Don’t sob at a soufflé — they’re a real cinch!
They reduced Bake Off’s star baker to tears. But top food writer ROSE PRINCE shows you the trick to pure puffy perfection
UNDONE by soufflé. That is how impish Steph Blackwell’s Great British Bake Off final ended. She fluffed her twice-cooked soufflés and popped her own soaring balloon. Watching it was unbearable.
A four-times star baker who previously fashioned a fairground carousel from pastry and built a multi-layered chocolate bombe, she ended up in a lake of tears, her confidence vaporised.
Why do soufflés defeat great cooks such as Steph? There are dozens of cookery disciplines far harder to learn, yet the soufflé has acquired a reputation as the ultimate culinary landmine.
It is nonsense, really, because the truth is that soufflés are one of the most forgiving of dinner party standbys.
They are quick to make, use cupboard staples butter, flour, eggs and milk, and can be prepared a day in advance. And they are not always beyond rescue if they sink. Truly!
The twice-baked stilton soufflés that vexed the GBBO finalists are an example of this. The soufflé is baked once, then turned out and cooled. On the second baking, it puffs up to a glorious lightness once more. Or it should.
Such magic made of the most humble ingredients has fascinated chefs for centuries. The soufflé originated in France in the early 18th century, part of the trend for ‘le grande cuisine’, a form of high-tech cooking aimed to shock and delight rich and aristocratic diners. In the 1970s, it was a dinner party stalwart.
The recipe’s versatility is part of the soufflé’s on-going legend. They can be sweet or savoury. I have found soufflés made with macaroni, sea urchin — or how about pumpkin and whisky?
Soufflé works on the principle that air has to be distributed though a rich sauce (white bechamel for savoury recipes and creme patisserie for sweet) using whisked egg white foam. No matter what the flavouring ingredient is — cheese, fruit, chocolate, vegetables or fish — egg whites are the skeleton that holds it all up.
When the air in the egg white foam is heated, it expands, pushing the binding mixture naturally upwards. Once it reaches a certain temperature, the egg sets, holding the airy, creamy base in place for just the few minutes needed for it to be served — and eaten.
I tried the recipe for Paul Hollywood’s twice-baked stilton soufflés that appears on the Bake Off website. It offers few tips for success, hence the challenge faced by the finalists. It could explain, for instance, the benefit of whisking the egg whites slowly at first, then faster to reach the ideal stiff foam.
The whites are perfect when they’re shiny and stand in a peak. If grainy or dry, they are overwhisked and the soufflé is likely to collapse. Adding a pinch of salt to the egg whites will help bulk the volume of the foam. Chef Raymond Blanc swears by adding four drops of lemon juice to his egg whites to strengthen it. (A small pinch of cream of tartar will do the same, less naturally.)
Recipes tend to be vague about blending the egg white into the base mixture. The technical term is ‘folding’, meaning that to prevent losing precious air by simply stirring, use a flat palette knife in a figure of eight cutting motion, patiently and slowly, until all is incorporated. This must be done in two stages, adding one third of the egg white first, folding it in to lighten the mixture, then adding the rest with more care.
Hollywood’s twice-cooked numbers worked well in my kitchen. While all three finalists’ efforts failed to a degree, my attempt yielded six wobbly, bosomy soufflés, burnished golden as Bardot’s tan.
Steph would have done better had Hollywood included one vital ingredient to his recipe: a few ounces of calm. For cooks inspired to rise to the challenge, here is my guide to souffle success.
CLASSIC FRENCH CHEESE SOUFFLÉ
THIS is the soufflé you have to get to the table swiftly before gravity takes over. The base mixture is a bechamel. To serve four, it is made with 50g flour and 50g butter, cooked together in a saucepan. Then 300ml milk heated with a bay leaf is stirred in gradually until smooth.
Add 120g of grated cheese, choosing a type that melts to a thin, smooth cream: best are the firm French cheeses like Compté or Gruyère. Beat in three egg yolks and a tablespoon of Dijon mustard. Finally, whisk four egg whites and fold them into the cooled mixture using my tips.
I’ve had superlative results making cheese soufflé by chilling the mixture once it is in the soufflé dish or ramekins. Place a sheet of buttered greaseproof paper on the top to stop a thick skin forming. You can store for up to 24 hours before baking.
Bake at no more than 200c for 20-25 minutes (15-18 for individual soufflés); cooking too fast will see them fall quickly, too.