Recipe: Some Souffle Tips

Hi almost-neighbor Errol. I was watching your request for souffle tips in hopes that someone with first-hand knowledge would reply. I cannot speak from experience.

However, I found some information on the internet that appears to be quite complete. I hope it answers your questions.

SOUFFLE TIPS

Bake a souffle in an ungreased or specially coated, straight-sided dish so the airy mixture can cling to the sides as it climbs. To coat the dish, lightly grease with butter, oil or cooking spray, then dust evenly with grated Parmesan cheese, fine dry bread crumbs or cornmeal or, for dessert souffles, cookie crumbs, finely chopped nuts or granulated sugar.

Beyond traditional souffle dishes, you can use a straight-sided casserole or saucepan - if nonstick, lightly grease and coat with crumbs. Individual souffles can be baked in custard cups or ovenproof coffee mugs. It's important, though, that the container be the right size since the souffle mixture will increase in volume two to three times. A souffle will overflow a too-small container; it won't rise well above the rim of a too-large container and will lose the lofty look that is part of its charm. Depending on your beating and folding skills and the weight of any added ingredients, a 4-egg souffle usually requires a 1 1/2- to 2-quart container, a 6-egg souffle, a 2- to 2 1/2-quart container. Fill to about 1/2 inch from the top.

If your container is a tad too small or your beating and folding skills are exceptional, you can collar the container to keep the souffle in bounds. Make a 4-inch band of triple-thickness aluminum foil long enough to go around the container and overlap 2 inches. Grease and dust the band just as you coated the dish. Wrap the band around the outside of the container with the dusted side in. Fasten with strong masking tape or string. The collar should extend at least 2 inches above the rim of the container.
As you would with all other egg white-leavened dishes, separate the eggs when they're refrigerator-cold. Using an egg separator or funnel, separate one egg at a time into a cup or small bowl, transferring each white to the mixing bowl only after it is successfully separated. Even a mere drop of yolk can hinder foam formation, as can any other form of fat. So, be sure your bowl and beaters are spotlessly clean. Use only glass or stainless steel bowls as plastic may retain a film of oil.

Let the egg whites stand at room temperature in the mixing bowl while you assemble the remaining ingredients and make the sauce. Egg whites will whip to greater volume when they've had a chance to warm slightly. Depending on the ambient temperature, about 20 minutes is adequate and no more than 30 minutes is necessary.

Since the use of copper bowls is a questionable practice, use cream of tartar or lemon juice (1/8 teaspoon or so per each 1 to 2 whites) or vinegar (1/4 teaspoon) to help stabilize the egg-white foam. As salt decreases egg-white foam stability, add it to other ingredients. Beat at high speed just until the whites are stiff but not dry and no longer slip when the bowl is tilted. If the whites are underbeaten, they won't achieve full volume. If overbeaten, the whites will form clumps of dry puffs that won't hold air well and will be difficult to incorporate in folding, and the foam will not expand properly when heated.

Strictly speaking, a true souffle is a thick bechamel (white) sauce, thickened with egg yolks and leavened by stiffly beaten whites. To accommodate today's concern with excess fat consumption, flour blended with milk gravy-style can substitute for the white sauce or, if speed of preparation is preferred, ready-made condensed cream soups can be used. Sugar sweetens dessert souffles. A souffle may also contain other pureed, shredded or finely chopped, well-drained, cooked flavoring foods.
The size of the pieces is important - large chunks of food will not only sink, they'll weigh down a souffle and hamper its rise. Flavoring foods should be cooked and well drained, if necessary, before they are folded into the souffle.

Gentle folding is the key to maintaining volume. Some cooks like to sacrifice about a quarter of the beaten egg whites to lighten the yolk mixture before adding the rest of the whites. They maintain that this pre-folding helps blend the whites with the base and makes the real folding easier. Depending on your folding skills, "lightening" the yolk mixture by forcing some of the egg whites into it may, instead, serve to push air out of those whites. Another method is to simply pour all the yolk mixture onto the beaten whites. Use a rubber spatula or spoon to gradually combine the mixtures with a downward stroke into the bowl, continuing across the bottom, up the side, and over the top of the mixture. Come up through the center every few strokes and rotate the bowl often as you fold. Fold just until there are no streaks remaining. Then, gently pour into the prepared dish.

The best souffle is one that is baked immediately but, if necessary, you can cover and refrigerate an unbaked souffle for up to 2 hours before baking. With the loss of some puff, a souffle can also be frozen for several weeks. Defrost in the refrigerator before baking as directed.

Just before baking a savory souffle, you can set the stage for a "top hat", a center rising higher than the sides, by simply circling the mixture with a spoon, table knife or narrow spatula. Sweet souffles seldom form top hats and may crack. Cover any cracks with sifted confectioners' sugar, whipped cream or a sauce.
Resist the urge to open the oven door and peek for at least the first 25 minutes of the baking time for a full-sized souffle. A cool draft or slammed door might deflate it. Though the French prefer souffles with runny centers that are spooned over portions as a sauce, for food safety, it's best to cook a souffle through and make a separate sauce, if you want one.
When baking is complete, if you've collared the container, quickly, but gently, remove the collar. Then, hurry the finished souffle to the table. It's an age-old rule that guests wait for the souffle, not the souffle for the guests! Serve by gently breaking the top crust into portions with two forks held back to back. Then, lightly spoon out, including some of the center and crust in each portion.