If slapstick comedy has taught us anything, it's that souffles are to be treated like precarious ticking time bombs given their tendency to collapse from the slightest of movements.
Delicate, golden, twice-baked souffles have been pulled from the ovens of Brisbane's Montrachet for 11 years and not a single one reminiscent of a deflated balloon.
Earlier this year, the restaurant bid a fond au revoir to chef-patron Thierry Galichet, who handed over the keys to Shannon Kellam.
Kellam vowed to keep a selection of Galichet's crowd-pleasing dishes on the menu, including the regular's favourite, Souffle au crabe et au gruyere, a golden cheese souffle swimming in a rich, crab bisque.
A good souffle will fool you into thinking it's easily made which, in some respects, it is. Just two elements – a meringue mix and a base – go into a souffle, but the secret is all in the name: souffler, to "puff up".
Don't be daunted by the potential rise and fall of a souffle. Kellam's first tip for tackling Montrachet's trademark entree is to take your time cooking the butter and flour before adding the milk to ensure there is no raw flour.
Secondly, and perhaps most importantly of all, ensure your egg whites are beaten to very stiff peaks. This classic French meringue requires no sugar or acid; it's all in the egg whites. It's much easier to achieve a firm yet fluffy meringue mix using fresh, room temperature egg whites.
When folding the meringue into the crab mix, Kellam cautions to do so very gently so as not to knock any of the air out.
His final pearl of wisdom is to splurge on a good quality or comte cheese.
Wow the crowd at your next get-together with this indulgent French dish.
Serves 6
Ingredients
450ml milk
1 fresh bay leaf
4 sprigs thyme
6 white peppercorns
50g butter
60g flour
100g grated gruyere cheese
4 egg yolks
4 egg whites
250g cooked crab meat
500ml crab bisque, chilled (see recipe below)
salt and white pepper
Method
Preheat oven to 150C. Line six souffle moulds or ramekins with butter and flour.
Infuse the thyme, bay and white peppercorns in the milk and bring to the boil. Strain and set aside.
Melt butter in heavy based pot, stir in flour and cook over low heat while continuously stirring for 5 minutes. Ensure the butter and flour are fully combined.
Incorporate hot milk into the butter and flour mixture slowly, then fold in grated gruyere cheese.
Allow the mixture to cool slightly and fold in egg yolks. Fold in the crab meat and season with salt and white pepper.
In a separate bowl, using an electric beater or a stand mixer, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.
Very gently fold the meringue mix into the crab meat mix, avoiding knocking any air out.
Fill the buttered and floured moulds to about three-quarters full. Bake at 150C for 25 minutes. Refrigerate souffles overnight if possible.
When serving, carefully turn each souffle out of its mould into an earthenware dish, cover generously with the bisque, sprinkle extra grated cheese over the souffle, and bake again in the oven at 250C for 12 minutes until golden brown on top.
TIP: It is better to let both the crab bisque and the souffles rest separately overnight, as this intensifies the flavour of the bisque and helps the souffle retain its solidity.
The crab bisque is the glue that holds this whole dish together. Kellam recommends preparing it the night before serving the souffle.
Ingredients
1 white onion, chopped
1 large celery stalk, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
4 large tomatoes, chopped
100g white fish fillets, roughly chopped
½ sand crab, unshelled
6 large green prawns
1 tsp orange zest
pinch of cayenne
large pinch of saffron
700ml fish stock
¼ cup heavy cream
Salt to taste
Pastis aniseed spirit (or substitute with Pernod)
Method
Sautee chopped vegetables. Add crab, prawns and fish and cook until caramelised.
Add orange zest, cayenne, saffron and fish stock. Simmer for 30 minutes.
Add the cream and mix well.
Pass bisque through a fine sieve. Check seasoning and add salt and Pastis to taste.
Montrachet, 224 Given Terrace, Paddington, (07) 3367 0030, montrachet.com.au
French lunches and dinners feature during Brisbane Times Good Food Month, presented by Citi, July 9-August 9. Montrachet will be presenting "Our France" – a five-course culinary journey ($120) through the less typical regions of France, on Saturday, August 1. See brisbane.goodfoodmonth.com