10-28-2013
, 03:19 AM
10-28-2013
, 08:11 AM
10-29-2013
, 02:30 PM
10-29-2013
, 04:26 PM
10-29-2013
, 06:11 PM
10-30-2013
, 04:36 AM
10-31-2013
, 12:38 AM
Quote:
"A souffle can be waited for, but it can never wait." This is an absolute rule that has become an axiom with gourmets and professionals. All guests should conform to it, showing neither impatience nor surprise. This does not, of course, mean that the cook should not take care to arrange things so that guests wait for the souffle for as little time as possible, or even, if everything is well arranged, so that they do not wait at all. We shall see further on how to manage this.
Every souffle includes two elements that are equally important: first, the base composition, which flavors it; second, the whipped and beaten egg whites, which give the souffle its characteristic lightness and are the very essence of a souffle.
The base composition varies with the type of souffle: a flavored floury mixture or a puree of fruits or vegetables; or a finely ground hash of fish meat, etc., bound with a thick bechamel sauce, which gives the souffle a moistness it would otherwise lack. Egg yolks are added for consistency, usually in a lesser amount than the whites. They can be totally left out of some souffles.
Why is it that souffles fail in most home kitchens? So many people ask, "Why do restaurant souffles expand fully and have a consistency that is both light and solid, which souffles at home do not have?"
There are several reasons for this:
First, most home kitchens do not have the right utensils to whisk the egg whites to the degree of firmness and resistance necessary. The more the whites are whisked into a snow, or neige, the greater will be the effect ( link ).
Second, the egg whites were not mixed properly. Now, however well whisked egg whites are, maladroit mixing destroys all their effects ( link ).
Third, the souffle was not cooked correctly. For a souffle, the heat of the oven plays a very important part. The souffle may have been well prepared up to that point, but if the cooking is faulty, all the trouble taken will have no effect.
Fourth, the cooking time is not closely controlled. This means that the souffle is insufficiently cooked in the center, or collapses with the first touch of the cutting spoon, allowing a liquid mass to escape; or that it is overcooked and dried and flat.
For any type of souffle, the way to prepare the egg whites and mix them in, then cook and serve the souffle is identical. So, for every recipe, refer to the same directions for these steps, except when glazing certain souffles.
The utensil: For people who are totally ignorant of kitchen manners, let us specify that the souffle can ouly be served in the utensil in which it has been cooked.
In well-equipped houses, there are metal molds for this that fit into a silver serving dish. Not only are they more convenient, but these dishes also have an infinite number of other uses. If you do not have a silver serving dish, a round dish in grooved porcelain, so often used today, works very well; and the souffles also rise in it perfectly, because the heat rapidly penetrates the sides, which are very thin.
Finally, if you do not have a special souffle dish in metal or a timbale or a porcelain dish, you can use a very deep bowl that can go into the oven. Whatever the utensil chosen, the inside must always be thoroughly buttered.
For small souffles, there are small utensils in sil-ver-plated metal or small round dishes in ribbed porcelain, both of which are very convenient; you can even use containers of ribbed paper. These containers cannot be too small: it is best to choose them with a diameter of 7 centimeters (2 3/4 inches) and a height of 3 1/2 centimeters (1 3/8 inch). They hold 1 deciliter (3 1/3 fluid ounces, scant 1/2 cup). You can arrange them on a baking sheet to put them in the oven.
To serve: Put the timbale, plate, or souffle dish on a serving plate, on top of a folded napkin or kitchen towel. Do the same for the small souffles, putting them together on 1 large plate.
For houses with long corridors to travel down to reach the dining room, there are large metal covers that you heat before covering the plate on which the souffles are standing.
To ensure that guests do not wait too long for the souffle: Calculate exactly the time needed for its preparation plus cooking, so that you know the precise moment for sending it to the table. Fillings, purees, etc. - in other words, the ingredients of the souffle base can always be prepared sufficiently in advance, because they only need to be lukewarm to mix them with the whites. This is why it is necessary to calculate exactly the time needed for the various steps: that is, 6-7 minutes to whisk the egg whites; 5-6 minutes to mix them and to dress the souffle; about 25 minutes for cooking, which gives a total of 40 minutes.
How to check when the souffle is perfectly done: To know if the souffle is perfectly cooked inside, you stick a kitchen needle into the middle. It must come out totally clean. If, on the contrary, it comes out wet and covered with egg, prolong the cooking for 2-3 minutes.
The oven and cooking the souffle: The timbale or the plate containing a souffle must always be placed directly on the very bottom of the oven, or on the hearth, never on a shelf in the middle of the oven; indeed, remove every shelf from the oven.
The heat of the oven must be a medium heat (Madame notes in the front of the book that medium is considered 350-400). And, most important, it must come from the bottom of the oven, because it is the direction of the heat, of down to up, that causes the souffle to rise.
