# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Serves: 10
Preparation and cooking time: 1hr 30min (not including 48 hours to marinate pears)

Based on the traditional recipe of pears stewed in Beaujolais red wine, chef Stéphanie Moreau creates a dessert that brings together three of Burgundy's favourite fruits: the pear, the grape and the blackcurrant. From hearty stews to savoury cakes, wine seems to find its way into most recipes that originate in Burgundy, and that doesn't stop at the dessert trolley. The traditional recipe, poires à la bonne femme, was designed to use up the pears that had not properly ripened and consisted of the fruit being boiled in sugar to disguise its grainy texture before wine was added for colour rather than flavour. During this process, the skin would go wrinkly, supposedly like an 'old wife', or 'bonne femme', which is how it got its name.

In this aromatic dessert, created by Stéphanie, the pears get a further boost in flavour by being marinated in wine for two days, along with citrus fruit, and cinnamon, which lend it a festive feel. As chef at the bucolic Moulin des Ruats, hidden in woods in the wildly beautiful Parc Naturel Régional du Morvan near Avallon, Stéphanie's favoured method sees the pears gently infused with the wine, rather than boiling them in it. "It improves the taste of the wine," she explains. Working at the cosy former watermill, Stéphanie has developed the dish into a sophisticated dessert that leaves its rustic roots firmly in the past. She serves it with a chocolate sorbet or ice cream, a red wine jelly and a tuile wafer that is made with one of Burgundy's other key ingredients: blackcurrants. "You can use blackcurrant sorbet instead of chocolate to carry through the blackcurrant theme," says Stéphanie, adding: "The tuile gives the dish an extra crunch, which works with the softness of the pears."

This extra touch is a nod to the blackcurrants that were traditionally grown alongside the grapes by the wives of Burgundy winegrowers. While the main harvest was, of course, the wine, the blackcurrants were used to create the local liqueur named crème de cassis, which - like the wine -also finds its way into many a dessert in this corner of France.

Ingredients
For the pears & red wine jelly

10 pears

1L (13/4pt) Pinot Noir red wine

1L (13/4pt) water

Zest & juice of 1 orange

Zest & juice of 1 lemon

1 cinnamon stick

6g (1/4oz) agar-agar powder

For the tuile

410g (141/2oz) blackcurrant purée

35g (11/4oz) flour

220g (73/4oz) icing sugar

20g (3/4oz) butter

Chocolate sorbet, to serve

Mint leaves, to garnish

Directions

1
Peel the pears (leaving the stalks in place) and place in an airtight container with the red wine, the water, orange juice and its zest, lemon juice and its zest, and cinnamon stick, and leave in the fridge for 48 hours.

2
Prepare the tuile by mixing the purée, flour, icing sugar and butter in a food processor.

3
Place teaspoons of the tuile mixture onto a sheet of greaseproof paper and spread it out in circles of approx. 5cm (2in) in diameter with your finger. Place in the fridge overnight.

4
Take the pears from the fridge and remove them from the red wine, reserving the liquid. Cut the pears in quarters horizontally and core each piece with an apple corer (this indentation will be filled with chocolate sorbet later).

5
To make the jelly, put 200ml (7fl oz) of the reserved wine mixture in a pan with the agar-agar and bring to the boil until it starts to thicken.

6
Line a large baking sheet with cling film and pour the warm jelly mixture onto it. Spread out to a thickness of about 3mm-5mm (up to 1/4in). Place in the fridge for about 30 minutes.

7
Remove the tray of tuiles (from step 3) from the fridge and bake in a preheated oven for 10 minutes at 150°C (300°F). They should appear slightly transparent. While still warm, cut each tuile in a neat circle with a pastry cutter. Leave to cool.

8
When ready to serve, fill the centre of each piece of pear with the chocolate sorbet, and arrange the pears on the plate with slices of the jelly and the tuile, and small mint leaves to garnish.

