# Soufflé Recipes & Tips



## mr drinky (Sep 28, 2012)

For some reason I have been wanting to make souffles lately. Anyone have a favorite recipes or tips? Can be savory or sweet. Several years ago I had an oatmeal souffle for brunch in Washington, DC and it was really tasty. 

k.


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## bkdc (Sep 29, 2012)

Chocolate is my favorite, and I use Thomas Keller's recipe. It's pretty much foolproof, so I have it memorized.

Makes 4 souffles in 6oz ramekins.

Ingredients:
3 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose bleached flour
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup whole milk
4 large eggs, separated
1 teaspoon cornstarch
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 ounces of 70% chocolate (I use Scharffen Berger)
Extra butter and sugar to coat ramekins.


Preheat oven to 400F. Coat ramekins with butter and then coat with granulated sugar (to allow souffle to rise).

In a saucepan (this recipe is where I love my All-Clad 1qt saucier), melt butter (3 tablespoons) and whisk in 3 1/2 tablespoons of flour over low heat until you have a nice smooth roux and all lumps are gone. Add hot milk (1 cup) and whisk over heat until thick and smooth. (I'm lazy, and I pour in cold milk and heat it up... and it's never a problem) Remove from heat and whisk in chocolate (2 ounces 70%) until homogeneous and allow to cool.

In another bowl, whisk together 4 egg yolks and corn starch (1 teaspoon). You can also add about half of the sugar or you can save all the sugar for the meringue. Whisk the egg yolk mixture into the chocolate pastry mixture until nice and smooth.

Whisk the egg whites in a clean large mixing bowl (4 egg whites) until glistening white with soft peaks. Slowly add sugar (whatever is left of the 3 tablespoons) and continue to whisk until you get stiff white peaks.

Stir 1/3 of the egg white meringue into the chocolate base until homogeneous. Then fold in the rest of the meringue.

Pour into buttered sugared ramekins. Tap tap tap tap the ramekins on your countertop while you're filling them to make sure no big air bubbles are trapped below.

Bake 14 minutes at 400F. (Less if you like it a little runny, and more if you like it well done)

Dust with powdered sugar and serve with your favorite vanilla ice cream or a Creme anglaise.


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## mr drinky (Sep 29, 2012)

Thanks for the recipe. I'm actually making a Thomas Keller recipe right now, his asparagus with tomato-bacon stew. But tomorrow I'll make this chocolate souffle. I'll try take some pictures unless it turns out disastrous 

k.


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## bkdc (Sep 29, 2012)

I forgot to add - Chef Keller's recipe calls for a pinch of Kosher salt in the egg yolk mix, but I forget about it all the time and it tastes pretty much the same to me.


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## mr drinky (Sep 29, 2012)

And btw I told my pregnant wife about the chocolate soufflé and she is really looking forward to it. 

k.


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## mr drinky (Sep 30, 2012)

It came out great IMO. Here is a photo.

k.


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## SpikeC (Sep 30, 2012)

Looks mighty tidy!


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## bkdc (Oct 1, 2012)

Yum! Looks like it deflated a little before you took the shot.

I'm still in search of a raspberry souffle that is light and fluffy without any sogginess. I've tried and tried various recipes and modifications, and the end result is always a little too 'wet' in my mouth.


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## mr drinky (Oct 1, 2012)

bkdc said:


> Yum! Looks like it deflated a little before you took the shot.



You are correct. I didn't have the powdered sugar ready and my camera was MIA from other knife photos, so it was a little 'shorter' when I finally took the photo. I was watching the Packers Saints game and not getting things ready.

k.


