Anyone planning on making a soufflé for your honey on Valentine's Day? Sweet or savory, a warm and pillowy soufflé definitely makes an impression! We also think they're a lot less fussy than their reputation makes them out to be...
Weekend Project: Make a Soufflé!
These three factors are the key to soufflé success:
1. Turn on the Oven and Prepare the Pan First - Do these two things before you even crack an egg. A soufflé also waits for no cook, and once you've whipped those egg whites and folded them into the soufflé base, it needs to go right in the oven. If it has to sit while you butter the dish or heat the oven, you'll lose much of the volume from the egg whites.
2. Whip and Fold in the Egg Whites Last - All of the lovely, airy volume in your finished soufflé comes from the whipped egg whites. In the oven, each little air bubble trapped in the egg whites will expand, pushing the soufflé up. If you whip and fold in the egg whites last, you'll get best volume in your finished soufflé.
3. Eat Your Soufflé Right Away! - A soufflé is not a dish that holds well. It begins to collapse almost as soon as you take it from the oven. This is because the bubbles lifting the soufflé start to contract as the air inflating them cools. The solution to this is to eat it right away!
If you're preparing a dessert soufflé and want to avoid a lot of last minute work, you can prepare the dish and the soufflé base (everything except the egg whites) ahead of time. Turn on the oven when you sit down to eat. This way, all you have to do when it comes time for dessert is whip up the egg whites, fold them into the base, and cook the soufflé!
The soufflé is done when the top is toasted brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean (though some people like a runnier middle in their soufflé).
Don't worry too much about the myth that you can't open the door while the soufflé is cooking or it will collapse. In our experience, as long as you're not opening the door every few minutes, the soufflé will re-inflate once you close the door and the oven returns to temperature. It will really only start to completely collapse when you take it out of the oven to serve it.
Ready to give soufflés a try? Here are a few tempting recipes from our archives:
• Raspberry Soufflé
• Crockpot Orange Soufflé
And a few others from around the web:
• Bittersweet Chocolate Soufflé with Early Grey Cream Sauce from Epicurious
• Goat Cheese Soufflé from Epicurious
• Alton Brown's Cheese Soufflé from the Food Network
• The Madam's Soufflé Recipe from 101 Cookbooks
• Asparagus Soufflé from Simply Recipes
Do you have a favorite soufflé recipe of your own?
Related: Food Science: Why Some Batters Need to Rest
(Image: Flickr member St0rmz licensed under Creative Commons)
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Projects, Tips & Techniques, Dairy Products, Recipe Roundup, Holidays - Valentine's Day, Food Science, eggs, weekend project, souffle, egg whitesRelated Links
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I used to make souffles. And then my husband confessed he wasn't that into them. Hmph! This year I'm trying an angel food cake for the first time. Hey, it's still a tricky recipe involving egg whites!
view cmcinnyc's profile
I'm going to try the Bittman chocolate souffle recipe in Wednesday's NYTimes. This will be my first attempt at either a sweet or a savory souffle so I hope it turns out. If not, perhaps there are other things we can do with the batter. ;-)
view rosebud's profile
what synchronicity ... I just made a commitment to learn how to make a souffle! My mom used to make a cheese souffle as her easy-throw-together dinner, so I've always figured they can't be so hard as everyone makes out.
view angorian's profile
I've never actually eaten a souffle. What makes them so awesome? It just seems like really light scrambled eggs to me.
view roseslaw's profile
I'm curious about them too. The Bittman article has me intrigued, but I can't remember ever trying one. What does it taste like?
view Eliza's profile
In my opinion, the biggest draw to souffles is the texture. It's like a light, frothy custard that just melts in your mouth. Even though they're egg based, they don't necessarily taste like egg - they mostly taste like whatever has gone into them (like chocolate, cheese, herbs, orange zest...)
I'm not sure I can adequately describe it, really! Definitely give one a try next time you have the opportunity.
view EmmaC's profile
As my grandmother always said, "If you can read, you can cook." Souffles, as far as I'm concerned, prove her right: they are surprisingly easy to make.
view kfolks's profile
I'm going to attempt making mark bittman's chocolate souffle tonight and bake it during my v-day party tomorrow. I hope he's right about being able to make it ahead! I figure in the worst case it just won't rise and we'll have to eat chocolatey goop. Right? Right.
view benayse's profile
I've always loved making souffle - it feels like such an accomplishment even though it's really pretty easy to make if you follow the instructions.
http://danamccauley.wordpress.com
view Dana McCauley's profile
I made the Bittman souffle last night! It was definitely as advertised--easy, rich, and chocolatey.
benayse--I'm probably too late, but I'm pretty sure he said you could make it "up to an hour" ahead, not the night before. Still, I think you're right that the worst that can happen is that it's more like a pudding than a souffle.
view mandarinmarie's profile