TIP

When cutting the pears, if you want to make it very neat, use three different sized smooth-sided pastry cutters to cut out the largest three pieces. Roll up the excess from the largest piece into a rose-like shape to decorate the plate.
IMAGE © LONELY PLANET/ RIVER THOMPSON First printed in our sister publication France Today Want more mouth-watering recipes? Order this wonderful book by clicking the link below!﻿

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Poires au vin rouge recipe | Taste of France

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Serves: 10 Preparation and cooking time: 1hr 30min (not including 48 hours to marinate pears) Based on the traditional recipe of pears stewed in Beaujolais red wine, chef Stéphanie Moreau creates a dessert that brings together three of Burgundy's favourite fruits: the pear, the grape and the blackcurrant.

# data[].attributes.body
Mary's References

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Succès toujours garanti pour ce dessert très frais et très facile à réaliser. En voici juste une présentation modernisée

Ingrédients

/ pour 6 personnes

3/4 de litre de vin rouge (j'ai choisi un Bergerac)

150 g de sucre complet de canne de chez Ethiquable

2 gousses de vanille (fendues en 2)

Une pincée de cannelle

3 clous de girofle

4 grains de poivre noir

1 orange

20 cl de crème de cassis

6 belles poires pas trop mûres pour qu'elles tiennent à la cuisson (j'ai choisi des Comices)

De l'Agar-agar

Réalisation

Difficulté

Préparation

Cuisson

Repos

Temps Total

Facile

20 mn

1 h

1 h

2 h 20 mn

Préparation

1. 1 Dans une grande casserole à fond épais verser le vin, le sucre, tous les épices ainsi que le zeste et votre orange coupée en rondelles. Porter à ébullition. Éplucher et évider les poires. Plonger les poires dans le vin pour lespocher et laisser cuire à feu doux, en les retournant régulièrement, pendant 40 minutes à 1heure. Laisser refroidir puis réfrigérer.Passer le vin au chinois. Pour obtenir le vin gélifié, verser dans celui-ci (encore très chaud) de l'agar-agar (1 sachet pour 500ml de liquide). Pour éviter les grumeauxfouetter la préparation tout en incorporant le gélifiant. Verser dans un grand récipient plat afin d'obtenir une gelée pas trop épaisse. Laisser refroidir et réfrigérer pendant 1 heure au moins.

2. 2 Montage : à l'aide d'un emporte-pièce, découpez dans le vin gélifié les formes de votre choix. Déposez-les dans le fond de votre plat de service. Découpez les poires en tranches fines et déposez-les en forme de rosace sur le vin gélifié. Arrosez légèrement votre dessert de crème de cassis.

Cuisinez, savourez... puis si vous le souhaitez, partagez / déposez (ci-dessous) votre avis sur cette recette.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Succès toujours garanti pour ce dessert très frais et très facile à réaliser. En voici juste une présentation modernisée Dans une grande casserole à fond épais verser le vin, le sucre, tous les épices ainsi que le zeste et votre orange coupée en rondelles. Porter à ébullition. Éplucher et évider les poires.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Charlotte aux pommes is an 18th century classic recipe named after the German wife of King George III of England who was said to have a special affinity for apple growers. According to this link, charlottes were "invented" in England. It's a molded dessert, traditionally baked in a mold called a " charlotte mold " that has two handles and slightly flared sides. You could use individual ramekins as well.

Charlotte aux pommes consists of a layer of toasty bread around the outside with apple compote in the center. It sounds like a blend of apple pie and bread pudding.

Use apples that are firm, such as Golden Delicious, to help hold the charlotte's shape. This tip comes from Julia Child who made this charlotte on live television in the 1960s on her series called "The French Chef" and watched it collapse after unmolding it.

"One of the secrets of cooking is to learn to correct something if you can, and bear with it if you cannot." ~Julia Child

Charlotte aux pommes is typically served with crème anglaise, which is also a classic dessert sauce dating back to the 19th century.

Crème anglaise contains sugar, yolks, milk, and vanilla, but it can be flavored with all sorts of delicious things such as cardamom, rum, chocolate, ginger, chamomile, brandy, Grand Marnier, espresso, or even stout! Crème anglaise is a "stirred" custard as opposed to a "baked" custard. It must be stirred constantly so that it doesn't curdle at the bottom of the pan or overcook. Because it's stirred, it doesn't thicken as much as a crème brulée or crème caramel which thickens in the oven.

