se rattrape. Bake that apple in a snug buttered ramekin so the vessel supplies the support the softened wall has lost.

   A rolling boil batters the walls and cooks the outer flesh before the centre takes syrup. Keep only a quiet movement around the apples.
4. 4

   Reduce the apple purée

   Chop the reserved apple flesh and place it in a small heavy saucepan with 1/4 cup (60 ml / 60 g) of the poaching syrup. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until the apple collapses and the liquid cooks away, about 10 minutes. Mash thoroughly or pass it through a fine sieve, then return it to the pan if necessary and reduce it to about 1 cup (240 ml / 240 g). The purée must sit in a spoon rather than pour from it. If it looks loose, keep cooking; ça se rattrape before the eggs go in. Cool it until barely lukewarm.

5. 5

   Lay the purée foundation

   Heat the oven to 325°F (160°C), or 300°F (150°C) with a fan. Butter a shallow ovenproof serving dish and arrange the drained apple cases upright with a little room between them. Divide half the purée among the cases, using about 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 30 g) apiece and filling each cavity one-third full. Keep this layer level so the Soufflé has an even foundation.

6. 6

   Build the Soufflé

   Stir the egg yolks and kümmel into the remaining purée. The base must be no warmer than your hand; a hot base collapses the whites, so wait if necessary. In a perfectly clean bowl, beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Add the 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 25 g) sugar gradually and continue beating until the whites are glossy and hold a peak whose tip bends slightly. Fold one-third of the whites into the apple base to loosen it, then fold in the rest with broad, gentle strokes. Stop as soon as no white streaks remain.

   Grease is the enemy of whipped whites. Wipe the bowl and beaters with a little lemon juice if there is any doubt, then dry them before beginning.
7. 7

   Fill the cases

   Spoon the kümmel apple Soufflé into the cases immediately, filling each to the rim and giving the centre a modest rounded crown. Wipe the rims clean with a fingertip so the mixture can climb without catching. Put the dish into the oven at once. Soufflé preparation waits for the oven, never the other way around.

8. 8

   Bake and serve

   Bake in the mild oven for 20 minutes without opening the door during the first 16. The apple cases should remain upright while the Soufflé rises just above their rims, turns pale gold, and retains a slight tremble at the centre. Bring the baking dish straight to the table and serve one apple per person while the crowns still stand proudly. Cooking well is not cooking fancy. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Choose apples by structure before sweetness. Pink Lady and Braeburn hold their walls well; McIntosh and very ripe Golden Delicious soften too quickly for this job. Uniform size matters because all four cases must poach and bake at the same rate.
• •Kümmel is a sweet caraway liqueur, and it is the flavour that makes the dish Moscovite in the classical French vocabulary. Aquavit is drier, while anise liqueur points somewhere else entirely. Use real kümmel and let its warm, herbal note remain distinct.
• •Have the serving plates and spoons ready before the Soufflé enters the oven. The cases and purée can wait, but the finished crowns begin settling as soon as they leave the heat. Never apologize at your own table; simply serve them promptly.
• •Strain and chill the remaining poaching syrup. It keeps well and can poach pears, sweeten stewed fruit, or loosen another apple purée, so nothing from the foundation is wasted.

Advance Preparation

• •The thin syrup can be made up to 3 days ahead, chilled, and brought back to a bare simmer before poaching.
• •The apple cases and reduced purée can be prepared up to 4 hours ahead. Chill the drained cases and purée separately, well covered, then bring both out 30 minutes before assembly so cold fruit does not delay the bake.
• •Do not fold the egg whites into the base or fill the cases ahead. That last-minute work is not brigade scaffolding; it is the Soufflé.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 315g)