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## Chifunda (Oct 1, 2012)

My wife and I frequently make this one from Jaques Pepin. Simple, straightforward and no messing about with egg whites. We vary the type of cheese and the herbs depending on mood and what we have on hand: 

_"When my mother got married, she was 17 and my father was 22. She did not know how to cook, except for a few simple dishes that she had learned from her mother. Yet she was willing and fearless. My father liked cheese souffle, so my mother graciously obliged. She had never made a souffle before, but a friend told her that it consisted of a white sauce (bechamel), grated cheese and eggs  a cinch! To the bechamel, that staple of the French home cook, she added her grated Swiss cheese and then cracked and added one egg after another to the mixture, stirred it well, poured it into a gratin dish, and baked it in the oven. Viola! No one had told her that the eggs should be separated, with the yolks added to the base sauce and the whites whipped to a firm consistency and then gently folded into the mixture. Ignorance is bliss, and in this case it was indeed: The souffle rose to a golden height and become a family favorite. This is a great recipe; it can be assembled hours or even a day ahead, and although it is slightly less airy than a standard souffle, it is delicious."_

Ingredients

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, plus more to butter a 6-cup gratin dish
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups cold whole milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
5 extra-large eggs
2 1/3 cups grated Swiss cheese, preferably Gruyere (about 6 ounces)
3 tablespoons minced fresh chive blades

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Butter a 6-cup gratin dish, and set it aside. Melt the butter in a saucepan, then add the flour, and mix it in well with a whisk. Cook for 10 seconds, and add the milk in 1 stroke, and mix it in with a whisk. Keep stirring with the whisk until the mixture thickens and comes to a strong boil, which will take about 2 minutes. It should be thick and smooth. Remove from the heat, and stir in the salt and pepper. Allow about 10 minutes for the white sauce to cool.

Meanwhile, break the eggs into a bowl, and beat well with a fork. Add the eggs, the cheese and the chives to the cooled sauce, and mix well to combine. Pour into the buttered gratin dish and cook immediately, or set aside until ready to cook.

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the souffle is puffy and well browned on top. Although it will stay inflated for quite awhile, it is best served immediately.


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## bkdc (Oct 1, 2012)

Looks like every decent souffle starts with a roux.  I think I'll try this cheese recipe, but separate the egg yolk and beat the whites to peaks and see if there's a difference.


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## Namaxy (Oct 1, 2012)

I know most love chocolate, but my all time favorite is the vanilla souffle with creme anglaise by Todd English. He's taken a lot of lumps over the years, and the Olives cookbook is mediocre at best, but we loved this dessert when Olives was in it's prime. I don't have an official recipe, but I have what he gave me and I think it's in the Olives dessert cookbook, which I haven't read. Happy to share what I have if anyone wants it.


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## mr drinky (Oct 1, 2012)

bkdc said:


> Yum! Looks like it deflated a little before you took the shot.
> 
> I'm still in search of a raspberry souffle that is light and fluffy without any sogginess. I've tried and tried various recipes and modifications, and the end result is always a little too 'wet' in my mouth.



After reading the posts below this I ran into Jacques Pepin's raspberry soufflé. Have you tried that one? Just wondering.

k.


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## mr drinky (Oct 1, 2012)

Thanks for the recipe Chifunda. I'm definitely going to try that one. Btw, I just looked through my Pepin books and I also saw his grits and cheddar soufflé. It's dangerous looking at Pepin's soufflés -- they all sound amazing to me. There is also the lobster soufflé Plaza-Athenee that sounds tasty -- except it seems a bit time consuming. 

And Namaxy, I also looked at at the vanilla souffle by English. I actually have that cookbook (signed). He was giving them out at the Chicago Housewares show a couple of years ago. That dessert looks amazing -- though making an ice cream, tuile twist, creme anglaise, and souffle is a good chunk of a day  I think I am going to try it with just the creme and soufflé with store bought vanilla ice cream. I'm looking for an interesting dessert for thanksgiving. 

k.

edit: I added a photo of the recipe from Olives.


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## bieniek (Oct 2, 2012)

If you have that setting, try baking at only bottom heating. 

Try salamander the top for few seconds. 

Try to use Crème Pâtissière as a base.


