Nyt Souffle Au Fromage Cheese Souffle Recipes

HOW TO MAKE SOUFFLé

Steps:

• In "Mastering the Art of French Cooking," their profoundly influential 1961 cookbook, Julia Child, Simone Beck and Louisette Bertholle describe the soufflé as the "epitome and triumph of the art of French cooking." A half-century later, soufflé remains as vital as ever, as successive generations of chefs revisit and refresh the classic recipe. A souffle has two main components, a flavorful base and glossy beaten egg whites, and they are gently folded together just before baking. The word itself comes from "souffler," meaning "to breathe" or "to puff," which is what the whites do to the base once they hit the oven's heat. The base may be made either savory or sweet. Savory soufflés usually incorporate cheese, vegetables, meat or seafood and are appropriate for a light dinner or lunch, or as a first course. They require a substantial and stable base, in the form of a cooked sauce that often involves butter, egg yolks and some kind of starch (flour, rice or cornstarch). Sweet soufflés, with fruit, chocolate or liquors, make spectacular desserts. The base can be made from a fruit purée, or a sweet, rich sauce. Soufflés are found all over France, with each region applying its own spin. In Alsace, cooks use kirsch. In Provence, goat cheese or eggplant are excellent additions. And naturally, Roquefort cheese is a popular addition in Roquefort.
• Marie-Antoine Carême, the father of French haute cuisine, is credited with perfecting and popularizing the soufflé, publishing his recipe in "Le Pâtissier Royal Parisien" in 1815. (The first recipe had appeared in 1742, in Vincent La Chapelle's "Le Cuisinier Moderne.") Initially, Carême made his soufflés in stiff pastry casings called croustades that were lined with buttered paper. Soon after, vessels were developed just for making souffles, deep dishes with straight sides, for the tallest rise. Carême went on to create several variations, including Soufflé Rothschild, named after his employer, one of the richest men in France; it contained candied fruit macerated in a liquor containing flecks of gold. (Contemporary versions substitute more attainable kirsch for the golden elixir.) As the soufflé evolved, the number of variations grew. By the time Auguste Escoffier published "Le Guide Culinaire" in 1903, which codified the classic recipes of French cuisine, more than 60 soufflé variations were in common use, with versions that incorporated ingredients as varied as Parmesan cheese, foie gras, escarole, pheasant, violets, almonds and tea. A layered soufflé called a Camargo alternated stripes of tangerine and hazelnut soufflé batters in the same dish. "Mastering the Art of French Cooking," published nearly six decades later, offered several recipes, including a version called Soufflé Vendôme, in which cold poached eggs are layered into the unbaked soufflé mixture. After baking, the eggs warm up slightly, releasing their runny yolks when the soufflé is broken. Despite a movement in France in recent years that called for a more experimental take on traditional cuisine, there is still a place for perfect soufflé. And while chefs may innovate upon the classic version, those first 18th-century recipes are still very much in use. Above, the menu at Le Soufflé, a restaurant in Paris.
• Soufflé mold The soufflé has a pan created just for it, a deep ceramic dish with straight sides. Ceramic holds the heat evenly, so the center cooks at nearly the same rate as the edges, and the sides direct the expanding air upward, to give the most rise. A heavy metal charlotte mold also works. Or use a shallow oven-safe dish, like a gratin dish or a skillet. The soufflé won't rise as high, but it will still puff up. (It will likely cook faster, so watch it carefully.)Metal mixing bowl You will achieve better results beating the whites in a metal mixing bowl rather than in a plastic, glass or ceramic bowl. Plastic can retain oily residue, and glass and ceramic are slippery, making it harder to get the whites to cling and climb up the sides. This is especially important if you are beating the whites by hand. Stainless steel or copper work best.Electric mixer Using an electric mixer, whether it is a hand-held model or a stand mixer, makes the work of beating egg whites go faster and easier than if you were to use a whisk and your arms. Wirecutter, a product recommendations website owned by The New York Times Company, has a guide to the best stand mixers.
• A chocolate soufflé is an eternal showstopper of a dessert. The flavor is dark and intense, yet the texture is light and custardy. Be sure to use excellent bittersweet chocolate. For maximum drama, always serve a soufflé straight from the oven.
• The primary technique for making a tall and airy soufflé is the proper beating of the egg whites. Once you learn it, a whole fluffy world opens up, rich with spongecakes, mousses and foams.• Always use eggs at room temperature or even warm, for the highest rise. Cold egg whites won't beat up as loftily. To get cold eggs to temperature quickly, soak them in their shells in warm water for 20 minutes. • Make sure your hands are clean. If there is any trace of oil or grease on them and you touch the egg whites, the soufflé may not puff. • Crack your eggs on a flat surface, like the countertop, instead of on the rim of the bowl. That way, you are less likely to shatter the shell and pierce the yolk. • There are two ways to separate eggs. The first is to hold the cracked egg over a bowl and pass the yolk between shells, letting the white slip into the bowl. Gently drop the yolk in into a separate, smaller bowl. Take care: The sharp edge of the shell can easily pierce the yolk, allowing it to seep into the white. The other method requires you to strain the whites through your fingers, but it ensures that yolks do not creep into the whites. First, set up three bowls. Hold your hand over one bowl and drop the cracked egg into your palm, letting the white run through your fingers into the bowl. Drop the yolk into the second bowl. Inspect the white for traces of yolk. If there are none, slip the white into the third bowl. Repeat with remaining eggs. Using that first bowl as a way station for each freshly cracked white before it gets added to the main bowl of pristine whites helps ensure no yolk contaminates the mixture.