No. 2359

Souffle of Chicken

Souffle de Poulet

Have a quarter of a pound of very white roasted chicken meat, pare it free of all sinews, fat or skin, then pound it to a pulp with an ounce of butter, a tablespoonful of bechamel sauce (No. 409) and two egg-yolks; season with salt, pepper and nutmeg and rub the whole through a sieve; put it back into a vessel to heat, mixing in slowly two tablespoonfuls of well-drained whipped cream, then stir in two very stiffly beaten egg-whites and a teaspoonful of finely chopped truffles. Butter a souffle pan (Fig. 182) lightly, or small paper cases (Fig. 439) stiffened in the oven; fill them up and cook in a moderate oven; it takes about twelve or fifteen minutes to cook the souffle in the pan; serve at once. Guests had better be kept waiting for a souffle than to have the souffle wait for them. It must be served immediately it leaves the oven, otherwise it loses its greatest merit, namely a beautiful appearance.

← No. 2358 Shells of Terrapin with Hazel-Nuts Miscellaneous Entrées No. 2360 Souffle of Chicken a la Delsart →

For the Modern Kitchen

A very small, very rich soufflé built on pounded roast chicken rather than a flour-thickened base. Everything hinges on the béchamel-and-yolk mixture being warm but never hot enough to set the eggs before the whites go in.

The hinge: warm, not cooked"Put it back into a vessel to heat" means the sieved pur e over gentle heat or in a bain-marie, no hotter than lukewarm, so it accepts the cream and whites smoothly. The recipe gives no temperature. If the yolks tighten at this stage the mixture turns grainy.
Moderate ovenSomewhere around 350 ted mark; Ranhofer gives no figure. Twelve to fifteen minutes suits the single pan, and the smaller paper cases will need noticeably less.
No. 409, bechamelRanhofer's b chamel is a white roux moistened with milk (period versions commonly take white stock as well), simmered down thick. A tablespoon of any stiff, well-reduced modern b chamel serves; it must be thick enough to hold its shape on the spoon or the base will be too loose.
Pounding and sievingA mortar and a drum sieve were the original tools. A food processor gets you most of the way, but pass the purée through a fine sieve afterwards regardless — the sinew and fibre that escape the blade are what make the finished soufflé stringy.
Whipped cream, well drainedCream whipped to soft peaks and left in a sieve a few minutes so the loose liquid runs off. Two tablespoons is a small amount by design; it lightens without slackening the base.
Paper casesFig. 439 shows the small paper cases of the period, stiffened by drying in the oven so they hold their shape. Buttered ramekins do the same job.
TrufflesA teaspoon of chopped black truffle is a flavouring, not a garnish, and preserved truffle from a jar is the practical substitute. Truffle oil behaves differently and will read as harsh against this quantity of chicken.
YieldA quarter pound of meat with two eggs makes one small soufflé pan or three to four individual cases — a first course for three or four, not a main dish. Scale up in whole multiples; the ratio of chicken to eggs is what holds it together.

A Little History

Charles Ranhofer ran the kitchen at Delmonico's in New York for over thirty years, and The Epicurean (1894) is essentially that restaurant's working repertoire set down in print. Savoury soufflfish belonged to the classical French entrfilling and to arrive in a strict sequence; this one uses roast chicken breast, bfor other purposes. The warning at the end is Ranhofer speaking as a restaurateur rather than a cook: a souffledible but has lost the height a dining room was paying for.