I really like Soufflés, but I usually feel a little disappointed when they deflate just as you bring them to the table for serving. After all, your guests were probably expecting something dazzling when they accepted your dinner invitation!
Well, you can retain the puffiness of your souffle’ by double-baking it. After the first stage of baking, remove the soufflé from the oven and let it deflate, then flip it over onto a baking dish and bake it a second time. For the second cook, the soufflé magically rises again and the puffiness is locked in, never to deflate again!
For my recipe, I’ve made a Crab Souffle‘, combining fresh crab meat with a béchamel sauce, cheese and fluffy meringue. But I didn’t stop there, I set the Soufflé in a lovely Crab Bisque soup, which brings out the seafood flavors even more. This is the sort of dish you might find as an appetizer in a fine dining restaurant, but since we’re in ‘lock down‘ now, why not make this yourself?
There are a few steps involved, but I spread the process over two days, making the Crab Bisque one day and the Souffle’ the next.
Making the Crab Bisque using the crab’s shells
To make the Crab Bisque, I used the shells of a Dungeness crab to enhance the flavoring, as well as using a little of the fresh crab meat itself. You could also use Blue Swimmer crabs, which are smaller. I learned this technique at the Paris Le Cordon Bleu School which produces much richer flavors than using just crab meat itself for the Bisque.
To remove the crab’s shells, first remove the back where you will see the crab’s spongy lungs- remove them. Then hold the crab with the legs on either side of you and break the body in half. Clean the gooey yellow ‘mustard’ and then remove the crab meat from the body. Remove the legs and claws, break them open with a cleaver or pliers, then remove the meat.
Collect all the crab’s shells and saute’ them in a little oil in a large pot or Dutch oven. Add the carrots, onions, garlic, celery, chicken or fish stock, white wine, tomatoes and other flavorings. I used a little cayenne pepper for some ‘kick’ and also a little Korean Gochujang (chili paste) that I had on hand. Let all these ingredients simmer for 20-30 minutes, then strain.
Strain the mixture, then thicken with some corn starch and cream; here’s your delicious Crab Bisque:
Making the Crab Souffle’
The recipe for the Crab Soufflé is pretty straight forward using a béchamel sauce, fresh crab meat, and cheese. The soufflé mixture is poured into 6-8 individual ramekins, then baked for 20 minutes until puffed up.
Remove from the oven and let cool, then turn upside down into a heat-proof bowl or gratin dish and bake for another 8-10 minutes. Add some cheese on top and bake for another 2 minutes under the broiler; spoon some Crab Bisque around the soufflé and garnish with some fresh thyme.
Clean the crab by removing the back shell- discard the lungs and yellow ‘mustard.’ Remove the meat from the body; crack open the legs and remove the meat. One Dungeness crab should yield around 3/4 cup or 125 grams of meat. Reserve all the crab shells for making the sauce. Roughly cut the carrot, onion, celery, and garlic. Heat several tablespoons of olive oil in a Dutch Oven or large pot. Lightly sauté the crab pieces over medium high heat, then add the diced vegetables and stir for several minutes. Add the tomato paste and chopped tomatoes to the pan, followed by the stock, water, wine and cognac (if using), bay leaf and thyme. Add about 25 grams of crab meat (several Tablespoons) to the mixture. Reduce heat and let simmer for several minutes. Now add the salt and pepper and pinch of cayenne (more, if desired). Cover the pot with a lid and let simmer on low heat for 20-30 minutes, until all flavors have been thoroughly infused into the soup. Strain all ingredients through a mesh strainer. Make a paste by combining 1 - 2 tbsp. of corn flour (or corn starch) with equal parts water. Return the soup to the stove, add the paste to the soup and stir until it thickens, then add the cream. Adjust seasoning, if required (i.e. more salt, pepper or cayenne). For the Crab Souffle': Pre-heat the oven to 400 F ( 200 C). Butter and lightly flour the inside of 6 ramekins- shake off any excess flour. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat, then gradually whisk in the flour until the mixture becomes a paste. Gradually whisk in the milk until the mixture thickens. Let cool for several minutes. One by one, whisk the egg yolks into the hot sauce, then add the cheese and the crab meat. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites together on high speed until stiff peaks form. Gradually fold the egg white mixture into the cheese/crab mixture, folding from the outside of the bowl into the center. Pour the mixture into the prepared molds, filling each to just below the rim. Place the molds onto a baking sheet, then place in the oven. Lower the temperature to 375 F (190 C) and bake for about 20-30 minutes until the soufflés have risen and a skewer placed into the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and let the soufflés cool for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of each ramekin and gently turn each souffle' upside down onto a small oven-proof bowl or gratin dish. Return to the oven and bake for another 8-10 minutes until the soufflés puff up again and turn light golden. Add some extra cheese on top and finish the soufflés under a grill (moving them to the top rack) for several minutes to get a nice crispy cheese crust. Remove the ramekins from the oven, add about ½ cup warmed bisque around each soufflé and garnish with several sprigs of fresh thyme and serve. The amount of crab meat yielded from one Dungeness crab will vary, but probably will vary from 1/2 to 3/4 cup crab meat. You can double the amount of crab meat by using two Dungeness crabs or 6 blue swimmer crabs, if you wish.Twice-baked Crab Soufffle' with Bisque
Print Recipe
Ingredients
Instructions
Notes
14 Comments
John / Kitchen Riffs
May 17, 2020 at 9:12 amI love crab, and don’t think I’ve ever had it in a souffle. I really like your method for baking souffles, too — takes a lot of the irritation out of the process (they always look so gorgeous in the kitchen, and NEVER make it to the table looking the same!). Really terrific recipe — thanks.