• Well-beaten, stable whites are the key to a gorgeously puffy soufflé. So don't rush this step. The slower you go, the better your chances for success. • Take a moment to make sure there are no traces of yolk or any fat in the egg whites or the bowl. (Egg yolk will impede the whites from frothing.) • Adding a little bit of acid (in our recipes, cream of tartar) helps stabilize the egg foam, and also helps prevent overbeating. Beating the whites in a copper bowl will produce a similar result without the added acid, which is why copper bowls were historically considered essential for making meringues. • If you are using a stand mixer, check the bottom of the bowl every now and then for unbeaten egg whites. Sometimes the whites pool there, and when you go to incorporate the meringue into the base, those whites will deflate the overall soufflé. Whisk any pooled whites by hand into the rest of the meringue and continue beating with the machine. • Beat until the meringue is just able to hold stiff peaks. This means that when you lift the whisk out of the meringue, it will create a little cowlick that stays upright without drooping as you gently move the whisk. It should look glossy, or be just starting to lose its shine. Don't overbeat (which will make the foam turn grainy and dry) or underbeat (which won't give the proper lift). If you overbeat your whites, you might be able to rescue them by beating in another egg white. This often restores them.• The goal in folding the egg whites into the base is to work quickly and use a light touch. This lightens the base, making it easier to fold in the rest of the meringue mixture all at once. Fold in a C shape, as demonstrated in the video above: Starting in the middle of the bowl, drag the thin edge of a spatula down like a knife, then tilt and scoop up a spatula full of the soufflé base, making sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl. Turn the batter over, away from your body, back into the middle of the bowl. Shift the bowl 45 degrees, and repeat. • Stop folding when the streaks of white have just disappeared - or rather, when they have almost disappeared. A few white streaks are preferable to overfolding, which deflates the batter.• Buttering the soufflé dish, then coating the butter with something with a bit of texture, is essential for the rise. If the soufflé dish were to be just buttered, the soufflé would slip down the sides instead of climbing. An additional thin coating of granulated sugar, bread crumbs, ground nuts or grated cheese creates a rough texture for the egg whites to hold onto as they rise.• If your soufflé dish isn't big enough to accommodate all of the batter, you can extend it by tying a buttered piece of parchment paper or foil around the rim of the soufflé dish to increase its volume.• For individual soufflés, use small ramekins placed on a rimmed baking sheet so they are easy to get in and out of the oven. Reduce the cooking time of a larger soufflé by about half.• Heat matters. Make sure the oven is preheated; that initial hot blast expands the air trapped inside the bubbly foam of batter, which makes it rise. Having the soufflé base hot or warm when you fold in the egg whites helps the temperature rise quickly, too.• Baking the soufflé on a preheated baking sheet on the bottom of the oven helps the soufflé cook on the bottom as well as the top, producing a more even result. The baking sheet will also catch any overflow.• For a higher rise, rub your thumb around the inside rim of the soufflé dish to create a gap between the dish and the batter. (Many soufflé dishes already have a groove there to help.) • If you want a perfectly flat top to your soufflé, level the foam with the back of a knife before baking, and before running your thumb around the edge of the dish. Or you could leave the foam as it is, for a more natural, wavy look. Julia Child preferred a natural top; pastry chefs tend to prefer a flat top. • A soufflé is done baking when it has risen above the rim of the dish and is nicely browned on top. It should feel mostly firm and only slightly jiggly when you lightly tap the top. Flourless soufflés, such as those made with fruit purée or chocolate, are lighter and cook faster. (Chocolate soufflés can also be intentionally underbaked for a gooey chocolate interior. The soufflé should be a tad wiggly when gently shaken but firm around the edges.) Thicker soufflés made with flour, like a cheese soufflé, don't rise as much in the oven, but won't collapse as much either. • Use the window of your oven to monitor the soufflé, and don't open the oven door until you see the soufflé puff up over the sides of the dish. Once it has done that, you can safely open the oven and check on it. • If the top of your soufflé starts to brown too fast, top it with a round of parchment paper. • All soufflés fall within minutes of coming out of the oven, because the hot air bubbles contract when they hit cooler air. That's why you need to serve them immediately after baking. But as long as you don't overfold the whites, and you resist opening the oven door until the last few minutes of baking, your soufflé will rise gloriously before the dramatic and expected collapse. • You can prepare any soufflé batter ahead, but you will probably lose some volume. Assemble the soufflé in its dish, then set it aside in a warm place without drafts for up to four hours. Julia Child recommends turning your largest soup pot over the soufflé, and that would work. But any draft-free space is fine. A draft could deflate the foam.
• This savory soufflé is as classic as can be, with beaten egg whites folded into a rich cheese-laden béchamel for flavor and stability. Gruyère is the traditional cheese used for soufflé, but a good aged Cheddar would also work nicely. This makes a great lunch or brunch dish.
• Once you've mastered more basic soufflés, try this very light recipe, adapted from Julia Child, which uses a base of syrupy fruit to flavor the egg whites, without the addition of fats or starches. A combination of raspberries and strawberries makes it marvelously pink.
• Savory soufflés are usually served by themselves, but sweet soufflés often have a sauce on the side, to be poured into the center of the soufflé after you've dug in your spoon. Or opt for ice cream, which provides a thrilling hot-cold contrast. Either will deflate the soufflé, so add it after your guests have had a chance to admire it. This creamy custard, made from egg yolks and milk, is a great sauce for any sweet soufflé, including chocolate, fruit and Grand Marnier. You can flavor the sauce with a dash of liquor, some lemon zest or a pinch of cinnamon or another spice.A versatile choice, caramel sauce is lovely with all kinds of sweet soufflés, be they flavored with simple vanilla bean, chocolate or fruit.A perfect match for fruit soufflés, this can be as simple as a lightly sweetened purée of fruit, or a more elaborate fruit-flavored custard or curd.A chocolate sauce accentuates the richness of chocolate soufflés. You can use the same type of chocolate in the sauce as you've used in the soufflé, or try mixing it up, using a darker and more bitter chocolate to cut the sweetness, or a milk chocolate to step it up.
• Photography Food styling: Alison Attenborough. Prop styling: Beverley Hyde. Additional photography: Karsten Moran for The New York Times. Additional styling: Jade Zimmerman. Video Food styling: Chris Barsch and Jade Zimmerman. Art direction: Alex Brannian. Prop styling: Catherine Pearson. Director of photography: James Herron. Camera operators: Tim Wu and Zack Sainz. Editing: Will Lloyd and Adam Saewitz. Additional editing: Meg Felling.
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• Omelet

