Soufflés are quite possibly the most misunderstood dessert out there. Many seem to think that soufflés are difficult to make at home, that they require a lot of time to put together, or that they are tempermental and unpredictable. Well, no, no and no.
The truth is, making soufflés at home requires very few ingredients, namely eggs, sugar and a little flour. There's no special equipment to buy; all you need is a few ramekins (or small coffee cups or bowls) and an oven. It can be whipped up in half an hour and that's including baking time! So, really, the only real "trick" is to be gentle with the meringue and use a light hand!
One thing about soufflés though is that they wait for no one. As soon as it emerges from the oven it will start to deflate slightly. So assemble everyone before removing them from the oven, quickly dust the soufflés with powdered sugar and serve IMMEDIATELY!
This soufflé recipe has two parts: the soufflé base and the meringue. The base can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator for up to five days. Only start the meringue portion when you are ready to bake your soufflés. This soufflé base recipe makes enough for ten soufflés. The good news is that you don't need to make all ten at the same time! Each soufflé requires 25grams of soufflé base and one egg white. Just measure out as much as you need and store the rest in the fridge.
For the soufflé base:
(you will have enough for 10 soufflés)
20 g unsalted butter, at room temperature
26 g all-purpose flour
250 g whole milk
10 g sugar
2 egg yolks
In a small bowl, mix butter with flour until it is smooth and forms a paste.
In a small saucepan, heat milk until hot but not boiling. Slowly pour milk into butter paste. Stir constantly to avoid any lumps.
In a separate small bowl, combine egg yolks and sugar. Add to milk mixture and stir until smooth.
Return entire mixture to saucepan set over medium heat. Stir continuously until mixture starts to thicken and resembles custard, about 5 minutes.
Remove from heat and transfer soufflé base to a bowl. Press a piece of plastic film on top on the soufflé base. Store in refrigerator once cooled completely.
Ginger Soufflé
makes one (multiply according to servings needed)
1 large egg white
pinch of salt
15 g granulated sugar (plus more for coating ramekins)
25 g soufflé base
15 g ginger juice
pat of butter
Preheat oven to 190C.
First start by preparing the ramekins. With a pastry brush or your fingers, coat the insides of each ramekins with butter. Make sure every corner is covered.
In the mean time, prepare the ginger juice. With a grater, grate ginger until fine. Press through a small sieve to extract the juice. Set aside for later use.
Start on the meringue. Place the egg whites in a medium size mixing bowl. Add a pinch of salt and beat on medium speed with a hand mixer.
When the whites start to turn an opaque white color, slowly pour in the sugar. Continue beating until the whites reach a stiff peak.
In a small bowl, combine the soufflé base with prepared ginger juice and 1/4 of the meringue. Stir until combined.
Add the soufflé base to the rest of the meringue. Very gently fold with a rubber spatula. Be careful not to deflate the air bubbles in the meringue.
Remove prepared ramekins from the freezer. Fill each ramekin the soufflé mixture. Level off the tops of each one with a knife.
Remove from oven and dust the tops of each soufflé with powdered sugar. Serve immediately.
Frangelico Soufflé
makes one (multiply according to servings needed)
1 large egg white
pinch of salt
15 g granulated sugar
1 teaspoon Frangelico liquor
25 g soufflé base
Follow same directions as ginger soufflé above. Replace ginger juice with Frangelico liquor.
Chocolate Soufflé
makes one (multiply according to servings needed)
20 g dark chocolate
25 g soufflé base
1 large egg white
pinch of salt
15 g granulated sugar
Prepare ramekins according to instructions for ginger soufflé.
Preheat oven to 190C.
In a small heat-proof bowl, melt chocolate at 20 second intervals in the microwave. Stir until smooth with no lumps.
Add the soufflé base to the melted chocolate. Stir until combined and set aside for later use.
Start on the meringue. Place the egg whites in a medium size mixing bowl. Add a pinch of salt and beat on medium speed with a hand mixer.
When the whites start to turn an opaque white color, slowly pour in the sugar. Continue beating until the whites reach a stiff peak.
In a small bowl, combine the chocolate soufflé base and 1/4 of the meringue. Stir until combined. Add mixture the remaining meringue. Fold very gently with a rubber spatula until combined.
Remove ramekins from freezer. Fill each ramekin with soufflé mixture and level off the tops of each one with a knife.
Bake in preheated oven for 18 minutes. Serve immediately.
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