by Julia Child
Cold Soufflés
Many of the recipes you will see for cold soufflés are not cold soufflés at all, but Bavarian creams. They look like soufflés because they appear to have risen several inches up beyond the rim of the mold. This effect is achieved by surrounding the mold with a paper collar which holds the cream in place until set; the paper is removed just before serving time. You may mold any of the preceding Bavarian creams this way, as well as the chocolate mousse, or the almond-cream filling for the charlottes Malakoff starting. Two recipes for actual cold soufflés are the rum and macaroon soufflé, and the caramel and almond soufflé.
RIZ À L’IMPÉRATRICE
[Bavarian Cream with Rice and Fruits—a cold dessert]
Riz à l’Impératrice is one of the grand old standbys of the classic French cuisine, and has no relation, fortunately, to the dreadful rice puddings of one’s youth. It is velvet to the tongue, and is always accompanied by a decorative fruit sauce.
For 8 to 10 people
Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
¾ cup (4 ounces) finely diced glacéed fruits of various colors, such as cherries, angelica, orange peel
4 Tb kirsch or cognac
1⅓ Tb (1⅓ packages) gelatin
Mix the fruits in a small bowl with the kirsch or cognac. Sprinkle on the gelatin and set aside until needed.
½ cup (4 ounces) white rice
4 quarts boiling water
Sprinkle the rice into the boiling water and boil 5 minutes. Drain thoroughly.
1⅔ cups boiling milk
⅓ cup granulated sugar
2 Tb butter
A 1-quart covered, fireproof casserole
1 tsp vanilla extract
A round of buttered waxed paper
Bring milk, sugar, and butter to boil in the casserole. Stir in the rice and vanilla. Bring to simmer on top of the stove. Lay paper over the rice, cover casserole, and set in preheated oven to cook very slowly for 35 to 40 minutes, until the milk has been absorbed and the rice is very tender.
5 egg yolks
A 3- to 4-quart mixing bowl
A wire whip or an electric beater
¾ cup granulated sugar
1 tsp cornstarch
1½ cups boiling milk
A heavy-bottomed enameled saucepan
A wooden spoon
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 Tb apricot preserves forced through a sieve
A bowl with a tray of ice cubes and water to cover them
Meanwhile, following the procedure for crème anglaise, place egg yolks in mixing bowl. Gradually beat in the sugar and continue beating until mixture is pale yellow and forms the ribbon. Beat in the cornstarch, then the boiling milk by droplets. Pour into saucepan and stir over moderate heat until custard coats the spoon lightly (170 degrees). Do not bring near the simmer or egg yolks will curdle. Remove from heat and immediately stir in the glacéed fruits and gelatin mixture, stirring until gelatin has thoroughly dissolved. Add the vanilla and apricot preserves. Stir the rice into the custard, a spoonful at a time if rice is hot. Fold delicately over the bowl of ice cubes and water until cold but not set.
Flavorless cooking oil
A 6-cup cylindrical mold about 3½ inches deep, or a ring mold
A round of oiled waxed paper
Lightly oil the inside of the mold and line the bottom with oiled waxed paper.
1 cup chilled whipping cream
A 3-quart metal bowl
A balloon whip
A round of oiled waxed paper
When the rice custard has cooled, beat the cream over the bowl of ice cubes and water until doubled in volume and beater leaves light traces on the surface. Fold into the rice custard, turn into the mold, and cover with oiled waxed paper. Refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.
2 cups strawberry or raspberry sauce
A chilled serving platter
Optional: ⅓ cup glacéed fruits, diced or cut into fancy shapes, and steeped in 1 Tb kirsch or cognac
Remove waxed paper. Dip mold in very hot water for 1 second (a few seconds more if mold is not of metal). Run a knife around the custard, and unmold on chilled serving platter. Surround with the sauce. (NOTE: After dessert has been unmolded, you may decorate it with glacéed fruits.)