GRAND MARNIER SOUFFLé

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
• Rub the butter on the bottom and sides of four 1-cup souffle dishes. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of sugar over the insides of the souffle dishes.
• Place the egg yolks in a bowl and add 1/2 cup sugar, the orange rind and the Grand Marnier. Beat briskly until well blended.
• In a large, deep bowl, preferably copper, beat the egg whites until stiff. Toward the end, beat in the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar. (You can use an electric stand mixer, but keep an eye on the egg whites. They should not be too stiff.)
• Spoon the egg-yolk mixture into the whites, folding in rapidly. Place equal portions of the mixture in the prepared souffle dishes.
• Put the dishes on a baking sheet, and place on the bottom of the oven. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, and serve immediately.

COMTé CHEESE SOUFFLé

Steps:

• Using a pastry brush, thoroughly grease a 25-30cm oval or round earthenware dish with a thin, even layer of butter. Coat with the breadcrumbs, shaking out the excess, then set the dish aside. Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and place a baking tray on the middle shelf to heat up.
• To prepare the soufflé base, melt the butter in a small saucepan over a medium heat. Add the flour, whisk until smooth and cook to a nutty blond roux. Lower the heat, then gradually add the warm milk, little by little, whisking to keep the consistency smooth. Add the cheese and mustard, and continue to cook, stirring from time to time, for 3-5 mins. Remove from the heat and allow to cool a little. Add the egg yolks and stir until the mixture is silky and smooth. Season with white pepper (see tip) and keep warm. Can be made ahead up to this point (see tip).
• In a large, clean, dry bowl, whisk the egg whites with the lemon juice to medium peaks.
• Transfer the warm soufflé base to a large bowl and briefly whisk in a third of the whipped egg whites to lighten the base. Carefully fold in the remaining egg whites with a spatula or large metal spoon, delicately cutting and lifting the mixture to ensure minimum loss of volume and lightness. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Pour the soufflé mixture into the prepared dish so it is three-quarters full.
• Slide the dish onto the hot baking tray and bake for 20 mins. Meanwhile, make the cheese sauce.
• Bring the cream to the boil and add the cheese and some freshly ground white pepper, stirring continuously. Once the cheese has melted, remove from the heat and taste for seasoning. Add a dash of kirsch (if using), then pour the sauce into a warmed small jug.
• Sprinkle the grated cheese over the soufflé and bake for a further 5 mins. Serve immediately, placing the soufflé and sauce in the middle of the table so everyone can help themselves.

