Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Whip it good
Eggs are versatile, inexpensive, easily accessible, and magic happens when they meet a whisk
Eggs truly are incredible. They are quite possibly the most versatile ingredient in a cook or baker’s repository.
They’re inexpensive and easily accessible.
They are complete proteins (they contain all nine essential amino acids).
They can be the star of the plate or key players behind the scenes.
They’re delicious alone with only a sprinkle of salt and pepper, but combined with other ingredients they’re seemingly magical.
They add lift to cakes and pastries. Silkiness to custards and puddings. Loft to mousse. They can be firm and dense or light as air. On our tongues, they can be rich and indulgent or hardly there.
Together they bind, enrich, fortify, moisten, emulsify, thicken and shine.
Separate they seem to defy the laws of physics — egg yolks turn from sunny orange to a whisper of yellow with a little work of a whisk. And the whites! They whip to ethereal heights increasing in volume six to eight times.
To see just how high, check out our recipes below.
EGG TIPS
■ Eggs are easiest to separate straight from the fridge, but egg whites will whip faster if allowed to come to room temperature before whipping.
■ Avoid over-whipping. Egg whites that are whipped past firm peaks will breakdown and become weepy and may curdle. To help guard against over-whipping, add a bit of cream of tartar (1/8 teaspoon per egg white), a splash of lemon juice or use a copper bowl.
■ Older eggs will not whip as high as fresher eggs. Adding cream of tartar can help give old eggs more loft.
■ Most recipes use the following terms to describe how whipped egg whites should be: foamy, soft peaks, firm peaks, stiff peaks and dry peaks. Foamy refers to egg whites that have begun to thicken and are creamy and opaque; soft peaks are supple and pliable, but fold over when the beater or whisk is lifted; firm peaks hold their point; stiff peaks hold their point and have a glossy sheen; dry peaks are clumpy and liquid may be visible in the bowl.
■ Whisking by hand using a balloon whisk is the best way to avoid overwhipping as you’ll be able to better feel each stage. If you can’t whisk by hand, use a hand-held mixer rather than a stand mixer.
■ Egg whites and egg yolks coagulate (cook) at different temperatures,
which explains not only why eggs can be tricky to get right, but also why they’re so versatile. Egg whites begin to firm up at 140 to 150 degrees, while egg yolks begin to thicken at about 150 degrees.
■ Egg whites can be frozen, defrosted and used in any recipe calling for egg whites. What do do with all those leftover yolks? See today’s Front Burner for storage tips and a recipe.
Sources: Keys to Good Cooking by Harold McGee, Cooking for Geeks by Jeff Potter, Ideas in Food by Aki Kamozawa and H. Alexander Talbot and Culinary Reactions by Simon Quellen Field.
All of the following recipes were tested using large supermarket eggs. If you are using smaller unsized farmers market or home harvested eggs, you may need to add an extra egg or two.
Souffles are not difficult to make, they are difficult to serve. The actual baking of souffle isn’t anymore complicated than baking a cake from scratch — the challenge lies in our expectations. Fresh from the oven a souffle is tall, feather-light and regal looking, but within minutes most souffles begin to fall. So if your aim is to impress diners with how a dish looks rather than how it tastes, then yes, souffles can be difficult. Leaving them in the oven for an extra minute or two will buy you a little more time.
But souffle in its natural state, which just happens to appear a little crestfallen, tastes just as delicious as a lofty one.
And chilled leftover souffles makes a delicious, if a little indulgent, breakfast.
Gran Gala Souffle
2 cups milk ½ vanilla bean 6 eggs, separated 7 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided use, plus more for coating dishes 4 tablespoons PLUS 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour, sifted
Butter, for greasing dishes 2 ounces Gran Gala or other orange liqueur such as Grand Marnier or Cointreau Pinch cream of tartar Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting
To make the pastry cream: Place the milk in a small saucepan. Using a sharp knife, cut the vanilla bean in half, lengthwise and scrape out the tiny seeds. Add the seeds and the bean pod to the milk. Heat mixture to just boiling, stirring occasionally.
In a medium bowl, whip 4 of the egg yolks (save the remaining yolks for another use) with 6 tablespoons of the sugar with a wire whisk until mixture is pale, thick and “ribbony” — when the whisk is lifted, the mixture will stream off and lay on the surface for a second before dissolving back into the bowl. Whisk in the flour. Remove the vanilla bean pod pieces from the hot milk. Whisking constantly, slowly pour the hot milk into the yolk mixture. Pour the milk-yolk mixture into the saucepan and cook, whisking constantly, until mixture thickens slightly. Return mixture to the bowl and cool to room temperature or cover with plastic wrap, pressing the film to the surface and refrigerate up to 4 days.
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Generously coat 4 to 6 (4-inch) ramekins or souffle dishes with butter and then coat with sugar.
Whisk the Gran Gala into the pastry cream; set aside.
In a large bowl, beat all of the egg whites with a pinch of cream of tartar until foamy. Add the the remaining sugar and continue beating to medium soft peaks. Stir one-third of the beaten egg whites into the Gran Gala pastry cream mixture to lighten. Using a rubber spatula, fold the lightened pastry cream into the egg whites, mixing thoroughly but gently.
Divide the mixture among the prepared ramekins, filling each all the way to the top. Using an offset spatula, smooth the tops and run the tip of the spatula around the edge of the souffle batter so it does not touch the rim of the ramekin.
Place ramekins on the hot baking sheet and bake 12 to 15 minutes. Remove souffles from oven, dust with confectioners’ sugar and serve immediately.
