Souffles Without the Fear

Like Parisians, souffles have a reputation for being fussy. “Why bother?” I had always thought until I recently faced a Friday night with time for cooking but an all-but-barren fridge. A trip to the store would have sapped all my creative energy, so I looked again at the lonely egg carton.

I recalled a brief conversation I once had with a chef I worked for. “I love making souffles,” he said. “They seem hard, but they’re so easy.”

But could a chef be trusted in matters of home cooking? When I found half a yellow onion, a semi-dry hunk of Parmesan and a box of frozen spinach, I decided, “Souffle, it’s what’s for dinner.”

I went straight for Julia Child’s “Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume I” and opened a bottle of Chardonnay to drink while studying it. According to the formula on page 163, my meager supplies could be transformed into a six- or eight-cup souffle. And it could be made with just about anything from grated cheese to canned crabmeat to winter greens or mushrooms.

Thus deconstructed, I realized that souffle is just a pantry dish with airs. Forget casseroles--this is a weekend way to use up leftovers.

Baked souffles, whether they’re for dinner or dessert, are made from three basic parts: the base (which is usually a thick cream sauce combined with egg yolks), the main flavor ingredient and whipped egg whites. It’s a three-step procedure, more mechanics than culinary artistry. And it only requires one pan, one bowl and a glass or porcelain baking dish.

I dutifully separated the requisite number of eggs and relaxed into the lock-step progression of cooking the roux: melting the butter, adding the flour and cooking it until it smelled nutty, adding the liquid and simmering it until thick. I stirred in the cooked spinach (I’d improvised a bit, cooking it with garlic, crushed red pepper and a splash of wine) and the egg yolks. I beat the whites and stirred some of them into the base to lighten it, then gently folded in the rest.

For all my trepidation, souffles really are nearly foolproof. I should know: I once accidentally mistook a cookie batter for a dessert souffle base. After I folded in the whipped egg whites, I held my breath as the individual souffles went into the oven. Surprise! They rose beautifully.

The thing my near-disaster proved is that the magic of the souffle is in the egg whites. Whipped to soft, droopy peaks, their air cells expand in the hot oven and raise the souffle like a spring shoot emerging from the ground--no parchment paper collar required.

Many souffles don’t even require a white sauce, just something thick to use as a base. In fact, most dessert souffles are made this way--thick melted chocolate will work just fine; so will something as simple as melted jam.

Once the souffle was safely baking, I turned on the oven light and stood back with my glass of wine to watch the show. Soon, it began a steady rise, climbing the sides of the baking dish on a coating of grated cheese and growing a beautifully caramelized crown.

I ended up undercooking my spinach souffle slightly, so I just sent it straight back into the oven. And once it was done there was no need for panic. Though it started to sink as soon as I served it, the souffle stayed unctuous and light, singing the clean flavor of spinach, even when we went back for seconds.

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Spinach Souffle

Active Work Time: 25 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 1 hour * Vegetarian

Adapted from “Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume I” by Julia Child (Knopf, 1961).

3 1/2 tablespoons (about 1/2 stick) butter, plus more for preparing dish

1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan or bread crumbs, divided

3 1/2 tablespoons flour

1 1/2 cups milk

6 egg yolks

Salt, pepper

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

1 to 2 cups cooked spinach or Swiss chard

7 egg whites

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Butter a 2 1/2-quart capacity, straight-sided baking dish and coat lightly but evenly with 2 tablespoons of the cheese or bread crumbs.

Melt the butter in a saucepan over moderate heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring, until the roux smells nutty but before it browns, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the milk and continue whisking until the sauce is as thick as paste. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the yolks one at a time. Season the souffle base with salt, pepper and the nutmeg. Generously season the spinach or chard and stir it into the souffle base with the remaining cheese or bread crumbs.

Add a dash of salt to the egg whites and beat them in a standing mixer with the whisk attachment until they are glossy and form supple peaks, about 4 minutes. Stir half of the egg whites into the souffle base mixture, then gently fold in the remaining egg whites. Pour the batter into the prepared dish, smoothing the top.

Place the dish on the middle rack and immediately turn the temperature down to 375 degrees. Bake the souffle without disturbing until it is puffed and the top is golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes.

6 servings. Each serving: 243 calories; 408 mg sodium; 245 mg cholesterol; 17 grams fat; 9 grams saturated fat; 9 grams carbohydrates; 14 grams protein; 1.22 grams fiber.