It's a rich, smooth sauce that can be served warm or cold. It is also common as a base for making ice creams.

Calvados is an apple brandy from the Basse-Normandie region of France.

Given that I only needed about 5 tablespoons, I went to the local liquor store looking for the smallest bottle I could find. For $45, I could have a 750 mL sized bottle! And that was the lowest priced bottle I could find. One that had been aged for 30 years in French oak casks would set me back almost $300. So, I settled for dark rum instead.

Recipe for Charlotte aux pommes from Le Cordon Bleu at Home

Apple Compote
3 pounds Golden Delicious apples, peeled, cored, and diced
¼ cup water
¼ cup sugar
2 tablespoons (1 ounce) unsalted butter
¼ cup apricot jam
2 tablespoons dark rum
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

9-10 slices firm white bread
½-¾ cup clarified butter

Prepare the apple compote: Combine the diced apples and the water in a saucepan. Cover and cook over low heat for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon to keep the apples from sticking to the pan. Stir in the sugar, butter, jam, rum, and vanilla. Raise the heat to medium and continue cooking, uncovered, until all the moisture has evaporated and the compote is thick and stiff, about 20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375°.

Remove the crusts from the bread and trim the bread into 4-inch squares. Cut 6 of the slices in half to make 12 rectangles; set aside. Trace the bottom of the mold onto 4 slices of bread and cut the bread so that it will fit inside the bottom of the mold.

Line the charlotte mold. Butter the bottom of the mold. Put a circle of parchment paper on the bottom. Cut a long rectangle that will be put in the middle to help to pull out the mold after it's baked.

Cut out the pieces of bread that will fit on the bottom of the mold. Dip them in clarified butter and fry them until they're toasted and golden. Arrange the bottom pieces of bread in the bottom of the mold.

Dip the remaining pieces of bread in clarified butter as you arrange them. Arrange the rectangles around the inside of the mold so that they overlap generously. The bread should extend slightly above the rim of the mold. (You can use a pair of scissors to trim the edges so that they all line up nicely.)

Fill the lined mold with the apple compote, mounding it in the center. (This is important because the compote tends to sink in the middle when cooking.)

Bake the charlotte 15 minutes, then cover with parchment paper or foil to keep the exposed ends of bread from burning. As it bakes, check it and press down the top to give it more structure. Continue baking until the bread is golden, about 20 minutes longer. Allow to cool for about an hour before unmolding. After unmolding to a serving dish, paint the apricot glaze on. Serve with crème anglaise.

Here's a useful (and sometimes humorous) video of Julia Child and Jacques Pepin making Charlotte aux pommes:

1 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
⅓ cup sugar
3 egg yolks
2 tablespoons dark rum

Put the milk, vanilla, and rum into a heavy-bottomed saucepan (or over a water bath) and bring to a boil. Remove from heat.

Combine the egg yolks and sugar in a heatproof bowl and whisk until thick and pale yellow. The mixture should form a ribbon when the whisk is lifted from the bowl. Gradually whisk in half of the hot milk. (This is called tempering since you don't want to scramble the eggs. The key is to do this slowly to bring the egg mixture up to temperature without curdling them.) Then whisk in the remaining milk and rum (or Calvados).

Return the mixture to the saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the custard coats the back of a spoon. Do not boil since it will curdle if boiled. (If it does curdle, either strain or blend in a blender, adding cream if necessary. Or, start over.)

Remove the custard from the heat and strain it into a bowl. Let it cool in a bowl set of an ice water bath to stop the cooking, stirring occasionally to prevent a skin from forming. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. It keeps for a couple of days.

Here's another useful video on making Crème anglaise.

Method for Apricot Glaze from
⅓ cup Apricot Jam
1-2 tablespoons water
½ tablespoon dark rum

Work the jam through a fine sieve into a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Whisk in 1-2 tablespoons of water to thin jam, then cook over low heat until the glaze is smooth and syrupy. The glaze should form a ribbon when the whisk is lifted from the pan. Remove from the heat and stir in the liqueur (such as Calvados), if using. Dip a pastry brush into the warm glaze and put it gently over the surface of the charlotte to coat it completely with the glaze. If the glaze becomes too thick to work with, add a little water and reheat.