Fran Flint
May 17, 2020 at 11:24 amThanks John. First time I ever made a twice-baked souffle’ and it turned out well!
angiesrecipes
May 17, 2020 at 1:40 pmI miss CRAB! and I have never had a crab souffle, let alone a twice baked one…such a great idea of serving them with bisque. You are truly a gourmet cook 🙂
Fran Flint
May 18, 2020 at 12:44 amThanks Angie. Crab does taste very good in souffle’s!
David Scott Allen
May 17, 2020 at 11:44 pmI can’t wait to try this method for the soufflés, Fran. Our neighbor left us with a pound of Dungeoness crab, and we’ve been looking for the perfect recipe. I probably won’t be able to make the soup, as I don’t have shells… But the soufflé may be perfect as it is!
Fran Flint
May 18, 2020 at 12:45 amDavid, how great that your neighbor gave you some crab meat- it is quite expensive! Good luck with your souffle’!
Sam Sumarli
May 19, 2020 at 1:59 amThis dish looks like something I’d pay a lot of money to eat at a fine dining restaurant! Drooling over here now!
Raymund
May 19, 2020 at 6:27 amYou had me drooling on this! I love crabs, any recipe. This sounds really delicious, that concentrated crab flavour on that bisque would be so comforting.
Juliana
May 22, 2020 at 5:22 amOh Fran, what are you trying to do? This is pure torture…and started when I read the title of this post…I absolutely love crab…and this everything crab just look and sound so delicious…crab souffle and bisque…oh oh oh…
Fran Flint
May 22, 2020 at 8:18 amJuliana, thanks so much for your enthusiastic reply!
Jeff the Chef
May 27, 2020 at 12:47 pmI’ve never heard of that double-baked soufflé trick. That’s great to know! If this were on a menu, I’d order in a second! It would take me way outside my comfort zone to make this, but you do make a good point about being stuck at home … so maybe!
Katerina
May 28, 2020 at 6:36 pmOh my gosh, Fran, this is an oustanding meal! Something I would easily order in a restaurant and feel totally impressed and spoilt! I am loving that double baking trick for the souffle – I’ve never heard of it and it will make things much much easier as far as impressing dinner guests (or young kids, let’s face it, it’s about the same) goes. Thanks for sharing your recipe.
julie scott
September 2, 2021 at 9:23 amI may be one of a few on this post who actually has made the crab souffle. It turned out beautifully, and, for those too timid to attempt, it is very forgiving. Issue # 1: I went through a dozen eggs (6 eggs each time) and for some reason the whites would not form soft peaks. I used them anyway with great results. (Yes, I know about having everything clean; no yolk in the whites; at room temp, etc.). Issue # 2: Instead of Gouda, I used Provolone, thinking it would be milder to allow the crab to be the star of the show.. The cheese overwhelmed the crabmeat so next time would suggest a mild cheese. The bisque I had made the day prior; I followed the directions exactly for the final presentation. Accompanied with a salad and a crusty bread, this is a winner for a luncheon, or, in petite portions, as a show-stopper appetizer course.
Fran Flint
September 2, 2021 at 12:25 pmJulie, thanks so much for your comment. I’m glad you had the ‘courage’ to make this dish. It really is really a show-stopper and worth it. That’s odd that your egg whites didn’t form soft peaks and thanks for the comment about the cheese. I must make this again soon!