This condition is so essential that, in small stoves where the oven heats a lot less well from the bottom than from the top, this lack of heat from the bottom has to be countered using the following method: before putting the souffle in the oven, first place the utensil containing the souffle on top of the stove. Not over high heat, but a moderate one; put a heat diffuser between the recipient and the heat. On an electric stove, put the utensil on a moderately warm burner; leave it there for 2 minutes, giving it time to thoroughly heat the bottom. The souffle will subsequently rise much more easily in the oven.
The heat coming from the top of the oven will color the souffle, but this is often too strong in small ovens.
The right time to put the souffle into the oven is not when you have checked that the oven has reached the right temperature. In fact, the oven should have reached the right temperature before you began to whisk the egg whites.
If the heat is too strong at this point, leave the oven door open for a few minutes. If it is too weak, turn up the heat. Either extreme has disadvantages. When the heat is too strong, particularly the heat from above, a crust immediately forms on the souffle, creating a barrier that prevents the heat from penetrating the inside. This means that it will cook superficially and not rise well. When the heat is too weak, the souffle languishes and risks running over the sides of the dish when it rises, because the heat is not strong enough to solidify the ingredients as the souffle rises.
If you have taken all precautions and the heat of the oven is too strong and comes from the top, then it will be necessary, as soon as the surface of the souffle solidifies, to cover it with a sheet of paper: this must be a very pure paper, cut round and covered with melted butter using a brush or feather. Put the buttered side down on the souffle. Note that many papers available today contain certain materials that, when exposed to the heat, release an odor that would mar the souffle.
NOTES. Whatever the consistency of the souffle base and the method you use for dressing it, either in a dome or a pyramid, never let it run over the sides of the utensil. You must always leave at least 2 centimeters (3/4 inch) of space between it and the top of the utensil. If the utensil is filled more than this, the first effect of the heat will be that the base swells and runs over the sides, not having the time to set; and then the souffle will lean sideways as it rises. When the utensil is not completely filled, the base is already quite firm by the time it has reached the top due to the heat, so it continues to rise without run- ning over or leaning to the side.
Sometimes, the consistency of the base is not firm enough to let it be dressed in a pyramid, the ingredients being a little moist and spreading out in the utensil. This could mean that ingredients were not properly mixed. If so, it is even more important to ensure the proper cooking conditions and that you regulate the heat of the oven. If these are well controlled, the souffle will rise just the same.
A souffle prepared in a dish requires less time to cook than a souffle made in a timbale: it spreads out over a larger surface, thus becoming thinner and less resistant to the effect of the heat of the oven. Thus, allow 18-20 minutes of cooking for a souffle, which, when prepared in a timbale, would require almost 25 minutes.
Cooking small souffles in small dishes requires only 10-14 minutes.
Every souffle includes two elements that are equally important: first, the base composition, which flavors it; second, the whipped and beaten egg whites, which give the souffle its characteristic lightness and are the very essence of a souffle.
The base composition varies with the type of souffle: a flavored floury mixture or a puree of fruits or vegetables; or a finely ground hash of fish meat, etc., bound with a thick bechamel sauce, which gives the souffle a moistness it would otherwise lack. Egg yolks are added for consistency, usually in a lesser amount than the whites. They can be totally left out of some souffles.
Why is it that souffles fail in most home kitchens? So many people ask, "Why do restaurant souffles expand fully and have a consistency that is both light and solid, which souffles at home do not have?"
There are several reasons for this:
First, most home kitchens do not have the right utensils to whisk the egg whites to the degree of firmness and resistance necessary. The more the whites are whisked into a snow, or neige, the greater will be the effect ( link ).
Second, the egg whites were not mixed properly. Now, however well whisked egg whites are, maladroit mixing destroys all their effects ( link ).
Third, the souffle was not cooked correctly. For a souffle, the heat of the oven plays a very important part. The souffle may have been well prepared up to that point, but if the cooking is faulty, all the trouble taken will have no effect.
Fourth, the cooking time is not closely controlled. This means that the souffle is insufficiently cooked in the center, or collapses with the first touch of the cutting spoon, allowing a liquid mass to escape; or that it is overcooked and dried and flat.
For any type of souffle, the way to prepare the egg whites and mix them in, then cook and serve the souffle is identical. So, for every recipe, refer to the same directions for these steps, except when glazing certain souffles.
The utensil: For people who are totally ignorant of kitchen manners, let us specify that the souffle can ouly be served in the utensil in which it has been cooked.
In well-equipped houses, there are metal molds for this that fit into a silver serving dish. Not only are they more convenient, but these dishes also have an infinite number of other uses. If you do not have a silver serving dish, a round dish in grooved porcelain, so often used today, works very well; and the souffles also rise in it perfectly, because the heat rapidly penetrates the sides, which are very thin.
Finally, if you do not have a special souffle dish in metal or a timbale or a porcelain dish, you can use a very deep bowl that can go into the oven. Whatever the utensil chosen, the inside must always be thoroughly buttered.
