Soufflé Preparations

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •1-quart (950 ml) straight-sided ceramic soufflé dish
• •2-quart high-sided heavy saucepan
• •Digital sugar thermometer reading to at least 300°F (150°C)
• •Stand mixer or electric mixer with whisk attachment
• •Large flexible spatula
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Rimmed baking sheet

Instructions

1. 1

   Choose and heat

   Choose either the cream base or the fruit base; each list makes one soufflé for four, and the two formulas are not combined. Set a rack in the lower third of the oven and heat it to 350°F (180°C). Give the oven time to become thoroughly hot, since a half-heated oven melts the foam before it can set.

2. 2

   Prepare the dish

   Butter the bottom and sides of a straight-sided 1-quart (950 ml) soufflé dish, carrying the butter cleanly to the rim. Add the granulated sugar, turn the dish until every buttered surface is coated, then tap out the excess. Set the dish on a baking sheet beside the oven. This ceramic dish is the honest home equivalent of the timbale or false-bottomed mold, and preparing it now means the finished foam will never be kept waiting.

   Use a straight-sided dish. A shallow casserole lets the mixture spread outward when the rise should be climbing.
3. 3

   Cook the cream base

   For the cream version, bring the 95 ml portion of milk and the 28 grams of sugar to a boil in a small heavy saucepan. Whisk the flour into the cold milk until perfectly smooth, then pour this slurry into the boiling milk while whisking. Cook for exactly two minutes over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the base thickens to a soft cream and loses its raw flour smell. Remove it from the heat, whisk in the butter, then the yolks one at a time. If small flour lumps appear, pass the base through a fine sieve before adding the yolks. Ça se rattrape. Let it cool until barely warm, stirring occasionally so no skin forms.

4. 4

   Cook the fruit syrup

   For the fruit version, prepare The Cooking of Sugar (No. 2344) with the sugar and water, stopping at 285°F (141°C), the small-crack stage. A thermometer replaces the source's bare-finger test and gives a home cook the safer, more exact answer. Remove the high-sided saucepan from the heat and add the room-temperature purée in three cautious additions, keeping your face and hands back as each addition bubbles fiercely. Stir only after each surge settles. If the syrup crystallizes and turns sandy before the purée goes in, add 1 tablespoon (15 ml) water, dissolve it gently, and begin the climb again. Ça se rattrape. The purée will lower the temperature, which is expected; hold the mixture off the heat while you whisk the whites.

5. 5

   Whisk the whites

   Put the three whites for your chosen base in a spotless bowl and whisk at medium speed until foamy, then at medium-high speed until they hold stiff, glossy peaks. Stiff means the peak stands upright when the whisk is lifted, not that the whites look dry or clotted. Stop the moment they reach that point. A speck of yolk or fat prevents a proper foam, so clean the bowl with a little vinegar and dry it before you begin.

6. 6

   Join base and whites

   For the cream version, make certain the base is barely warm rather than hot. If it still feels hot, set the saucepan in cold water and stir for a minute; heat would collapse the foam before the oven can set it. Whisk one-quarter of the whites into the base to lighten it, then fold in the remainder in two additions with a broad spatula, cutting down through the center and turning the mixture over itself until no large white patches remain. For the fruit version, return the purée mixture to moderate heat and, still following The Cooking of Sugar (No. 2344), bring it back to 285°F (141°C), stirring steadily so the fruit does not catch. With the mixer running at medium speed, pour the hot mixture over the stiff whites in a thin stream down the side of the bowl, never directly onto the whisk. Beat only until evenly combined and glossy, about 30 seconds. If a few hard sugar threads form on the bowl, lift them out and continue; the remaining foam can still rise.

7. 7

   Bake at moderate heat

   Spoon the chosen mixture into the prepared dish, filling it no more than three-quarters full, and level the top without pressing out its air. Wipe the rim clean and place the dish, still on its baking sheet, in the oven at once. Bake without opening the door for 24 minutes. Moderate heat is deliberate: it lets the center warm gradually while the outer structure sets, giving the soufflé height without leaving a liquid heart. If the top colors too quickly, lower the oven to 325°F (165°C) without opening the door.

8. 8

   Glaze and serve

   When the soufflé stands well above the rim and the top looks set, work quickly: pull the rack only partway out, sift the icing sugar over the crown, close the door, and bake for 2 to 3 minutes more. The sugar should melt into a fine caramelized glaze. The center may tremble, but it should not slosh. If it is plainly liquid, return it for another 2 minutes; the rise may be a little lower, but the center will be right. Carry the dish directly to the table and serve with a large spoon. If the crown settles on the journey, serve it confidently. The flavor has not fallen with it, and we never apologize at our own table. À table!

Chef Tips

• •The name cream base can mislead. The source's four-person formula uses whole milk, flour, butter, and yolks, not heavy cream. The cooked mixture has the texture of a crème, and replacing the milk with cream would make it too heavy for these proportions.
• •The large-party formula contains vanilla, but the source's four-person preparation does not. Keep this master base neutral rather than borrowing flavoring from the brigade quantity; a specific soufflé recipe can supply its own flavor.
• •Raspberry, apricot, passion fruit, and smooth plum purées all suit the fruit method. Strain out seeds and coarse fibers. Frozen fruit purée is the honest choice when fresh fruit is tired or out of season.
• •Boiling sugar clings to skin and burns deeply. Use a high-sided pan, keep the handle turned inward, and trust the thermometer rather than touching the syrup.
• •A fallen soufflé is usually a timing problem, not a folding disaster. Seat everyone and clear the path to the table before it goes into the oven. The dish waits for no one.

Advance Preparation

• •The soufflé dish can be buttered and sugared up to 8 hours ahead. Cover it loosely and refrigerate it, then bring it out while the oven heats.
• •The cream base can be cooked without the egg whites up to 8 hours ahead. Press parchment directly against its surface, chill it promptly, then bring it to room temperature and whisk it smooth before folding.
• •For the fruit version, measure the sugar, water, and purée ahead and leave the purée at room temperature. The sugar work and egg whites must be completed immediately before baking.
• •Once either base has met its whites, it cannot wait. Have the oven hot, the dish ready, and the guests close to the table.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 85g)