TUNA AND CHEESE SOUFFLE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Chill 4 individual souffle dishes, each with 1 1/2-cup capacity.
• Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in saucepan and add onion. Cook, stirring, until wilted. Add tuna and cook, stirring, until warm. Put mixture on a board and chop until coarse-fine.
• Meanwhile, bring milk barely to simmer and remove from heat.
• Remove souffle dishes and brush inside of each with butter, using total of 2 tablespoons. Sprinkle inside of each dish with tablespoon of grated cheese. Chill.
• Melt 3 tablespoons of butter and add flour, stirring rapidly with wire whisk. When blended and smooth, add milk, stirring rapidly with whisk. Stir until thickened and smooth. Blend cornstarch and water and stir into simmering mixture. Add mustard, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco sauce, salt and pepper.
• Add egg yolks while beating briskly with whisk. Cook 5 seconds, no longer, and remove from heat, beating. Scrape mixture into mixing bowl. Stir in tuna mixture. Set aside briefly to cool slightly.
• Beat egg whites until stiff.
• Fold cheese cubes into sauce mixture. Add about 1/3 of beaten whites and beat in rapidly until well distributed. Add remaining whites to mixture and fold in with plastic spatula.
• Fill souffle dishes with mixture and smooth tops. Run thumb at a depth of about 1/2 inch neatly around inside of each dish to clean the top. Arrange dishes on baking sheet and place in oven. Bake 20 minutes until well puffed and golden brown on top. Serve immediately.

MOCK CHEESE SOUFFLé

Steps:

• Butter an 8-cup soufflé dish.
• Butter each slice of bread on one side and cut into four squares. Layer half the bread, buttered side up, in the bottom of the dish. Cover with half the grated cheese. Repeat. Place the remaining ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Pour over the bread and cheese. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Uncover the soufflé and bake on the center rack until the top is browned and the soufflé is bubbling around the edges, about 45 minutes.

SOUFFLé AU FROMAGE

Steps:

• Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
• Butter the inside of a 6 cup souffle mold and sprinkle it with 1 Tablespoon of grated Parmesan cheese. .
• In a heavy saucepan, melt 3 tablespoons of unsalted butter, slowly.
• Stir in 3 tablespoons of flour with a wooden spoon and cook over moderate heat until butter and flour foam together for 2 minutes without browning.
• Remove from heat; when the mixture has stopped bubbling, pour in 1 cup of milk, that's been heated just to boiling, all at once.
• Beat vigorously with a whip until blended.
• Beat in 1/2 teaspoon of coarse salt, 1/8 teaspoon of freshly ground pepper, a pinch of cayenne pepper and a pinch of nutmeg.
• Return over moderately high heat and boil, stirring with the whip, for 1 minute. Sauce will be very thick.
• Remove the sauce from the heat.
• If you haven't done so already, immediately start to separate 5 eggs.
• Drop the whites into a bowl, add 4 yolks into the center of the hot sauce and beat in well, one at a time.
• Note, ONLY 4 YOLKS in the sauce, but save 5 WHITES! Adjust seasonings at this point.
• Add your egg whites to a clean mixing bowl with a pinch of salt and beat until stiff.
• Stir a big spoonful of the beaten whites into the sauce.
• Stir in 1 cup (minus 1 tablespoon) of grated Swiss cheese.
• Delicately fold in the rest of the egg whites. Be careful not to over-fold! This is a very important step!
• Turn the souffle mixture into the prepared mold, which should be almost 3/4 full. Tap bottom of mold lightly on the table, and smooth the surface of the souffle with the flat of a knife.
• Sprinkle the reserved tablespoon of Swiss cheese on top.
• Set on a rack in the middle of a preheated 400 degree oven and immediately turn the heat down to 375 (DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN DOOR FOR 20 MINUTES!).
• In 25-30 minutes the souffle will have puffed about 2 inches over the rim of the mold, and the top will be nicely browned.
• Bake 4-5 more minutes to firm it up, then serve at once.
• A well baked souffle will stay puffed for about 5 minutes in the turned off hot oven. As it cools, it begins to sink. Therefore, there should be no lingering when a souffle is to be eaten.
• To serve a souffle, puncture the top lightly with a serving spoon and fork--held vertically--and spread it apart for each serving!
• Bon Appetite!