Method for clarified butter

Clarified butter is also known as "drawn butter". Here are some pros and cons of using clarified butter:

It keeps longer because it doesn't have the milk in it to go rancid.
It has a higher smoke point.
It has a buttery taste that oils don't have.
It doesn't have the rich flavor of regular unsalted butter.

Melt the unsalted butter slowly in a saucepan over low heat. Don't stir. Let it sit so that the milk solids and water separate from the butter fat. Skim the foam from the surface. Remove from the heat and let stand a few minutes until the milk solids settle to the bottom. Carefully pour the clear yellow liquid (the clarified butter) into a container, leaving the milk solids in the bottom of the saucepan; discard the solids.

A stick (8 tablespoons) of butter will produce about 6 tablespoons of clarified butter. For the apple compote, you will need about 1 cup (2 sticks) of unsalted butter.

Variations:

I'd like to try experimenting with this recipe using pears or different bread, such as Brioche. Some cinnamon, lemon peel, and nutmeg would be nice. Maybe some raisins and a different flavored crème anglaise. I'd also like to try serving this in individual ramekins.

Tasting Notes:

"It's better than apple pie" was what my 8 year old said! Now that's a compliment. The crunchiness of the toasted bread, coupled with the bite of the apple compote and the smooth, richness of the crème anglaise made this dessert absolutely delicious. Another keeper!

Since I don't have a Charlotte mold, I used a 4-cup soufflé dish and a 4-cup fluted pudding mold. Both worked fine, and the fluted one even looked scalloped after baking. However, my structure of bread didn't hold up very well. Next time, actually dipping the bread in the clarified butter and using more bread for the walls would be better. As you can see from the picture, the Charlotte needs more reinforcement!

. . . . . . . . . .

Running total: $180.66 + $7.94 (Charlotte) + $2.07 (Crème anglaise) + $.99 (Apricot glaze) = $191.66

Butter used so far: 4 pounds, 19.5 tablespoons

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Whisk: a food blog: Charlotte aux pommes, crème anglaise au Calvados (Apple Charlotte served with Calvados custard sauce)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Charlotte aux pommes is an 18th century classic recipe named after the German wife of King George III of England who was said to have a special affinity for apple growers. According to this link, charlottes were "invented" in England.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
IN the world of dining, no drama is more riveting than the one surrounding the souffle. It starts building early in the meal, when the souffle must be ordered: the anticipation is sealed, a captive audience guaranteed. Then, when it is finally ready, it is rushed through the dining room like a crying baby to its mother, so that when it arrives at the table -- inflated, determined and wobbly -- the reaction is inevitably the same: the diner is silenced, in awe of the genius who concocted it.

For the assumption is that to create cooking's most fragile and temperamental dish takes immense skill, the finesse of a dancer, the timing of a comedian.

Which is why chefs have never let it die. Creme brulee may one day retire, but the souffle will always persist. And though chefs will never concede the point, it is not because the souffle takes such talent, but because it is so easy.

Chefs know that souffles are forgiving. They know it's not necessary to whisper while a souffle bakes and that opening the oven door will not make a souffle fall. And they know that souffles can be made ahead of time, assembled completely, then simply baked to order. Generations of intimidated home cooks could have triumphed with those three small tips.

Meanwhile, chefs have been changing the souffle, too, keeping it up to date. The classic and often stodgy souffle -- made with pastry cream or bechamel, with a sauce poured in at the table -- is being replaced with souffles made without flour and ingredients so flavorful that no sauce is needed at all. Le Cirque 2000's chocolate souffle is flourless, yolkless and made a day ahead. Lutece serves a grits souffle. At Cello, there is one so concentrated with lime it makes you pucker.

These are hardly disrespectful, though, for a souffle is actually one of cooking's most frivolous pursuits. A souffle should be playful. Think of it as nothing more than an omelet, and few omelets are served without some kind of adornment. This past week, I made many souffles and discovered that despite my efforts to challenge the classic recipe with loose liquid bases and vigorous folding, it is difficult to fail. And more than that, the possibilities are endless.

