Karl and I raved about the Soufflé à l'Angélique served at "Le Trait d'Union Restaurant" in Thouars from the very first spoonful. It is simply exquisite! It is light and airy and heavenly. So when the chef invited us to come for a private cooking class to watch her prepare this food fit for angels, we accepted with the greatest pleasure.
Angélique is both the name of the chef and a type of plant cultivated in the wetlands for centuries and used for anything from liqueur to ice-cream.
- Before starting this recipe, make sure you have organised all the necessary ingredients.
- Place milk in a saucepan and bring to a boil.
- In a mixing bowl, tip the whole eggs and egg yolks, then add the castor sugar and combine with a whisk. It will lighten in colour. Beat vigorously with a whisk until the preparation is pale and fluffy.
- Incorporate the corn starch slowly.
- Combine well. Make sure there are no lumps.
- When the milk starts boiling, pour half of it into the egg mixture and combine well.
- Then transfer the entire preparation into the saucepan used to boil the milk, where there is still half the milk remaining.
- Cook over medium heat for 4 or 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Make sure the cream does not stick to the bottom of the pan.
- Add candied Angélique.
- The crème pâtissière is ready when it has a thick consistency.
- Transfer into a cold receptacle, preferably a flat one so the preparation will cool evenly and quickly.
- To prevent the formation of a crust, place some plastic wrap in direct contact with the surface of the cream.
Soufflé à l'Angélique
The recipe is for one crêpe. Multiply ingredients for the number of crêpes you wish to make. Make up to 8 servings at once, but for more people, make two batches.
Use a weigh scale and be sure to measure accurately.
60g crème pâtissière*
30g egg whites
pinch of salt
1 tsp. icing sugar
A few drops of Angélique liqueur
*(If the crème pâtissière sat in the fridge overnight, you can mix it again, even with a mixer, until it is sleek and homogenous. Bring it to room temperature.)
In a restaurant where this recipe is made often, they use containers of egg whites rather than cracking so many eggs. Use your mixer to whip the egg whites and the pinch of salt, starting at a slow speed. Add the icing sugar and increase the speed of your mixer until the egg whites reach a lovely peak.
Fold half of the egg whites into your crème pâtissière to soften it, then put all of this mixture in the remainder of the egg whites. Continue to fold. Be sure to keep a lot of air in your mixture, so don't fold vigorously. This is the secret: If you mix too much, your soufflé will flatten.
In the classic soufflé, it is baked and presented in a "tête de lion" bowl, a lion's head bowl that is oven-proof. Once buttered and sugared, the soufflé mixture is added until it reaches the level of the lion's head, allowing the soufflé to rise over the bowl to the right height.
For our Soufflé à l'Angélique: liquid egg whites; salt.
Be sure to measure accurately using a weigh scale.
The crème pâtissière has been weighed accurately as well.
The egg whites, beaten to a lovely peak.
Folding egg whites and crème pâtissière, gently.
Angélique demonstrates how you put the crêpe halfway onto your oven-proof plate and spoon your mixture on the crêpe. The mixture must not touch the plate.
The crêpe itself must not touch its other side or fold far enough to touch the plate after it's folded. If so, the soufflé will not have room to rise.
Also, the size of the crêpe makes a difference since if it's too large it will crisp on the edges and get brittle in the baking.
Place in a preheated 180 degree C convection oven for 8 minutes.
While waiting for the soufflés to bake, we tasted the Angélique liqueur. We thought it reminded us of the forest and of Christmas. There was also time for Karl to have a coffee.
The soufflés are ready!
Look at the height, the airy texture!
There are various flavours that you can add at this stage of the presentation. You could have added candied orange peel to your crème pâtissière and at this stage add a sprinkle of Grand Marnier. You could have added a vanilla bean when the milk was boiling and now add some maple syrup. Just ensure that you do not add liquids to change the consistency of the soufflé; use candied fruit instead.
Time to sprinkle them with icing sugar powder and add a scoop of sorbet in a little bowl on the side.
The plate is hot so it is served on another plate.
It is definitely as delicious as all the other times we've tried it!
My stars in heaven!
Angélique, you are a master at this! I wonder if the soufflé was named for the plant or for your namesake. I think it might be both.
You are a generous person to have taken the time to teach us this recipe while managing your staff and preparing the restaurant for the busy lunch crowd.
Please accept our thanks and deep appreciation for this truly special gift. It will definitely rank as a highlight of our trip to France this year!
www.letraitdunion-restaurant.com Vincent and Angélique
www.letraitdunion-restaurant.com Vincent and Angélique
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"Be happy in the moment, that's enough.
Each moment is all we need, not more."
~ Mother Teresa
Those look amazing! Thank you for the recipe but I don't trust my skills, so .... next time I visit?
ReplyDeleteKarl wants to become the expert so we'll see how practised he is by then!
DeleteA lot of work but they look delicious!
ReplyDeleteOnce you taste these soufflés, you'll realize that they're worth the extra effort!
Delete