Makes 4 to 6 servings. Recipe adapted from So French So Sweet by Gabriel Gate
Chocolate Souffles
1 ½ cups whole milk 9 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided use, plus more for dusting
1 teaspoon vanilla extract Pinch salt
9 eggs, separated 3 tablespoons all-purpose
flour
Softened butter, for coating
dishes
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted (can use Dutch process or natural)
4 ½ ounces finely chopped bittersweet chocolate (70 percent cacao) Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting
To make the pastry cream: In a small saucepan over medium low heat, combine the milk, 4 tablespoons of the sugar, the vanilla and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar, until mixture is steaming and bubbles begin to appear around the edges.
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whip 4 of the egg yolks (save the remaining yolks for another use) with 2 tablespoons of the sugar with a wire whisk until mixture is pale, thick and “ribbony” — when the whisk is lifted, the mixture will stream off and lay on the surface for a second before dissolving back into the bowl. Whisk in the flour. Slowly pour the hot milk into the yolk mixture, whisking constantly. Pour the milk-yolk mixture into the saucepan and cook, whisking constantly, until mixture thickens a bit. Pour mixture into the bowl and set aside to cool slightly.
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Generously coat 4 to 6 (4-inch) ramekins or souffle dishes with butter and then coat with sugar.
Measure 1 ½ cups of the pastry cream into a medium bowl (reserve remaining pastry cream for another use, such as a topping for fresh fruit or in a parfait or trifle). Stir in the cocoa powder and chopped chocolate.
In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until frothy. Gradually add the remaining 3 tablespoons sugar and continue beating until mixture forms soft peaks. Stir one-third of the beaten egg whites into the chocolate pastry cream mixture to lighten. Using a rubber spatula, fold the lightened pastry cream into the egg whites, mixing thoroughly but gently.
Divide the mixture among the prepared ramekins, filling each all the way to the top. Using an offset spatula, smooth the tops and run the tip of the spatula around the edge of the souffle batter so it does not touch the rim of the ramekin.
Place ramekins on the hot baking sheet and bake 10 to 12 minutes. Remove souffles from oven, dust with confectioners’ sugar and serve immediately.
Makes 4 to 6 servings. Recipe adapted from Eggs by Michel Roux
These giant-plate filling omelets are just as impressive as traditional souffles, but much less stressful.
Souffle Omelet
3 eggs, separated
Salt
Ground black pepper OR sugar, depending on filling (see note)
1 tablespoon butter Desired fillings such as shredded cheese, chives, fresh herbs, diced avocado, diced tomatoes, spinach, sauteed mushrooms, steamed or sauteed asparagus, crumbled bacon, diced ham, fresh fruit or fruit jam.
In a large bowl, beat egg yolks with salt and ground black
pepper or sugar; set aside.
In a separate bowl, beat egg whites to firm, glossy peaks.
Add half of the beaten egg whites to yolks and stir to thoroughly combine. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in the remaining egg whites.
In an 9- to 10-inch nonstick skillet, melt butter over medium heat, until foamy. Scrape egg mixture into pan. Using a spatula, spread mixture into even, smooth circle. Cover and cook until bottom of omelet is golden brown and top is just barely set. Add desired filling, cover and cook 1 to 2 minutes more.
Carefully slide the omelet out of the pan and onto a plate, folding it over itself. Serve immediately.
Makes 1 omelet.
Note: If filling with savory ingredients add a generous grind of black pepper to the yolks. If filling with something sweet, whisk yolks with a tablespoon or two of sugar.
While it isn’t accurate to say popovers are the American version of Yorkshire puddings, the two are quite similar and closely related. The main difference being that Yorkshire pudding is traditionally made using the drippings of a roast and is sometimes baked in a single baking dish. Popovers, on the other hand, are always baked in a popover pan or muffin tin and are usually made with butter. This recipe is adapted from Zoltan Lapicz.
Yorkshire Pudding/ Popovers
2 tablespoons melted butter OR vegetable oil OR drippings from a roast 1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole milk
4 eggs (about 1 cup) ½ teaspoon salt
Heat oven to 450 degrees. Fill each well of 12 well muffin pan or 6 well popover pan with a bit of melted butter, vegetable oil or roast drippings. (Lapicz places the pan in the oven to get really hot before filling with batter.)
In a medium bowl or in a blender combine the flour, milk, eggs and salt and mix until thoroughly combined. Divide batter among the wells of the prepared pan. Bake 20 minutes. The batter will puff and rise dramatically. Serve immediately.
Makes 6 to 12 pieces.
This egg dish — popularized on Instagram a couple of years ago — makes a striking presentation. But be warned: This dish’s appeal lies in how it looks, not necessarily how it tastes. The contrast of textures — rich runny yolk and spongy (think unsweetened marshmallow) white — may be off putting to some diners.
This recipe easily doubles or halves — use one egg and one tablespoon of cheese per cloud/serving.
Cloud Eggs
2 eggs, separated Salt and ground black pepper 2 tablespoons finely grated cheese such as parmesan or white cheddar (I use a rasp grater for feather-light strands) Fresh snipped chives or green onion Toast, for serving
Heat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Separate eggs, placing egg whites into large bowl and each yolk into ramekin or small bowl.
Using electric mixer, beat eggs whites and salt until stiff peaks form. Season with salt and pepper and fold in cheese. Spoon into 2 mounds on parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Using the back of a spoon, make a well in the center of each mound.
Bake for 3 to 5 minutes or until light golden brown and set. Place egg yolk in each well. Bake for 3 minutes or until yolks are cooked to desired doneness. Sprinkle with chives and serve on toast.
Makes 2 servings.