A seafood extravaganza. If you don’t want to cook the whole shebang, just try the individual soufflés with scallops.
Ingredients
- For the scallop soufflés
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- 40g/1½oz
butter, plus extra for greasing - 40g/1½oz
plain flour, plus extra for dusting - 350ml/12fl oz
milk - 225g/8oz
cheddar cheese, grated - 1tsp
Dijon mustard - 3 free-range
eggs, separated - 4
scallops, removed from their shells, roe removed and cleaned - 250ml/9fl oz
double cream
- 40g/1½oz
- For the shellfish sauce
-
- 30g/1oz
butter - 2
shallots, roughly chopped - 1
carrot, roughly chopped - 4 sprigs fresh
thyme - 1 cooked
lobster, meat removed, shells chopped and reserved - 12 cooked
langoustines, shell removed and chopped - ¼ tsp
cayenne pepper - 1 tbsp
tomato purée - 75ml/2½fl oz
white wine - 300ml/10fl oz
chicken stock - 75ml/2½fl oz
double cream salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 30g/1oz
- For the clams and mussels
-
- 400g/14oz clams, or
cockles, cleaned (discard any that remain open after rinsing) - 400g/14oz
mussels, cleaned, beards removed (discard any that remain open after rinsing) - 100ml/3½fl oz
white wine
- 400g/14oz clams, or
- For the vegetables
-
- 8 baby
turnips, trimmed, halved top to bottom - 12 baby
carrots, trimmed - 8
asparagus spears, trimmed - 15g/½oz
butter - 3 tbsp fresh
chervil, to garnish
- 8 baby
Preparation method
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For the soufflés, preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4.
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Rub the inside of four ramekins with butter, then dust with flour and place in a high-sided oven tray.
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Divide half the mixture among the soufflé dishes and drop a whole scallop in each, then add the rest of the mix. Pour enough hot water into the oven tray to reach halfway up the sides of the dishes. Bake the soufflés for 15-20 minutes, or until they are risen and evenly browned.
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Remove the dishes from the tin and set aside for a few minutes. Run a knife around the edges of the soufflés and turn them out onto individual ovenproof dishes.
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Preheat the grill to medium-high. Coat the tops of the soufflés with the cream, then scatter over the remaining cheese and place under the grill until the tops are golden-brown.
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For the shellfish sauce, heat a large frying pan, add 15g/½oz of butter, the shallots, carrot and thyme and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until just softened but not coloured.
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Add the lobster and langoustine shells, cayenne pepper and tomato purée and cook for one minute.
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Add the white wine and flambé the liquid by slowly tilting the pan towards the gas flame to set alight, or lighting it with a match. Let the flames flare up then die down. (CAUTION: keep your face and hair away from the flames. Do not leave unattended.)
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Add the chicken stock, bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 5-8 minutes. Blend in a food processor to a purée. Press the mixture through a fine sieve into a saucepan, whisk in the cream and season to taste with salt and pepper.
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For the clams and mussels, heat a large, lidded saucepan and add the clams, mussels and white wine. Put the lid on and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until all of the clams and mussels have opened. (Discard any clams or mussels that do not open fully.)
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For the vegetables, cook the turnips and carrots in a pan of boiling water for 2 minutes, then add the asparagus, and boil for a minute. Drain and pat dry. Heat a frying pan until hot, add the butter and fry the vegetables for 1-2 minutes, or until pale golden-brown.
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Heat a frying pan until hot, add the butter and fry the vegetables for 1-2 minutes, or until pale golden-brown.
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Heat another frying pan, add 15g/½oz of butter and fry the lobster meat and langoustine meat for about 1-2 minutes on each side.
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To serve, place a soufflé on each serving plate. Garnish with the cooked shellfish, baby vegetables, sauce and chervil.