French Provincial Cooking - Elizabeth David [117]
I first had these little soufflés at a lorry drivers’ restaurant about three miles from the Pont du Gard. They came after cooked ham and cold vegetables served with a powerful aïoli, and were followed by a bœuf à la gardiane garnished with heart-shaped croûtons of fried bread. Then came a home-made ice with home-made almond tuiles. After which the local marc from Châteauneuf du Pape was a welcome digestive. It was not, I must add, the set meal of the café, but had been specially prepared for us by the proprietor, a Marseillais, at quite short notice. He had, I think, invented these delicious little soufflés himself.
SOUFFLÉ AUX COURGETTES
COURGETTE SOUFFLÉ
To make a courgette soufflé in one large dish instead of several miniature ones, prepare the mixture as described above. Turn into a buttered soufflé dish of 1 to 1 pints capacity. The dish should be full almost to the top. Stand it in a baking tin filled with water, sprinkle the top with grated cheese, and cook in the centre of a preheated oven, Gas No. 4, 355 deg. F., for 40 to 45 minutes. Alternative timing is 30 minutes at gas No. 7, 440 deg. F.
Three people can easily dispose of this size soufflé. For six, double all the quantities exactly and make two soufflés rather than one huge one.
PETITES FONDUES À LA BOURGUIGNONNE
Except for the fact that it contains cheese, this has very little in common with the well-known Swiss fondue. The recipe is from an old collection of Burgundian recipes and came from the Restaurant de la Cloche in Dijon. I give it in half quantities though, for the final operation of cooking and frying the little fondues is a tricky one at first and it is best to get it right in a small amount to start with. It makes a first course luncheon dish of great charm.
The ingredients are 2 oz. each of butter and flour, pint of milk, 1 oz. each of grated Gruyère and Parmesan, the yolks of 3 eggs, salt, pepper, nutmeg. For the final operation, a whole egg, approximately 2 oz. of breadcrumbs and a mixture of butter and oil for frying.
First make a thick basic sauce by melting the butter in a heavy saucepan, then stir in the flour. When the two have amalgamated, add, about a third at a time, the heated milk, and stir thoroughly until smooth, thick, and coming away from the sides of the pan. Now add the grated cheese, salt, a plentiful seasoning of freshly-milled pepper and a grating of nutmeg. The mixture should be rather highly seasoned. Lastly, add the beaten yolks and stir, away from the fire, until the mixture is quite smooth. Turn it into a small baking tin, very lightly oiled, in a layer about half an inch thick. Put in a cold place and leave until next day.
With a knife dipped in cold water, mark out the mixture into rectangles about 1 × 2 inches. There will be sixteen pieces. Cut them through, then separate them with a palette knife. Have ready on one large plate the beaten egg and on another the very fine, pale golden breadcrumbs. Coat each square first with the egg and then with the breadcrumbs, taking care to cover sides as well as top and bottom. Use a palette knife for the coating operations which can all be done a little time before the meal. When the time comes to cook them, heat about 2 oz. of butter (clarified if possible) and 2 tablespoons of oil. Fry half the little fondues in this, turning them over once or twice until they are golden and you see the mixture just beginning to spread at the sides. Take them out with a slice, keep them hot in a gentle oven while the second batch is fried, then serve quickly. This quantity will be enough