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Fondu
Boil three-quarters of a pint of milk and dissolve an ounce of butter in it. Stir into it a quarter of a pint of cold milk in which two ounces of arrowroot has been rubbed smooth. Boil till thick, then add the yolks of four eggs, half a table-spoonful of salt, a salt-spoonful of cayenne, and four ounces of grated Parmesan. Pour in the whites of six eggs whisked to a light froth, and bake at once, without opening the oven till done. The dish should be lined with a buttered paper rising three inches above the top, as the fondu will rise very much. It must be sent to table immediately, for it falls as quickly as it rises. (See also CHEESE FONDU.)
This is a cheese soufflé thickened with arrowroot rather than flour, and everything about it turns on getting it into a hot oven the moment the whites are folded in. Read the whole method before you separate an egg.
- The hinge: no delay, no peekingThe base can be made ahead and kept warm, but once the whisked whites go in the mixture must be in the oven within a minute or two. Opening the door mid-bake collapses it, and the book is right that it falls as fast as it rises — carry it straight to the table.
- Imperial measuresThe pint here is the imperial 20 fl oz, so three-quarters of a pint is about 1¾ US cups and a quarter pint is about ⅔ cup. A saltspoon is roughly ¼ teaspoon.
- The salt is wrongThe salt is high -- half a tablespoon is about 1½ teaspoons, and with 4 oz of Parmesan already in the mixture the result will taste very salty to a modern palate. Start with ½ teaspoon or less and rely on the cheese.
- Oven temperatureNo heat is given. Bake at 375F for 25 to 30 minutes, until well risen, browned and only just set at the centre. Higher than 400F sets the crust before the middle cooks and the thing tears.
- ArrowrootTwo ounces is about ½ cup, which gives a very stiff panada — stiffer than a flour roux base, and it will look alarmingly thick before the eggs go in. Rub it smooth in the cold milk first, as directed, or it will lump on contact with the hot milk. Cornstarch behaves similarly but sets firmer; arrowroot stays glossier.
- Yolks off the heatLet the thickened base cool for a couple of minutes before beating in the yolks, or they will scramble in streaks. The base should be warm, not simmering, when the whites are folded through.
- The paper collarA buttered parchment band standing three inches above the rim of a straight-sided dish, tied or clipped in place, is what lets the soufflé climb well above the dish. A 1½ to 2 quart dish is the right size here.
- YieldServes four as a savoury course, or two or three as a light supper with a salad.
Fondu is simply the French past participle of fondre, to melt, and in Victorian and Edwardian English cookery books the word meant this baked cheese preparation han the Swiss pot of melted cheese and wine that has since claimed the name in English — closer to a souffl he the whole technique of the risen egg-white entremets in one page: a thick farinaceous base, yolks for richness, a strongly flavoured solid (here Parmesan), and more whites than yolks for lift. Parmesan is dry and hard, adding flavour without the free fat and moisture that make a fresh cheese slump. The dish belonged to the savoury course, served after the sweet in the English fashion.