Well, to a point. A souffle may be sweet or savory, flavored with ingredients as varied as cardamom and cheese, but if it is not aerated with egg whites, it is not a souffle. Some restaurants have begun using the word souffle to describe almost anything. Many pass off oozy chocolate cakes as souffle cakes. Every cake expands a little in the oven, but that does not make a souffle. At Balthazar, a ''lemon souffle cake'' is actually just a lemon tart. It is as much a souffle as a chocolate chip cookie.

So, to begin, it is helpful to understand just what a souffle is. It is, essentially, a flavorful sauce suspended in whipped egg whites and baked in the oven. As the souffle bakes, the heat causes the air in the egg whites to expand, separating the base into a fluffy custard, sealing in any aromas and bursting vertically out of its baking dish.

When it comes out of the oven and begins to cool, the air contracts and the souffle deflates, which is why it must be eaten quickly. If you let a souffle deflate, you will be left with an omelet. (But one that will be much lighter than a typical omelet. Any failed souffle can simply be turned out of its dish and served without shame, like an unmolded custard.)

A good souffle is rich with contradiction. It has a firm outer shell, while inside it is impossibly light; it is supported by egg, but its taste is not compromised by it; it defies gravity and yet is fragile. And if it is correctly made, spoonfuls of rich, gauzy foam and all of its contradictions will disappear on the palate. Anyone who can create that experience is worthy of praise.

And anyone who can make an omelet and can whip cream can make a souffle.

Classic souffles are made up of two parts: the base and the whipped egg whites. The base is a kind of sauce, often thickened with egg yolks. Many recipes call for about one egg per person. So if you are making a souffle for four, you would use four to five eggs, reserving the yolks for the base.

Anything else that goes into the base has one of two purposes: flavoring or thickening. This could mean, for a savory souffle, a bechamel sauce with flour, butter and milk, and egg yolks to enrich it. Or aromatics could be used -- sauteed garlic and herbs -- or ingredients like crab meat, cheese, even asparagus puree.

Classically sweet souffles have a base of pastry cream. But pastry cream is time-consuming. A more modern approach would be to use creme anglaise, a simple sauce of milk, eggs and sugar, adding pureed or whole fruit, melted chocolate or even something as simple as almond extract for scent. Simpler still: omit the yolks and use a dense fruit puree or jam as a base.

Whatever the base, it needs to be highly flavored so that once the egg whites are folded in, the flavor does not disappear.

Preparing the egg whites is perhaps the most critical part. Recipes often instruct you to add a little salt, lemon juice or cream of tartar before whisking to help the egg whites form smaller, tighter bubbles. I have found that all three work equally well, though in a savory souffle I lean toward salt, which also seasons the whites. With sweet souffles, it is helpful to add a little powdered sugar at the beginning (about a tablespoon for every four egg whites). This helps the whites form tight bonds and for the finished souffles to rise evenly in tall, firm cylinders.

The whites should be whisked until they form peaks somewhere between soft and stiff. If they are too soft, the whites tend not to rise to their potential; too stiff, and they may begin to break down.

Once they are whisked, though, they are extremely durable. Classic French cookbooks will tell you to fold the base and whites together gently. But if the base and whites do not form a homogeneous mixture, the souffle may rise unevenly and have pockets of egg white. Using a rubber spatula, I fold mine vigorously, turning the bowl as I fold the ingredients over again and again, and I have never had a souffle flop.

Beyond that, there are just a few details to know. Buttering souffle molds is not the time to be shy about butter. Many classic recipes say to butter the mold once, put it in the freezer and then butter it again -- a great waste of time. Instead, use soft butter and smear it on generously the first time, making sure to cover every inch of the mold. Another method is to add a light dusting of a dry ingredient to coat the butter, which gives the souffle a kind of lattice to climb while baking. With sweet souffles, sugar is often used, and with savory ones, bread crumbs or finely grated cheese.

