1. Tomato and Gruyere Soufflé
Ingredients:
- 450g baby plum or cherry tomatoes
- 1 fennel bulb, roughly chopped
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 60ml olive oil
- 2 tsp fennel seeds, crushed
- 125g unsalted butter (+5g extra)
- 50g plain flour
- 450ml whole milk
- 2 tbsp dijon mustard
- 6 large eggs, separated
- 75g pitted kalamata olives, chopped
- 50g red onion chutney
- 150g gruyere or lancashire cheese, grated
- 25g chives, finely chopped
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 240C. Combine tomatoes, fennel, tomato paste, oil, and fennel seeds in an oven dish and roast for 20 minutes.
- Melt 75g butter in a saucepan, add flour, and stir. Gradually add milk, stirring constantly. Add mustard, salt, pepper, and let simmer for 3 minutes.
- Transfer mix to a bowl, cool slightly, and whisk in egg yolks.
- Add olives, chutney, and remaining butter to the tomato mixture. Roast for an additional 10 minutes.
- Whisk egg whites to stiff peaks, then stir a third into the soufflé base. Add gruyere, remaining fennel seeds, chives, and fold in the remaining egg whites gently.
- Grease the hot oven dish with extra butter, then pour the soufflé mix over the tomato mixture.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, serve immediately, topping with the tomato mix.
2. Brown-Butter Sole with Saffron and Preserved Lemon
Ingredients:
- 1 pinch saffron strands
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 bone-in sole (or sole/plaice fillets)
- 2 tbsp olive oil (+2 tsp extra)
- 30g plain flour
- 100g unsalted butter
- 1 preserved lemon, skin thinly sliced
- 10g picked parsley leaves, finely chopped
Instructions:
- Infuse saffron in lemon juice for 15 minutes.
- Score the fish three times diagonally. Rub with olive oil, salt, and pepper.
- Press fish into a flour mixture, ensuring both sides are well-coated.
- Heat oil and 40g butter in a frying pan. Add the fish, scored side down, and cook until golden. Flip and cook for an additional two minutes.
- Remove fish, discard the pan’s butter, and wipe clean.
- Melt the remaining butter in the pan until lightly browned and nutty. Return the fish, basting it in the hot fat.
- Serve fish with hot butter, preserved lemon, parsley, and the saffron-lemon mix.
Ottolenghi masterfully demystifies French cuisine with these recipes, emphasizing the joy of cooking over its intricacies. Whether you’re making a rich soufflé or a nutty sole, the key is to enjoy the process, and, of course, the buttery results.