Soufflé à la Camargo

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •1½-quart (1.4-liter) straight-sided soufflé dish
• •Parchment paper and kitchen string for the collar
• •Small heavy saucepan
• •Two medium mixing bowls
• •Electric hand mixer or sturdy balloon whisk
• •Small food processor or nut mill

Instructions

1. 1

   Ready dish and oven

   Set a rack in the lower third of the oven and heat it to 400°F (200°C), or 360°F (180°C) with a fan. Butter the soufflé dish generously with upward strokes, coat the inside with the 2 tablespoons of sugar, and tap out the excess. Tie a buttered parchment collar around the outside so it stands about 2 inches (5 cm) above the rim, then chill the prepared dish. The upward buttering and sugared wall give the batter a clean path to climb.

   Use a straight-sided dish. A wide, shallow casserole spreads the batter and gives you more crust but far less rise.
2. 2

   Build both flavorings

   Toast the filberts until fragrant and pale gold, about 7 minutes, then cool them completely and pulse them to a fine meal. Stop before they become oily or clump into paste, which would weigh down the soufflé. Meanwhile, boil the tangerine juice in a small saucepan until reduced from 1/3 cup (80 ml) to 2 tablespoons (30 ml), then cool it and stir in the zest. Reducing gives clear citrus flavor without watering the base.

3. 3

   Cook the panade

   Reserve 1/4 cup (60 ml / 50 g) of the measured sugar for the egg whites. Melt the 2 tablespoons of butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stir in the flour, and cook for 90 seconds without allowing it to brown. Whisk in the milk gradually, then add the remaining 85 g sugar and the salt. Cook, whisking constantly, until the panade, the cooked soufflé base, becomes smooth and thick enough to leave a clean line across the bottom of the pan. Remove it from the heat and let it cool for 5 minutes.

4. 4

   Divide and flavor

   Beat the 4 yolks into the warm panade one at a time, making each addition completely smooth before the next. Divide the base equally between two mixing bowls. Stir the cooled tangerine reduction and zest into one bowl, and fold the finely ground filberts into the other. Let both bases cool until barely warm; a hot base melts the air from the whites before the oven can set it.

5. 5

   Whip and fold

   Whisk all 6 egg whites in a spotless bowl until they hold soft peaks. Add the reserved 1/4 cup (50 g) sugar gradually and continue whisking to glossy medium peaks whose tips bend gently. Dry, grainy whites have gone too far; if that happens, ça se rattrape. Whisk in the optional unbeaten white by hand until the mixture becomes glossy again. Stir a generous scoop of whites firmly into each flavored base to loosen it, then divide the remaining whites between the bowls and fold just until no white streaks remain.

6. 6

   Saturate and layer

   Spread the ladyfinger pieces in a shallow dish, pour the Curaçao over them, and turn them once. Let them absorb the liqueur for about 30 seconds, until saturated but still firm enough to lift. Spoon half the tangerine preparation into the soufflé dish, cover it sparsely with one-third of the biscuits, then add half the filbert preparation and another third of the biscuits. Repeat with the remaining tangerine preparation, the last biscuits, and the remaining filbert preparation. Level the top lightly without pressing, then run a clean thumb around the inside rim to form a narrow channel. Do not tap the dish on the counter; those bubbles are the lift you worked for.

7. 7

   Bake without peeking

   Put the dish into the oven and immediately reduce the heat to 375°F (190°C), or 340°F (170°C) with a fan. Bake for 28 to 32 minutes without opening the door during the first 25 minutes. It is ready when the crown stands well above the rim, the top is deep butter-gold, and the center trembles softly rather than sloshing when the dish is nudged. If the center is still liquid, return it to the oven immediately for 3 to 5 minutes. It may surrender a little height, but it will still be splendid.

8. 8

   Serve the crown

   Carry the soufflé directly to the table and remove the parchment collar. Break through the crown with a large serving spoon, reaching to the bottom so every portion receives tangerine soufflé, filbert soufflé, and the amber Curaçao-soaked biscuits between them. A hot soufflé settles because it is tender, not because you failed. Serve it at once. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Filbert is the traditional English name for the hazelnut used in the source. Buy fresh nuts and taste one before you begin; stale filberts carry a rancid bitterness that sugar cannot hide.
• •Choose a dry amber Curaçao with a clear orange fragrance. Blue Curaçao changes both the color and character of the dish, and a syrupy orange liqueur makes the biscuits heavy.
• •Tangerines give the intended bright, slightly bitter perfume. When they are poor at the market, clementines are the honest cousin, though their flavor is sweeter and gentler.
• •Seat your guests before the soufflé goes into the oven. The dessert waits for nobody, and asking six people to admire it from the kitchen doorway is no way to finish dinner.
• •A demi-sec Champagne suits the citrus and toasted filbert, while black coffee keeps the finish simpler. The soufflé needs no sauce or decorative garnish.

Advance Preparation

• •Toast and grind the filberts up to 2 days ahead, then keep them airtight in the cold. Reduce the tangerine juice a day ahead and refrigerate it with the zest.
• •The panade can be cooked, enriched with the yolks, divided, and flavored up to 4 hours ahead. Press reusable wrap directly against each surface, chill, then let the bowls stand for about 20 minutes so the bases lose their stiffness before folding.
• •Butter and sugar the dish earlier in the day and keep it chilled. Cut the ladyfingers ahead, but do not add the Curaçao until the egg whites are ready; saturated biscuits left standing collapse into paste.
• •The assembled soufflé cannot be held. Once the whites are folded and the layers are built, it goes directly into the oven.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 150g)