If the coating is too thin or misses a spot, the souffle mixture could latch on to that spot and leave you with a lopsided souffle.

The mold should be refrigerated or frozen so that when the souffle mixture is added, the butter does not slide down the sides. And when filling the molds, the filling should be dropped in the center of the mold and allowed to settle by itself. The filling should be highest in the center and slope down to the sides of the mold; it should not be smoothed over with a spatula as for a cake batter.

When the souffle is in the oven, you want it to rise as quickly as possible before the sides seal and stop expanding. One way to help this is to place the baking rack on the bottom shelf of the oven and to put a baking sheet on the rack while the oven heats. When the souffle dish, cool from the freezer, begins to warm, the souffle will expand without cooking through too quickly.

What puts off many home cooks is the assumption that souffles are a last-minute affair. But almost any souffle can be made ahead. Simply complete the recipe up to the point of baking, fill the molds and cover them with plastic wrap, then refrigerate until a few minutes before baking. If the egg whites have been whipped well and the mixture combined thoroughly, it will hold for several hours. The cool temperature helps firm up the ingredients, too.

Le Cirque 2000 makes its chocolate souffles up to a day ahead, refrigerates them and pops them in the oven when an order comes in. Pascalou, a bistro on the Upper East Side, goes a step further. Pascal Bonhomme, the chef, assembles both chocolate and cheese souffles and then freezes them. When one is ordered, he puts it in a microwave oven for 40 seconds, then transfers it to the oven for seven minutes.

A great trick to know -- and to know when not to use. Though I have made souffles up to a day ahead, I have found them to be at their peak when baked within four hours. Uniform homogeneous mixtures like chocolate, cheese and vanilla hold best. But ones with ingredients like mushrooms or onions, which ''weep'' over time, or looser mixtures like yolkless souffles, may not rise as well.

Even in those cases, the base can be made and the molds prepared, so that all you have to do at the last minute is whisk the egg whites. It's like whipping cream for an apple pie.

Capsouto Freres in TriBeCa still makes souffles to order. One reason Jacques Capsouto, the pastry chef, can do this is the simplicity of his recipe. He keeps pastry cream around so that when an order comes in, he needs only to add the flavoring ingredients and whisk the egg whites. For his raspberry souffle, for instance, all he does is swirl raspberry jam into the pastry cream, fold in the whipped egg whites and then spoon the mixture into a prepared mold.

With just a few days of experimenting, souffles streamed from my kitchen with ease, with liberty to wander from the classic, and often with fewer ingredients than most cakes.

Bored with the Parmesan souffle found in so many restaurants, I tried adding the gratings of a hard sheep's milk cheese to a plain base. It was nutty and earthy and as complex as the cheese itself, a perfect contrast to a souffle's light texture. Even better was a goat cheese souffle, with lumps of the soft cheese dropped into a plain souffle base. Each bite was different: some bites were like eggy custard, others had pockets of warm tangy goat cheese.

With that same thread of thought, I had another success. Rather than using milk in the base I tried creme fraiche. It was the lightest, most delicately flavored souffle you can imagine, and it had just four ingredients: creme fraiche, butter, flour and eggs. It inspired another idea: a souffle base made with buckwheat flour, so that it is like a blini. When the souffle comes out of the oven, break open the center and spoon in a little creme fraiche and caviar.

Other improvisations are possible. At Cello, Laurent Tourandel, the chef, serves a bitter almond chocolate souffle. An almond souffle rises like a doughnut around a round chocolate disk inlaid in the top. More pieces of molten chocolate are suspended within the souffle. You could do the same with chopped nuts, sprinkling some over the top just before baking.

Finishing touches at the table are also a good idea. With a mushroom souffle, into which I folded chopped sweated mushrooms, I sprinkled on a few drops of truffle oil just before serving. The heat of the souffle made the oil come alive, and its essence trickled down through the base.

What is remarkable about the souffle is that knowing its secrets does not spoil its charm. I have made dozens of souffles, and not once have I failed to be amazed when I've opened the oven door and peered in at one, inflating like the rush of my own breath.