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## bkdc (Oct 2, 2012)

Creme anglaise keeps for 2 days in the fridge. What's easier than milk, cream, egg yolk, sugar, and vanilla? It makes a fabulous base for vanilla ice cream as well. I guess technically, it's frozen vanilla custard instead of vanilla ice cream.


Thomas Keller recipe

1 cup heavy cream
1 cup milk
1 to 2 pods of vanilla beans, split (I use only one because mine are large)

Heat to near boil while stirring.

Add 6 egg yolks whisked in 1/4 cup sugar (adjust to taste) and simmer while constantly stirring. (I remove from heat pretty quickly and stir because I don't want too much in curdled eggs)

I use 5 extra-large yolks and when I'm lazy, I use vanilla extract instead. 

Pass through a fine strainer into a bowl which is sitting on an ice bath and chill.


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## bkdc (Oct 2, 2012)

mr drinky said:


> After reading the posts below this I ran into Jacques Pepin's raspberry soufflé. Have you tried that one? Just wondering.
> 
> k.



Is this one that calls for adding whole raspberries instead of a stained raspberry jam? I guess that might work. My issue has been this sticky wet consistency in the raspberry souffle I encounter whenever I make a heated raspberry-sugar jam mixture. I've used roux+milk. I've used a creme patisserie using milk-heavy cream mixture. I've adjusted flour and corn starch combos, and I haven't been able to overcome it. That's why I'm just a home cook and not a pastry chef.


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## mr drinky (Oct 22, 2012)

Chifunda said:


> My wife and I frequently make this one from Jaques Pepin. Simple, straightforward and no messing about with egg whites. We vary the type of cheese and the herbs depending on mood and what we have on hand:
> 
> _"When my mother got married, she was 17 and my father was 22. She did not know how to cook, except for a few simple dishes that she had learned from her mother. Yet she was willing and fearless. My father liked cheese souffle, so my mother graciously obliged. She had never made a souffle before, but a friend told her that it consisted of a white sauce (bechamel), grated cheese and eggs  a cinch! To the bechamel, that staple of the French home cook, she added her grated Swiss cheese and then cracked and added one egg after another to the mixture, stirred it well, poured it into a gratin dish, and baked it in the oven. Viola! No one had told her that the eggs should be separated, with the yolks added to the base sauce and the whites whipped to a firm consistency and then gently folded into the mixture. Ignorance is bliss, and in this case it was indeed: The souffle rose to a golden height and become a family favorite. This is a great recipe; it can be assembled hours or even a day ahead, and although it is slightly less airy than a standard souffle, it is delicious."_
> 
> ...



Ok, so I tried Chifunda's souffle recipe (via Mr. Pepin). It turned out really tasty and it was super easy. I forgot to add the chives and didn't have a 6-cup gratin pan, so I divided it into three 2-cup ramekins. Cooking time was 35 minutes and prep was about 15 minutes. 

k.


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## SpikeC (Oct 22, 2012)

Dang those are purty!


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## megapuff5 (Oct 25, 2012)

last night we made a cauliflower souffle
roasted cauliflower pieces, 1\3 cup flour
salt, pepper, nutmeg,habinero powder
1 cup milk
1 large egg
1\2 cup cheddar cheese
6 egg whites


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## mr drinky (Oct 25, 2012)

I love cauliflower. I'll have to add that to my list. 

A couple more I am looking at making are a pasta soufflé from the Geometry of Past cookbook and when I was in Portland, ME I had an amazing Carrot Cake soufflé dessert. I might try figure that one out too. 

k.


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## Chifunda (Oct 25, 2012)

mr drinky said:


> Ok, so I tried Chifunda's souffle recipe (via Mr. Pepin). It turned out really tasty and it was super easy. I forgot to add the chives and didn't have a 6-cup gratin pan, so I divided it into three 2-cup ramekins. Cooking time was 35 minutes and prep was about 15 minutes.
> 
> k.



Pleased to hear that you enjoyed it.  I rather like the idea of individual souffles and just happen to have some 500 ml. ramekins. Next time.


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