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Goat Cheese Souffle

Active Work Time: 25 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 2 hours * Vegetarian

This classic California souffle is adapted from Alice Waters’ “The Chez Panisse Menu Cookbook” (Random House, 1982).

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for preparing dish

5 tablespoons flour

1 1/2 cups half-and-half

1 cup whipping cream

Salt

Grated nutmeg

Black pepper

5 egg yolks

6 ounces crumbled strong-flavored goat cheese

Cayenne pepper

1 cup egg whites (from about 8 eggs)

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

Melt the butter in a saucepan and whisk in the flour. Cook them gently for 5 to 8 minutes. In a separate small pan, scald the half-and-half and whipping cream. Remove the roux from the heat and cool slightly before whisking in the scalded creams. Transfer the sauce to a double boiler and season it lightly with salt, a dash of nutmeg and black pepper. Cover and cook slowly for about 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Allow to cool slightly before adding the rest of the ingredients.

Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Generously butter a 12-inch oval casserole or 6 (6-inch) shallow gratin dishes.

Stir the egg yolks into the sauce, then add the goat cheese; season with a dash of cayenne. Put the remaining 2 ounces of crumbled cheese on top of the mixture and sprinkle with black pepper.

Beat the egg whites until stiff and fold into the cheese mixture. The mixture should be fairly loose, but not runny. Pour the souffle mixture gently into the casserole or gratin dishes. Sprinkle the dried thyme lightly over the top and bake on the top shelf of the oven until the top and sides are well-browned and the inside warm and creamy, 15 to 17 minutes.

8 servings. Each serving: 394 calories; 238 mg sodium; 424 mg cholesterol; 34 grams fat; 19 grams saturated fat; 8 grams carbohydrates; 15 grams protein; 0.19 gram fiber.

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Cheese Grits Souffle

Active Work Time: 15 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 1 hour * Vegetarian

Any reasonably thick mixture can be used as a base for a souffle as demonstrated by this recipe from “Nathalie Dupree’s Southern Memories” (Clarkson Potter, 1993).

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, cut into 6 chunks, plus more for preparing dish

1 cup grits, cooked in milk according to package

directions

1 pound sharp Cheddar cheese, grated

1/2 teaspoon mace

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

pepper

6 eggs, separated

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Generously butter a 13x9-inch baking dish.

Place the hot grits in a mixing bowl and stir in the cheese, butter, mace, salt and cayenne pepper. Cool slightly.

In a small bowl, lightly beat the egg yolks. Stir a little of the grits mixture into the yolks to heat them slightly, then add to the grits mixture and combine thoroughly. Let cool to room temperature.

Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form and fold them into the cheese grits. Pour into the dish and bake until the souffle is puffed and lightly browned, 40 to 45 minutes.

10 to 12 servings. Each of 12 servings: 240 calories; 457 mg sodium; 156 mg cholesterol; 20 grams fat; 12 grams saturated fat; 3 grams carbohydrates; 11 grams protein; 0.07 gram fiber.

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Chocolate Souffle

Active Work Time: Total Preparation Time:

This classic recipe is from Marion Cunningham.

2 tablespoons butter, plus more for preparing dish

1 1/2 ounces unsweetened chocolate

5 tablespoons sugar, divided

2 tablespoons hot water

2 tablespoons flour

1/8 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup milk

3 eggs, separated

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Butter a 11/2-quart souffle dish and sprinkle with sugar.

Melt the chocolate with 2 tablespoons of the sugar and the hot water in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate is smooth. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Melt the butter in a skillet. Add the flour and salt and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, 2 to 3 minutes. Gradually stir in the milk and bring just to a boil, stirring constantly. The sauce should be smooth and thick. Blend in the chocolate mixture.

Beat the egg yolks slightly. Stir 1 to 2 tablespoons of the hot chocolate sauce into the yolks, then add the yolk mixture to the sauce in the skillet. Stir well, remove from the heat and set aside to cool.

Beat the egg whites until foamy. Gradually add the remaining 3 tablespoons of sugar and continue beating until the whites are stiff but not dry. Stir 1/4 of the whites into the chocolate mixture, then fold in the remaining whites. Stir in the vanilla.

Spoon into the souffle dish. Bake until the souffle is very puffed, 35 to 40 minutes.

6 servings. Each serving: 179 calories; 135 mg sodium; 118 mg cholesterol; 11 grams fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 16 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams protein; 1.16 grams fiber.