For small souffles, there are small utensils in sil-ver-plated metal or small round dishes in ribbed porcelain, both of which are very convenient; you can even use containers of ribbed paper. These containers cannot be too small: it is best to choose them with a diameter of 7 centimeters (2 3/4 inches) and a height of 3 1/2 centimeters (1 3/8 inch). They hold 1 deciliter (3 1/3 fluid ounces, scant 1/2 cup). You can arrange them on a baking sheet to put them in the oven.
To serve: Put the timbale, plate, or souffle dish on a serving plate, on top of a folded napkin or kitchen towel. Do the same for the small souffles, putting them together on 1 large plate.
For houses with long corridors to travel down to reach the dining room, there are large metal covers that you heat before covering the plate on which the souffles are standing.
To ensure that guests do not wait too long for the souffle: Calculate exactly the time needed for its preparation plus cooking, so that you know the precise moment for sending it to the table. Fillings, purees, etc. - in other words, the ingredients of the souffle base can always be prepared sufficiently in advance, because they only need to be lukewarm to mix them with the whites. This is why it is necessary to calculate exactly the time needed for the various steps: that is, 6-7 minutes to whisk the egg whites; 5-6 minutes to mix them and to dress the souffle; about 25 minutes for cooking, which gives a total of 40 minutes.
How to check when the souffle is perfectly done: To know if the souffle is perfectly cooked inside, you stick a kitchen needle into the middle. It must come out totally clean. If, on the contrary, it comes out wet and covered with egg, prolong the cooking for 2-3 minutes.
The oven and cooking the souffle: The timbale or the plate containing a souffle must always be placed directly on the very bottom of the oven, or on the hearth, never on a shelf in the middle of the oven; indeed, remove every shelf from the oven.
The heat of the oven must be a medium heat (Madame notes in the front of the book that medium is considered 350-400). And, most important, it must come from the bottom of the oven, because it is the direction of the heat, of down to up, that causes the souffle to rise.
This condition is so essential that, in small stoves where the oven heats a lot less well from the bottom than from the top, this lack of heat from the bottom has to be countered using the following method: before putting the souffle in the oven, first place the utensil containing the souffle on top of the stove. Not over high heat, but a moderate one; put a heat diffuser between the recipient and the heat. On an electric stove, put the utensil on a moderately warm burner; leave it there for 2 minutes, giving it time to thoroughly heat the bottom. The souffle will subsequently rise much more easily in the oven.
The heat coming from the top of the oven will color the souffle, but this is often too strong in small ovens.
The right time to put the souffle into the oven is not when you have checked that the oven has reached the right temperature. In fact, the oven should have reached the right temperature before you began to whisk the egg whites.
If the heat is too strong at this point, leave the oven door open for a few minutes. If it is too weak, turn up the heat. Either extreme has disadvantages. When the heat is too strong, particularly the heat from above, a crust immediately forms on the souffle, creating a barrier that prevents the heat from penetrating the inside. This means that it will cook superficially and not rise well. When the heat is too weak, the souffle languishes and risks running over the sides of the dish when it rises, because the heat is not strong enough to solidify the ingredients as the souffle rises.
If you have taken all precautions and the heat of the oven is too strong and comes from the top, then it will be necessary, as soon as the surface of the souffle solidifies, to cover it with a sheet of paper: this must be a very pure paper, cut round and covered with melted butter using a brush or feather. Put the buttered side down on the souffle. Note that many papers available today contain certain materials that, when exposed to the heat, release an odor that would mar the souffle.
NOTES. Whatever the consistency of the souffle base and the method you use for dressing it, either in a dome or a pyramid, never let it run over the sides of the utensil. You must always leave at least 2 centimeters (3/4 inch) of space between it and the top of the utensil. If the utensil is filled more than this, the first effect of the heat will be that the base swells and runs over the sides, not having the time to set; and then the souffle will lean sideways as it rises. When the utensil is not completely filled, the base is already quite firm by the time it has reached the top due to the heat, so it continues to rise without run- ning over or leaning to the side.
Sometimes, the consistency of the base is not firm enough to let it be dressed in a pyramid, the ingredients being a little moist and spreading out in the utensil. This could mean that ingredients were not properly mixed. If so, it is even more important to ensure the proper cooking conditions and that you regulate the heat of the oven. If these are well controlled, the souffle will rise just the same.
A souffle prepared in a dish requires less time to cook than a souffle made in a timbale: it spreads out over a larger surface, thus becoming thinner and less resistant to the effect of the heat of the oven. Thus, allow 18-20 minutes of cooking for a souffle, which, when prepared in a timbale, would require almost 25 minutes.
Cooking small souffles in small dishes requires only 10-14 minutes.
:c ool:
11-02-2013
, 05:17 AM
I'm still not clear, he needs to elaborate a little.
11-02-2013
, 05:29 AM
Last edited by John_Dory; 11-02-2013 at 05:31 AM.
Reason: Sake
