The Preparation of the Soufflé with Raw Ham

Soufflé de jambon cru (raw-ham soufflé) teaches the discipline of farce mousseline, fine cream-enriched forcemeat. Keep the base cold and sufficiently firm to accept the reduced Béchamel and whipped whites without losing its emulsion. That is the one true thing to know before touching a pan. Warm forcemeat turns loose and greasy; cold forcemeat holds its cream, carries the air, and rises with a tender, almost satin interior.

The brigade formula assumed a saucier on staff with reduced Béchamel ready, a garde-manger working meat through a mortar and tamis, ice at the elbow, and an oven watched through service. The stock never off the fire and the salamander were familiar brigade supports, but this entry calls on neither. At home, a food processor, a fine sieve, a bowl over ice, and an ordinary oven are the honest equivalents. The mortar work is scaffolding and may go; the fine texture, cold emulsion, and last-minute folding are the dish and must stay.

This version halves the original pound of raw ham to eight ounces for four servings, so its four tablespoons of Béchamel become two and its four finishing whites become two. Nothing else in the proportion changes. Here raw ham means fresh, uncured pork leg, not prosciutto, Bayonne ham, or sliced deli ham. Have every component cold before you begin, because once the whites are folded, the soufflé goes directly into the oven. One cook, one stove, one evening.