Last week, Michel Roux Jr and his brigade at Le Gavroche served their one millionth soufflé Suissesse – and their last. The French restaurant closed on January 13 after 56 years, having been the first in Britain to win one, two, and later three Michelin stars. From 1993 until its final service, it held a pair.
Le Gavroche was an institution. Its name will continue by way of events, supper clubs, and dinners in other locations, still under the stewardship of Roux, the son of Albert, who with his brother Michel Snr founded the restaurant in 1967. But the glorious dining room is no more.
The food and how it was served was, through the years, a dutiful and spirited nod to the classicism of French fine dining: a homage to our neighbours and an education to so many in Britain. When Le Gavroche opened, Britain was still a culinary wasteland, somewhere flabby slices of overcooked ham would sit reluctantly next to cabbage; where the likes of soufflé would be an alien concept to most. The dining renaissance in this country has been telling and the Roux family has been a guiding force.
It is true – and a shame, but I suppose that’s the way of things – that Le Gavroche was inaccessible to many. Our food landscape, from rural pub to small town brasserie, shifted and evolved countrywide nonetheless. It is a restaurant that impacted so many chefs and their menus. And so: our dinners. To gauge this with more specificity would be to list some of the chefs who trained there: Marco Pierre White, Gordon Ramsay (Roux said he was the most naturally gifted) and Monica Galetti among them.
Late last year, Le Gavroche’s looming closure made headlines. It was more than a restaurant, but a cultural touchstone; a moon landing of a restaurant that set a pioneering foot on uncharted territory two years before Apollo 11 whizzed up somewhere boring.
Various sentiments have been expressed, from gauche Michelin fetishists – bills of £10,000 were not uncommon – to people who saved up and visited and marvelled at the langoustines, the polished silver frogs, the fact service was cheerful whoever you were. Many standout dishes were mentioned and photos shared.
But the one prized above all is the soufflé Suissesse. It encapsulates more than anything the grandeur and the newness that changed dining in Britain forever. Here’s the recipe, from Michel’s Le Gavroche Cookbook (Weidenfeld & Nicolson). I once made this at Le Gavroche and it was tricky but worth it; let me know how you get on (with pictorial evidence if you can).
Soufflé Suissesse
Serves 4
Ingredients
45g butter
45g plain flour
500ml milk
5 egg yolks
Salt and freshly ground white pepper
6 egg whites
600ml double cream
200g Gruyère or Emmental cheese, grated
Method
Heat the oven to 200˚C/gas mark 6. Melt the butter in a thick-based saucepan, whisk in the flour and cook, stirring continuously, for about a minute. Whisk in the milk and boil for 3 minutes, whisking all the time to prevent any lumps from forming.
Beat in the yolks and remove from the heat; season with salt and pepper. Cover with a piece of buttered greaseproof paper to prevent a skin from forming. Whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt until they form firm, not stiff, peaks.
Add a third of the egg whites to the yolk mixture and beat with a whisk until evenly mixed, then gently fold in the remaining egg whites. Spoon the mixture into four well-buttered 8cm diameter tartlet moulds and place in the oven for 3 minutes, until the tops begin to turn golden.
Meanwhile, season the cream with a little salt, warm it gently and pour into a gratin dish. Turn the soufflés out into the cream, sprinkle the grated cheese over them, then return them to the oven for 5 minutes.
Serve immediately.
