Julia Child Fresh Strawberry Souffle Xxix Food

STRAWBERRY SOUFFLé

Steps:

• Remove wire racks from oven and place a baking sheet directly on oven floor. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Generously butter a 1 1/2-quart soufflé dish. Coat bottom and sides thoroughly with sugar, tapping out excess. To get the best rise, make sure there is sugar covering all of the butter on the sides of the dish.
• In a medium bowl, toss berries with 1/3 cup sugar and vinegar. Let stand for at least 30 minutes.
• Drain berries in a sieve set over a bowl, reserving juices. If less than 1/4 cup, add water to total 1/4 cup liquid.
• In a small saucepan, combine 2/3 cup sugar with berry juices. Bring to a boil over high heat, swirling occasionally, until sugar is completely dissolved. Cover pan and continue to boil until sugar reaches 235 degrees on a candy thermometer (soft ball stage), about 1 minute.
• Fold drained berries into hot syrup and bring mixture back to a boil, about 1 minute. Drain berries again, again reserving juices. Return juices to the saucepan and boil until thickened, adding any accumulated juices in the bowl of berries as you go, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat, fold in berries and lemon zest, and set aside to thicken and cool slightly.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat egg whites until foamy. Add salt and cream of tartar and gradually increase speed to high. Add remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, a tablespoon at a time, and continue beating until egg whites hold stiff, glossy peaks. Immediately add berry mixture to one side of the bowl and quickly but delicately fold together. Transfer batter to prepared dish. Rub your thumb around the inside edge of the dish to create about a 1/4-inch space between the dish and the soufflé mixture.
• Transfer dish to baking sheet in the oven. Bake until soufflé is puffed and center moves only slightly when dish is shaken gently, about 10 to 12 minutes. Bake it a little less for a runnier soufflé and a little more for a firmer soufflé. Serve immediately.

JULIA CHILD FRESH STRAWBERRY SOUFFLE XXIX

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place rack on lower third of oven. Smear 21/2 quart soufflé baking dish with butter, roll 2 tablespoons sugar around in it to coat bottom and sides. Shake out excess.
• Hull and wash strawberries, slice them rather roughly and toss in large bowl with 1/3 cup sugar and vinegar. Let stand 1/2 hour so juices will exude. Drain in colander set over a bowl; reserve juice.
• Place 2/3 cup sugar in heavy bottomed 2-qt saucepan. Pour 1/4 cup juices drained from berries into pan. Set over high heat and swirling pan by handle bring just to boil. Remove from heat swirling until sugar is completed dissolved then return over high heat. Cover pan and boil 1 minute or so until bubbles thicken and sugar is at the soft boil stage.
• Fold 2/12 cups of drained sliced strawberries into hot syrup and bring to boil, folding, 1 minute. Drain strawberries through a sieve set over a bowl; reserve juices. Return juices in bowl to saucepan and boil rapidly until thickened; add any juices that have accumulated in bowl as you boil. Fold strawberries again into syrup, add grated lemon rind and set aside for a few minutes to thicken as the syrup cools.
• Beat egg whites slowly until foamy; beat in salt and cream of tartar and gradually increase speed to fast until egg whites form stiff, shining peaks. Sprinkling in remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and beat a few seconds more to stiffen them further. Immediately scrape strawberry mixture into one side of the egg whites and rapidly but delicately fold them together.
• Turn mixture into prepared baking dish, either smoothing the top with a spatula or leaving it in its rather rough state and place in oven. Bake 10-12 minutes, until a skewer inserted into side of puff comes out almost clean. Serve at once.

CLASSIC CHEESE SOUFFLE (JULIA CHILD)

Steps:

• Position rack in lower third of oven and preheat to 400 degrees.
• Butter 6-cup (1-1/2 quart) souffle dish.
• Add Parmesan cheese and tilt dish, coating bottom and sides.
• Warm milk in heavy small saucepan over medium-low heat until steaming.
• Meanwhile, melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium heat.
• Add flour and whisk until mixture begins to foam and loses raw taste, about 3 minutes; do not allow mixture to brown).
• Remove saucepan from heat; let stand 1 minute.
• Pour in warm milk, whisking constantly until very thick, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Remove from heat; whisk in paprika, salt, and nutmeg.
• Add egg yolks 1 at a time, whisking to blend after each addition.
• Scrape souffle base into large bowl.
• Cool to lukewarm. DO AHEAD; can be made 2 hours ahead.
• Cover and let stand at room temperature.
• Using electric mixer, beat egg whites in another large bowl until stiff but not dry.
• Fold 1/4 of whites into lukewarm or room temperature souffle base to lighten.
• Fold in remaining whites in 2 additions while gradually sprinkling in Gruyere cheese.
• Transfer batter to prepared dish.
• Place dish in oven and immediately reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees.
• Bake until souffle is puffed and golden brown on top and center moves only slightly when dish is shaken gently, about 25 minutes (do not open oven door during first 20 minutes).
• Serve immediately.