MOUSSE À L’ORANGE
[Orange Mousse—a frozen dessert]
A becoming way to serve this delicate mousse is in the scooped-out halves of oranges.
For 6 people
3 Tb orange liqueur
A 1-quart measuring cup
3 or 4 bright-skinned oranges
½ lemon
Orange juice
Pour the liqueur into the measuring cup. Grate the colored part of the skins of 3 oranges and the ½ lemon into the cup. Strain in enough orange juice so liquid measures 2 cups.
6 egg yolks
½ cup granulated sugar
A 3-quart mixing bowl A wire whip or electric beater
2 tsp cornstarch
A 2½-quart, heavy-bottomed enameled saucepan
A wooden spoon
Optional: a candy thermometer
Beat the egg yolks and sugar in a mixing bowl until mixture is pale yellow and forms the ribbon. Beat in the cornstarch and the orange juice mixture. Pour into the saucepan and stir over moderate heat with wooden spoon until mixture heats through and thickens, but does not come to the simmer, or a temperature of more than 170 degrees. It should coat the spoon lightly. Remove from heat and beat a moment to stop the cooking.
6 egg whites
Pinch of salt
1 Tb granulated sugar
A bowl with a tray of ice cubes and water to cover them
Beat the egg whites and salt in a separate bowl until soft peaks are formed; sprinkle in the sugar and beat until stiff peaks are formed. Fold the egg whites into the hot orange mixture, and fold over the bowl of ice until thoroughly chilled so the custard will not separate.
½ cup chilled whipping cream
6 orange-shell cups, or dessert cups, or a serving bowl
Glazed orange peel, angelica cut into leaf shapes, mint leaves, or whipped cream
Beat the cream until stiff, and fold into the chilled mousse. Turn into orange-shell cups, dessert cups, or bowl. Cover and freeze for several hours or overnight.
Decorations:
Decorate the desert just before serving.
MOUSSELINE AU CHOCOLAT
MAYONNAISE AU CHOCOLAT
FONDANT AU CHOCOLAT
[Chocolate Mousse—a cold dessert]
Among all the recipes for chocolate mousse this is one of the best, we think; it uses egg yolks, sugar, and butter, and instead of cream, beaten egg whites. The orange flavoring suggested here is delicious with chocolate. An interchangeable version is charlotte Malakoff, made of butter, chocolate, and powdered almonds. Either may be unmolded after chilling, or served in a bowl, or in dessert cups, or in little covered pots. (Note: When served in pots, this dessert is sometimes erroneously called pots de crème au chocolat. French dessert crèmes are custards, such as those here.)
For about 5 cups serving 6 to 8 people
A 3-quart porcelain or stainless steel mixing bowl
A wire whip or electric beater
4 egg yolks
¾ cup instant sugar (very finely granulated)
¼ cup orange liqueur
A pan of not-quite-simmering water
A basin of cold water
Beat the egg yolks and sugar together until mixture is thick, pale yellow, and falls back upon itself forming a slowly dissolving ribbon. Beat in the orange liqueur. Then set mixing bowl over the not-quite-simmering water and continue beating for 3 to 4 minutes until the mixture is foamy and too hot for your finger. Then beat over cold water for 3 to 4 minutes until the mixture is cool and again forms the ribbon. It will have the consistency of mayonnaise.
6 ounces or squares semi-sweet baking chocolate
4 Tb strong coffee
A small saucepan
6 ounces or 1½ s
ticks softened unsalted butter
Optional: ¼ cup finely diced, glazed orange peel
Melt chocolate with coffee over hot water. Remove from heat and beat in the butter a bit at a time, to make a smooth cream. Beat the chocolate into the egg yolks and sugar, then beat in the optional orange peel.
4 egg whites Pinch of salt 1 Tb granulated sugar
Beat the egg whites and salt until soft peaks are formed; sprinkle on the sugar and beat until stiff peaks are formed. Stir one fourth of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture. Fold in the rest.
