Soufflé d’Écrevisses Léopold de Rothschild

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •1½-quart (1.4-litre) straight-sided ceramic soufflé dish
• •2-quart heavy saucepan
• •Small saucepan for reducing stock
• •Balloon whisk or electric hand mixer
• •Broad flexible spatula
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Parchment paper and kitchen twine
• •Instant-read thermometer

Instructions

1. 1

   Ready oven and table

   Set a rack in the lower third of the oven and heat it to 375°F (190°C), using conventional heat if you have the choice. Set the table now and have four warmed plates waiting. A soufflé waits for no one, and once the whites are folded there will be no useful pause.

   Check that no upper rack blocks the rise. The crown may stand several inches above the dish before it settles.
2. 2

   Prepare the mould

   Brush a 1½-quart (1.4-litre) straight-sided soufflé dish with 1 tablespoon (15 ml / 14 g) of the softened butter, working from bottom to rim in vertical strokes. Coat the inside with 3 tablespoons (45 ml / 15 g) of the Parmesan and tap out the excess. Wrap a buttered parchment collar around the outside so it stands about 2 inches (5 cm) above the rim, secure it with kitchen twine, and chill the prepared dish while you make the base.

3. 3

   Dry the garnishes

   Spread the cooked crayfish tails, diced asparagus, and truffle slices separately on clean towels. Blot them until no moisture marks the towel, leaving the small crayfish tails whole. Wet garnish leaks into the foam and makes a heavy band, so this quiet preparation matters more than any flourish at the finish.

4. 4

   Concentrate the stock

   Boil the shellfish stock in a small saucepan until reduced by half to ½ cup (120 ml / 120 g), about 8 to 10 minutes. Measure it if your eye is uncertain. Stir in the milk and cream, warm the mixture just until bubbles gather at the edge, then take it off the heat. Reduction supplies the depth once provided by the stockpot that never went cold.

5. 5

   Build the roux

   Melt the remaining 3 tablespoons (45 ml / 42 g) butter in a heavy saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir in the flour and cook this roux for 2 minutes without letting it color. Add the warm stock mixture in four additions, whisking each one smooth before the next, then cook for 3 to 4 minutes until the base is glossy, very thick, and pulling cleanly from the saucepan. If it forms lumps, don't throw it out. Ça se rattrape: work it through a fine sieve while hot, then return it to gentle heat for one minute.

6. 6

   Enrich the base

   Transfer the roux base to a broad mixing bowl and let it cool for 5 minutes, until warm rather than fiercely hot. Beat in the yolks one at a time, followed by the remaining Parmesan, salt, and white pepper. Fold in the scant tablespoon of asparagus and the truffle slices. Keep the crayfish tails aside, exactly as the preparation requires, because they belong between the layers rather than beaten through the foam.

7. 7

   Whisk the whites

   Whisk the egg whites in a perfectly clean bowl until they form glossy medium-firm peaks that bend slightly at their tips. Stop before they turn dry or clotted. Whites with a little suppleness fold around the base; overbeaten whites break into stubborn lumps and carry less air into the oven.

8. 8

   Fold without crushing

   Whisk one-quarter of the whites firmly into the warm base to loosen it. Add the remainder in two batches, cutting down through the centre with a broad spatula, sweeping along the bottom, and turning the mixture over itself. Rotate the bowl as you work. If a few white islands remain, press them gently through with the edge of the spatula instead of stirring on and on. The mixture is ready when it looks billowing and evenly pale, not perfectly polished.

9. 9

   Layer the crayfish

   Spoon one-third of the soufflé preparation into the chilled dish and scatter over half the dried crayfish tails, keeping them away from the outer edge. Add another third of the preparation, the remaining tails, and then the final third. Smooth the surface lightly without pressing. Run a clean thumb around the inner rim to make a shallow channel, which helps the crown rise straight, and put the dish in the oven immediately.

10. 10

    Bake to a crown

    Bake for 30 to 35 minutes without opening the oven during the first 25. The soufflé is ready when it stands high above the rim, the crown is deeply bronzed, and the centre still gives a slight tremble; an instant-read thermometer inserted through the side should register at least 160°F (71°C). Steady oven heat does the work. A broiler or salamander would color the top too fiercely and leave the middle behind.

11. 11

    Serve without delay

    Remove the collar carefully and carry the soufflé directly to the table. Break through the crown with a broad serving spoon, reaching to the bottom so every portion receives airy Parmesan base, crayfish tails, asparagus, and truffle. Serve at once. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Crayfish is the dish, not a decorative suggestion. Frozen peeled tails are an honest answer when fresh ones are unavailable, but thaw them slowly in the refrigerator and blot them thoroughly. Shrimp changes both the sweetness and the texture.
• •A good preserved black truffle is preferable to a tired fresh one. Drain the slices well and keep the amount restrained; the source gives asparagus and truffle as accents, while crayfish remains the principal flavor. Truffle oil doesn't behave or taste the same.
• •Use a straight-sided ceramic dish with enough height. A shallow gratin dish spreads the preparation outward before the egg whites can lift it, giving you a handsome omelette when what you asked for was a soufflé.
• •Serve with a plainly dressed salad of tender bitter leaves and pour brut Champagne or a mineral white Burgundy. Keep the accompaniment quiet because Parmesan, crayfish, and truffle have already filled the room.

Advance Preparation

• •Reduce the shellfish stock and make the roux base through the addition of the yolks and Parmesan up to 6 hours ahead. Press parchment directly onto its surface, chill it, then let it stand for 20 minutes before folding in the asparagus, truffle, and whites.
• •Cook and dice the asparagus, drain the truffle, and dry the crayfish tails earlier the same day. Keep each covered and chilled separately so moisture cannot collect around the garnishes.
• •Butter and coat the soufflé dish several hours ahead and keep it chilled. Once the whites have been folded into the base, there is no holding period and no make-ahead bake; layer it, bake it, and serve it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 220g)