Tour de France '20 - Stage 6: Le Teil to Mont Aigoual.
Today began the transition from the Provence/Rhone area to the upper reaches of the Languedoc - known for their chestnut trees and mountainous caves where they age their ewe's milk into beautiful, nutty roquefort cheese which I whipped into airy soufflés. I dressed some greens with a zippy dijon vinaigrette, dropped in some roasted chestnuts I candied in a vanilla syrup and taught the girls the joy of beating a pomegranate into releasing its delicious red jewels.
The word soufflé strikes fear in the soul of even the best chefs. There are essentially only 2 things that can go wrong, at least that I’ve discovered: improper texture and collapsing. But, the rub is that there are a few different ways to get to the 2 main issues. This recipe below, which I’ve adapted from multiple sources should be your golden ticket to soufflé success.
As for the salad, it’s pretty straightforward: greens, thinly sliced red onion, jewels of a pomegranate and candied chestnuts with an assertive white balsamic vinaigrette to help cut through the richness of the accompanying soufflé. If you’ve never used a pomegranate at home, it’s super easy. Cut the pomegranate horizontally and cup one half with the cut side down in the palm of your hand over a bowl; then beat the outside with a spoon letting the jewels fall into the bowl and pick out any white pith from the jewels. For the candied chestnuts, I could only find pre-roasted ones in a vacuum-sealed bag. So, I made a simple syrup and added a few drops of vanilla once the sugar dissolved and spoon-tossed the chestnuts in the syrup over low heat for about 5 minutes. Afterward, using a slotted spoon, place the warmed chestnuts on a piece of wax or parchment paper and let sit for a few minutes. When ready to use, break off any excess simple syrup. The resulting chestnut is smooth and savory on the palate and works well with the sweet and juicy pomegranate and slightly bitter greens.
Roquefort Souffle
3 tbsp butter + 1 tbsp softened butter
½ cup grated parmesan-reggiano or grana padano cheese
3 tbsp flour
1 cup heavy cream
¾ tsp dijon mustard
1.5 tbsp sour cream
¼ tsp salt
Cayenne
3 oz roquefort cheese
5 large eggs at room temperature
2 tbsp minced chives
Cream of tartar (only if unable to use a copper bowl)
4 small ramekins
Preheat the oven to 375 and place the rack in the bottom third. Using softened butter, rub the insides of the ramekins and dust each one with 1 tbsp of the parmesan cheese (rolling the rameking around in your hand to ensure proper coating). Melt the 3 tbsp of butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk constantly for 1 minute. Add the heavy and sour cream, mustard, salt and a pinch of cayenne, whisking over the heat for about 2 minutes until thickened. Pour into a bowl, crumble the roquefort on top, throw in the remaining parmesan, top with the chives and let stand.
Separate your eggs, placing the whites either in a copper bowl or another type of mixing bowl. If you do not have a copper bowl, add 2 pinches of cream of tartar to your egg whites. Drop the yolks in the bowl with the roquefort and whisk until incorporated and smooth. Using a hand mixer, or a completely clean whisk is you’re into self-harm, whip the egg whites. Once they become glossy, you’re getting close. Start checking if the whipped whites can hold peaks, about medium. You do not want to over-whip the eggs like whipped cream or even worse, reaching stiff peaks like a meringue, as it will mess with the desired airy texture of the soufflé.
Using a rubber spatula, take ⅓ of the eqq whites and stir them into the bowl of cheesy yolks until incorporated. Then pour in the remaining whites, but now gently fold these whites into the mixture, pulling in from the middle and giving the bowl a quarter turn….keep repeating this technique until there are no remaining streaks of egg whites. Pour into the individual ramekins about 75% full. Place them on a baking sheet and into the oven. After about 18 minutes check the soufflé tops and give one a jiggle. If the top is nicely browned and the soufflé doesn’t jiggle, you’re done. Otherwise, leave in for another minute or two. Serve immediately before they start following Newton’s 3rd law.
Copyright 2020, Brendan McCann, All Rights Reserved.
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