The Soufflé Éclair

Asparagus Soufflé with Lemon Zest, Served with a Silky Lemon Butter Emulsion

55 minutes

Serves 4

SideFrench

Herb's take

This classic French side takes the humble asparagus and elevates it (literally) into a cloud-light soufflé, brightened with lemon and gilded with a glossy beurre citron. You'll learn to fold like a Parisian and emulsify like a chemist.

Equipment needed

4 (8-ounce) ramekins
food processor
electric mixer

Ingredients

Yield

10 oz asparagus, woody ends trimmed and chopped into 1-inch pieces
7 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided: 2 tablespoons for soufflé base, 4 tablespoons for emulsion, 1 tablespoon for greasing
2 tablespoons shallot, finely minced
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole milk, at room temperature
4 large eggs, separated
1 lemon, zested and juiced
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated

Instructions

01
Preheat your oven to 400 F. Generously butter 4 individual (8-ounce) ramekins with 1 tablespoon of butter and dust the insides with a little grated Parmesan. Set on a baking sheet.
02
Bring a medium saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the asparagus and cook until just tender, 3 minutes. Drain and immediately plunge into ice water to stop cooking. Drain again, then pat dry.
03
Transfer asparagus to a food processor and purée until smooth.
Herb says
Pureeing while still slightly warm gives you the silkiest base, but don’t skip the ice bath, chlorophyll loves a cold shock for color.
04
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons of butter. Add the minced shallot and cook until translucent, about 2 minutes.
05
Sprinkle in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute to make a blond roux.
06
Slowly whisk in the milk and cook until thickened and smooth, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
07
Whisk the egg yolks into the warm roux mixture one at a time, then fold in the asparagus purée, half the lemon zest, and half the grated Parmesan. Season with salt and white pepper.
Herb says
Always add yolks off the heat, otherwise, you’ll get scrambled eggs, not soufflé base.
08
In a clean bowl, beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until soft peaks form. Gently fold a quarter of the whites into the asparagus base to lighten, then fold in the remaining whites in two more additions until just incorporated.
09
Divide the soufflé mixture among the ramekins. Run your thumb around the inside rim of each to create a “top hat” edge.
10
Bake on the center rack until puffed and golden, 18 to 22 minutes. Do not open the oven early.
11
While soufflés bake, make the lemon butter emulsion: In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, combine the lemon juice (from the zested lemon) and remaining zest. Whisk in 4 tablespoons of cold butter, a piece at a time, until the sauce is glossy and emulsified. Do not let boil.
Herb says
Butter must go in cold and slowly. Otherwise, you end up with an oily puddle instead of a silky sauce. This is beurre blanc 101.
12
Remove soufflés from the oven. Immediately serve, spooning the warm lemon butter emulsion over each. Garnish with remaining Parmesan if desired.

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