Brooklawn Country Club (Fairfield, Conn.) Executive Chef Steve Boutin’s Semolina Soufflé Cake “bakes like a cheesecake,” he says, but comes out light and fluffy, with flavors that “explode in your mouth.”
Club + Resort Chef spoke with Boutin about the super-flavorful dessert he thinks any club chef could master.
“I’m no baker,” he notes, “so if I can do it, so can you.”
Club + Resort Chef (C+RC): What was the inspiration behind this dish?
Steve Boutin (SB): My uncle Angelo had a restaurant, and he had this old pastry chef who did a similar dessert that I loved. So I reached out to him, and he gave me the recipe.
C+RC: Why do you believe this is a special or successful dish?
SB: You would think that it would be gritty, but I use 00 semolina flour, which makes it super fluffy and not heavy at all.
C+RC: What about this dish makes you most proud?
SB: I’m not a pastry chef, so when I take my time, I can usually knock it out of the ballpark. Also, I just purchased a combi oven and used it to make it, and I was blown away—and the people who ate it that night. Plus, who asked for seconds of dessert? Almost everyone who attend the dinner. So that made me happy.
C+RC: How would you describe the flavors?
SB: It bakes like a cheesecake, but it’s not dense at all. And with all of the sauces on the plate, it just explodes in your mouth.
C+RC: Do you think other chefs will be inspired by this dish?
SB: For sure! It’s an easy recipe to do. Like I said, I’m no baker, so if I can do it, so can you. Also, it would go great on an à la carte menu.
Semolina Soufflé Cake With Pistachio Crème Anglaise and Tart Cherry Pinot Noir Sauce
Click here to view the recipe.