Indian Souffléd Pudding

Pouding soufflé à l’Indienne teaches that a souffléd pudding is not won by height alone. It is won by keeping a flour-thickened panade light enough to rise while carrying a frankly extravagant load of ginger. Ground ginger gives the heat; candied dice give the bite. The one true thing to know before you touch a pan is this: the dice go in last, and every turn of the spatula must earn its place.

The original formula assumed a pastry cook could dry the base over a fierce range, another hand could watch the English custard, and a bank of molds could slip into a waiting bain-marie. At home, make the custard first, halve the brigade quantity for four ramekins, and use a roasting tin of hot water in an ordinary oven. The extra hands were scaffolding. The dried panade, properly beaten whites, and gentle water poach are the dish, so they stay. One cook, one stove, one evening.

Expect a butter-gold pudding with a tender, open interior, sharp ginger warmth, and little amber pieces that meet the spoon with a proper chew. Make your last fold the quietest one. That is the step that decides the pudding.