GOAT CHEESE SOUFFLES

Time: 50 minutes

1 1/2 tablespoons butter (more for buttering ramekins)

1 1/2 tablespoons flour

1 cup milk

Fine sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

5 eggs, separated

8 ounces goat cheese.

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees; place baking sheet on bottom rack. Generously butter four 1 1/2-cup ramekins; place in freezer.

2. In a small pan over medium heat, melt butter. When foam subsides, add flour and whisk to combine. Cook, whisking constantly, until mixture begins to darken. Slowly add milk, whisking so lumps do not form, and simmer until mixture thickens. Remove from heat. Season generously with salt and pepper. Whisk in egg yolks. Set aside.

3. Place egg whites and a large pinch of salt in bowl of a mixer. Mix until egg whites form fairly stiff peaks. Using a rubber spatula, add a third of the egg whites to sauce and fold until combined. Add sauce to remaining egg whites and fold until well mixed. Crumble cheese in pieces the size of almonds over mixture. Fold mixture once or twice to disperse cheese, but do not break it up. Remove ramekins from freezer. Spoon mixture into them, being careful not to smear sides and leaving 1/2 inch on top.

4. Place ramekins on baking sheet and bake 16 to 18 minutes, until souffles have risen and are still a little wobbly. Remove from oven and serve immediately.

Yield: 4 servings.

Variation 1: Fold in 2 tablespoons roughly chopped tarragon when adding cheese. Variation 2: Replace milk with 1 cup creme fraiche and omit cheese.

FLOURLESS APRICOT-HONEY SOUFFLE

Time: 50 minutes

Butter for souffle dish

1/4 cup Demerara sugar, for sprinkling

1 cup milk

3 egg yolks

Sea salt

3 tablespoons honey

1 cup Turkish apricots

3 tablespoons Sauternes or other white dessert wine

5 egg whites

1 tablespoon powdered sugar

1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped almonds

Vanilla or almond ice cream (optional).

1. Generously butter a 1 1/2-quart souffle dish. Sprinkle sugar into dish, tilting so that sugar coats bottom and sides. Place in freezer.

2. In a small pan, heat milk over medium-high heat until bubbles form around edges; remove from heat and let cool slightly. Place egg yolks, pinch of salt and honey in a medium bowl and whisk until light and fluffy. Very slowly whisk a third of the milk into eggs, and then add this mixture back to pan. Stirring constantly, cook mixture over medium-low heat, until it thickens enough to coat back of a spoon. Remove from heat, strain into a bowl and let cool.

3. In a small pan, combine apricots and Sauternes. Bring to a boil and stir. Shut off heat and let cool.

4. Preheat oven to 400 degrees; place baking sheet on bottom rack. In a blender or food processor, combine egg mixture and apricots; puree. Transfer to a medium bowl.

5. Remove dish from freezer. Place egg whites, a pinch of salt and powdered sugar in bowl and whisk until fairly stiff peaks form.

6. Using a rubber spatula, add about a third of the egg whites to the apricot mixture and fold until combined. Add apricot mixture to remaining egg whites in bowl. Fold together until mixed well, being careful not to overmix. Spoon this mixture into souffle dish, leaving 1/2 inch on top. Sprinkle almonds on top. Place on baking sheet and bake 17 to 20 minutes, until risen and still a little wobbly when shaken. Remove from oven and serve, plunging two large spoons into center to lift out pieces. Serve with ice cream if desired.

Yield: 4 servings.

RHUBARB SOUFFLES WITH GINGER

Time: 35 minutes

Butter for ramekins

2 to 3 tablespoons sugar

3/4 cup rhubarb or rhubarb-strawberry jam

3 teaspoons finely chopped ginger

2 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice

5 egg whites

Pinch sea salt

1 tablespoon powdered sugar (more for sprinkling).

1. Generously butter four 1 1/2-cup ramekins. Sprinkle a little sugar into each, tilting ramekin so sugar coats bottom and sides. Place in freezer.

2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees; place baking sheet on bottom rack. Meanwhile, put jam, ginger and lemon juice in a small pan and place over medium-low heat, just until the jam becomes runny. Remove from heat.