Turn into serving dish, dessert cups, or petits pots. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
2 cups vanilla-flavored crème anglaise (custard sauce), or lightly whipped cream sweetened with powdered sugar
Pass the sauce or whipped cream separately.
Molded Mousse
Turn the preceding mousse into a lightly oiled, 6-cup ring mold. Cover with oiled, waxed paper. Chill for 3 to 4 hours until well set. Remove paper, dip mold for 1 second in very hot water, and unmold on a chilled serving dish. Fill center of mousse with crème anglaise or lightly whipped cream.
Or use the following charlotte Malakoff system, lining a cylindrical mold with ladyfingers dipped in orange liqueur.
CHARLOTTE MALAKOFF AUX FRAISES
[Almond Cream with Fresh Strawberries—a cold dessert]
This delectable almond cream is relatively quick to assemble if you have ladyfingers on hand—but they must be of excellent quality, not the soggy, baking-powder variety. If you cannot buy them, or have not the time to make them, omit the ladyfingers altogether and turn the almond cream into a ring mold as described in the preceding paragraph, or into a serving dish, or into individual dessert cups. Although the dessert cannot then be called a charlotte Malakoff, it will still be delicious, and can be nicely decorated with fresh strawberries.
For 8 to 10 people
Preparing strawberries and lining mold
1 quart fresh strawberries
A cake rack
Hull the strawberries. Wash them quickly if necessary, and set on cake rack to drain thoroughly.
A 2-quart cylindrical mold, about 4 inches high and 7 inches in diameter
A round of waxed paper
Line the bottom of the unbuttered mold with the round of unbuttered waxed paper.
⅓ cup orange liqueur
⅔ cup water
A soup plate
24 single ladyfingers, 4 inches long and about 2 inches wide
A cake rack
Pour orange liqueur and water into soup plate. Dip in the ladyfingers, one by one, and drain on rack. Line sides of mold with ladyfingers as described. Reserve the remaining dipped ladyfingers.
The almond cream
A 4-quart mixing bowl
An electric beater or wire whip
½ lb. softened unsalted butter
1 cup sugar (preferably the very finely granulated “instant” type)
½ cup orange liqueur
¼ tsp almond extract
1⅓ cups pulverized almonds
Cream butter and sugar together for 3 to 4 minutes, until pale and fluffy. Beat in orange liqueur and almond extract. Continue beating for several minutes until sugar is completely dissolved. Beat in the almonds.
2 cups chilled whipping cream
A chilled bowl
A chilled beater
Whip the cream until the beater, drawn across the top of the cream, leaves light traces. Fold the cream into the almond and butter mixture.
Molding and serving
A round of buttered waxed paper
A saucer which will just fit into the mold
A 1-lb. weight, or pieces of a meat grinder
Turn a third of the almond cream into the lined mold. Arrange over it a layer of strawberries, heads down. Cover them with a layer of ladyfingers. Repeat with another layer each of almond cream, strawberries, and ladyfingers. Fill the mold with the rest of the almond cream and a layer of ladyfingers if there are any left. Trim off ladyfingers around edge of mold, and press the trimmed-off bits into the top of the cream. Cover mold with the waxed paper, set saucer over the paper, and place the weight on it. Refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight. The butter must be chilled firm, so the dessert will not collapse when unmolded.
A chilled serving platter The remaining strawberries, more if needed
2 cups crème Chantilly (lightly whipped cream), or strawberry sauce
Remove waxed paper. Run a knife around the inside of the mold, and reverse dessert on a chilled serving platter. Peel waxed paper from top, and refrigerate dessert until serving time. Decorate with strawberries and accompany with whipped cream or strawberry sauce.
VARIATIONS
Use the same method and proportions as in the preceding master recipe for charlotte Malakoff, but make the following changes for these variations:
Charlotte Malakoff aux Framboises
[Almond Cream with Raspberries]
Substitute fresh raspberries for strawberries in the preceding recipe.
