Soufflé de Volaille with Raw Meat

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Four 6-ounce (180 ml) straight-sided ramekins or individual metal timbale molds
• •Rimmed baking sheet
• •Large chilled mixing bowl
• •Clean medium mixing bowl
• •Electric hand mixer or balloon whisk
• •Large flexible spatula
• •Digital scale
• •Instant-read thermometer

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the timbales

   Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C), the moderate oven specified by the book, with a rack in the middle. Brush four 6-ounce (180 ml) straight-sided ramekins or metal timbale molds generously with the softened butter, using upward strokes along the sides. Set them on a rimmed baking sheet. Do not flour or crumb the molds; butter alone belongs here.

   Have the molds and oven ready before the whites are whipped. Once folded, this mixture must be baked without delay.
2. 2

   Ready the mousseline

   Put the refrigerator-cold Fine Chicken Forcemeat or “Mousseline” (No. 195) into a wide chilled bowl. Work it briefly with a flexible spatula, just until pliable enough to accept the whites. Keep it cold. If the bowl loses its chill or the surface grows glossy and loose, nest it over ice for five minutes before continuing; warmth weakens the mousseline before it ever reaches the oven.

3. 3

   Whip glossy whites

   Beat the egg whites in a perfectly clean, dry bowl until they stand in stiff but glossy peaks. The tip should hold upright while the foam remains smooth and cohesive. Stop there. Dry, grainy whites will not fold cleanly; if they have gone that far, beat two fresh whites rather than forcing them into the mousseline. Ça se rattrape before folding, not afterward.

   A trace of yolk, butter, or grease prevents full volume. Keep the whisk and white bowl away from every utensil that has touched the raw chicken mixture.
4. 4

   Fold without beating

   Add one quarter of the whipped whites to the cold mousseline. Cut the spatula down through the center, sweep across the bottom, lift the mixture over itself, and turn the bowl. Add the remaining whites in two additions and continue with the same broad folding motion until no large white pockets remain. Fold, do not beat. If the mixture begins to slacken while a few fine streaks remain, stop and portion it; those streaks disappear as the molds are filled, while further stirring would drive out the air. That restraint is the dish.

   Do not chase perfect visual uniformity. The finished mixture should feel lighter under the spatula and hold a soft mound rather than run.
5. 5

   Fill and bake

   Divide the mixture among the buttered timbales, about 4 1/2 ounces (128 g) in each, filling them roughly three quarters full. Smooth the tops gently and wipe the rims clean without tapping the molds. Bake directly on the sheet pan, without a water bath, for 20 to 25 minutes. Do not open the oven during the first 18 minutes. They are ready when the crowns have risen, the tops are faintly butter-gold, the centers spring lightly, and a representative timbale reaches 165°F (74°C) at its center. If the tops color before the centers are safe, lay a loose sheet of foil over them for the final minutes.

6. 6

   Serve at once

   Carry the timbales directly to the table in their molds. The interiors should be ivory, moist, and finely aerated, delicate as quenelles but substantial enough for a first course or light main dish. Their crowns will begin to settle as they wait; that is the nature of a soufflé, not a failure. Never apologize at your own table. À table!

Chef Tips

• •The listed timing begins with the Fine Chicken Forcemeat or “Mousseline” (No. 195) already prepared and thoroughly cold, exactly as the book treats its referenced component. Its own preparation time belongs to its own entry.
• •Use real cream when preparing the referenced mousseline and real butter on the molds. The cream controls the forcemeat's tenderness and capacity to hold air; a fat substitute changes that structure. We don't apologize for butter.
• •Keep one spare egg available. Stiff whites should look glossy and supple, not cottony or grainy, and replacing an overbeaten batch is the honest rescue.
• •Do not add flour, cheese, herbs, or an improvised sauce to the mixture. The seasoning and richness already live inside the referenced mousseline; the extra whites provide lift and nothing more.
• •For a dinner party, seat the guests before folding the whites. Butter the molds and ready the sheet pan earlier, but combine and bake only when the table is waiting.

Advance Preparation

• •Prepare the Fine Chicken Forcemeat or “Mousseline” (No. 195) according to its own entry earlier the same day. Cover it closely and keep it at or below 40°F (4°C) until needed; because it contains raw poultry, do not leave it at room temperature.
• •The timbales can be buttered several hours ahead and refrigerated. Bring them out while the oven heats so they are ready when the whites are folded.
• •There is no useful holding period after folding. Bake the filled timbales immediately, and discard any raw mixture that has stood unrefrigerated for more than two hours.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 110g)