3. Put egg whites, salt and powdered sugar in bowl. Whisk until mixture forms fairly stiff peaks. Take ramekins from freezer.

4. Using a rubber spatula, add a third of the egg whites to the jam; fold together. Add jam mixture to egg whites in bowl. Fold until mixed well, and spoon into ramekins, being careful not to smear sides and leaving 1/2 inch on top. Bake until souffles have risen 2 inches above ramekins, 8 to 10 minutes; they should be wobbly. Remove from oven. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, and serve.

Yield: 4 servings.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The Modern Souffle: Bastion of Strength (Published 2000)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
IN the world of dining, no drama is more riveting than the one surrounding the souffle. It starts building early in the meal, when the souffle must be ordered: the anticipation is sealed, a captive audience guaranteed.

# data[].attributes.headline
Really enjoyed learning about Charlotte Aux Pommes. I learnt how to make it classical and had loads of thought of how to vary it or use the basis of it to make different desserts. 

# data[].attributes.subject
Really enjoyed learning about Charlotte Aux Pommes. I learnt how to make it classical and had loads of thought of how to vary it or use the basis of it to make different desserts. 

# data[].attributes.body
http://www.whiskblog.com/2008/03/charlotte-aux-pommes-crme-anglaise-au.html
I loved Mary,s interperatation. Loved the coulis idea and the presentation on the plate.
Really enjoyed Nora's  colours and flair for presentation. It was very effective and imaginative.
I found the bread theory interesting and after going over the quiz questions and repeating some of the information it started to make sense.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Charlottes are dessert concoctions in which a fruit or custard filling is cooked in a pudding mould lined with bread. Charlottes are probably very old, as they are a nifty way to use up stale bread, and people in the Middle Ages dreamed up an awful lot of ways to avoid throwing bread away.

The origin of the name 'Charlotte' is debated over and over and nobody really has the slighest clue where it came from. Here are the chief theories:

Charlyt. The Old English term 'Charlyt' meant a 'dish of custard,' which is a popular filling for a charlotte.

Queen Charlotte. The dish was named after the wife of Britain's King George III.

Charlotte of Prussia. The dish was named after the sister-in-law of Alexander I of Prussia.

Queen Charlotte (1744-1818) with George III and six of her 15 children

Many recipes old and new call for ladyfingers to be used as the lining. The recipe given here is from August Escoffier, and it uses the more traditional bread. When we tried it, we remarked that it does not need the additional sweetness of ladyfinger biscuits. This dish is endlessly adaptable, so you can be sure to see more charlottes on this site in the coming months.

Nigel is a marketing consultant who has learned to cook later in life. He does savoury well, and is learning baking.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Charlottes are dessert concoctions in which a fruit or custard filling is cooked in a pudding mould lined with bread. Charlottes are probably very old, as they are a nifty way to use up stale bread, and people in the Middle Ages dreamed up an awful lot of ways to avoid throwing bread away.

# data[].attributes.body
Really enjoyed researching and putting the presentation for souffle froid milanaise together. It was interesting to learn the history behind it and to be able to put together your own interpretation.
https://www.masterclass.com/articles/what-is-a-souffle-8-tips-for-cooking-the-perfect-souffle-and-2-easy-souffle-methods#simple-chocolate-souffle-recip
https://www.nytimes.com/2000/03/08/dining/the-modern-souffle-bastion-of-strength.html
I thought Caroline's presentation and dish interpretation was excellent.
A lot of topics covered in the bread presentation- preparing, cooking, finishing.
Will be good to put into practice once we are back in the kitchen.

# data[].attributes.body
Nora really enjoyed your presentation your plate design was great.
https://cuisine.journaldesfemmes.fr/recette/355875-poires-au-vin-et-aux-epices https://www.kitchenaid.fr/recipes/poires-pochees-au-vin-rouge-et-au-miel https://tasteoffrancemag.com/recipes/les-poires-au-vin-rouge/ https://nakedfoodmagazine.com/poires-au-vin-rouge-et-a-la-cannelle-poached-pears-in-red-wine-with-cinnamon/
Here's some of the references I used.
The bread theory was very interesting and enjoyable