Charlotte Malakoff au Chocolat
[Almond Cream with Chocolate]
Ingredients for the master recipe but without the strawberries
4 ounces or squares of semi-sweet chocolate melted in
¼ cup strong coffee ¼ rather than ½ cup orange liqueur for the almond cream
2 cups crème Chantilly (lightly whipped cream), or crème anglaise (custard sauce)
Following the master recipe, line the mold with ladyfingers dipped in diluted orange liqueur. Make the almond cream as directed, but fold the melted chocolate into it, and only ¼ cup of orange liqueur. Cool before folding in the whipped cream, and complete the recipe. Serve with whipped cream or custard sauce.
Charlotte Basque
[Almond Custard with Chocolate]
This is lighter than the charlotte Malakoff because the base is a custard and no whipped cream is folded into it.
For 8 to 10 people
4 cups crème anglaise (custard sauce), flavored with chocolate
Prepare a chocolate-flavored custard sauce and beat over cold water, or refrigerate, until almost cold.
½ lb. unsalted butter
1⅓ cups pulverized almonds
½ tsp almond extract
2 to 3 Tb rum, kirsch, cognac, or orange liqueur
A 2-quart mold lined with ladyfingers, and extra ladyfingers as described in master recipe
2 cups crème Chantilly (lightly whipped cream)
Cream the butter and almonds together in a mixing bowl. Gradually beat in the cool custard sauce. Beat in the almond extract, and rum or liqueur to taste. Turn into lined mold, alternating with layers of ladyfingers, and chill until set. Serve with lightly whipped cream.
CHARLOTTE CHANTILLY, AUX FRAISES
CHARLOTTE CHANTILLY, AUX FRAMBOISES
[Strawberry or Raspberry Cream—a cold dessert]
Here is another handsome molded dessert; this one is also relatively quick to execute. But unless the egg yolks are well thickened, and then chilled before the cream is folded in, the dessert will collapse rather quickly. If you do not wish to serve it unmolded, turn the cream into a serving bowl or into dessert cups. You may use frozen fruit instead of fresh, but be sure the fruit is well thawed and most thoroughly drained, otherwise the purée will be too liquid.
For 8 to 10 people
A round of waxed paper
A 2-quart cylindrical mold about 4 inches high and 7 inches in diameter, lined with ladyfingers
Place the round of waxed paper in the bottom of the unbuttered mold. Then line the sides of the mold (not the bottom) with upright ladyfingers as described in the directions.
1½ pints fresh strawberries or raspberries
Hull, wash, and drain the berries. Force them through a sieve and into a bowl. Measure out 1¼ cups of purée. Chill.
A wire whip or electric beater
A 3-quart stainless steel mixing bowl
⅔ cup instant
sugar (very finely granulated)
8 egg yolks
A pan of not-quite-simmering water
A bowl with a tray of ice cubes and water to cover them
Beat the sugar into the egg yolks and continue beating until mixture is pale yellow and falls back on itself forming a slowly dissolving ribbon. Then place the mixing bowl over the not-quite-simmering water and beat until mixture has thickened into a cream and becomes uncomfortably hot for your finger. Set bowl in ice water and beat until mixture is cold and falls back upon itself forming a slowly dissolving ribbon on the surface; fold with a spatula until chilled.
2½ cups chilled heavy whipping cream
A 4-quart metal bowl
A chilled beater
When the egg yolk mixture has chilled, beat the cream until it has doubled in volume and forms stiff (rather than soft) peaks.
Extra ladyfingers, if needed
A round of waxed paper
Fold the chilled strawberry or raspberry purée into the chilled egg yolk mixture, then fold in the whipped cream. Turn into the mold. Place ladyfingers over the cream to fill the mold almost completely. Trim off any protruding ladyfingers around the edges of the mold. Cover with waxed paper and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight.