Raspberry Souffle Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to a good soufflé? ›

According to La Varenne Practique (a timeless masterwork you should consider owning if learning more about classic French cooking appeals), there are only a few critical points to perfecting a souffle: a base of the right consistency, stiff egg whites, and the careful folding of the base and the beaten whites.

“The hardest part of making a soufflé is when you incorporate the beaten egg white with yolks, and the rest of the batter. You have to be very careful to fold the egg whites slowly, so that they don't melt.” “A KitchenAid is the best investment if you want to make soufflés regularly.”

Ten tips to keep your souffle high and handsome

Use eggs at room temperature to maximise your rise. Avoid super fresh eggs. Preheat your oven to 200C. A hot oven is crucial to souffle success because it cooks the outside making it hard for the hot air to escape.

The Basics

There are all kinds of soufflé, yet what they all share in common is their two constituent parts: a base made of flavored cream sauce or puree and a soft meringue made of beaten egg whites. The base of a soufflé gives it its flavor, while the meringue gives it its texture.

Floppy egg whites--tough luck, your souffle won't rise. Underbake and you'll have a soupy mess. Overbake and a once beautifully majestic souffle will collapse. Get your timing wrong--souffles have no tolerance for late-to-the-table dinner guests--and your souffle will fall.

Mustard and cayenne pepper or hot sauce add subtle flavor to the soufflé but are not absolutely necessary. Cream of tartar is not required, but it can help prevent accidentally overbeating the egg whites; if you have it, you might as well add it.

Soufflés are best when they're still slightly runny in the centre. To check if a soufflé is set, gently tap the dish – it should wobble just a little bit. If the centre seems too fluid, cook for a few more minutes.

Another way to ensure your soufflé rises is to have a pre-heated baking sheet in the oven. Cher adds, 'The idea behind this is that you have a baking sheet that's quite hot so when you place your soufflé directly on to it, the heat from the sheet helps to boost it up a bit. ' And there you have it!

If you don't have a soufflé dish or another deep casserole dish, try making your soufflé in a straight-sided saucepan. For individual soufflés, bake them in ramekins — you can divide the batter from a larger batch between each dish.

When the egg mixture is baked in a 350-degree oven, those air bubbles trapped in the egg whites expand, making the souffle rise. The heat also causes the protein to stiffen a bit, and along with the fat from the yolk, it forms a kind of scaffold that keeps the souffle from collapsing.

How to tell if a soufflé is done? ›

A soufflé is done baking when it has risen above the rim of the dish and is nicely browned on top. It should feel mostly firm and only slightly jiggly when you lightly tap the top. Flourless soufflés, such as those made with fruit purée or chocolate, are lighter and cook faster.

There's only one serious secret to the perfect soufflé and that is careful whisking of the egg whites so they keep their volume and puff to a maximum in the oven. The whites should be at room temperature and you can reckon at least one and a half per person.

Though the famously tricky to make dish requires eggs, dairy plays an important role in its success. Souffles are often prepared using butter, milk, and flour as a base mixed with egg whites. This base is important, as a souffle should be slightly runny when opened and of course, with cheese.

A souffle should have a gooey center and a puffy top like meringue. It can be savory or sweet or somewhere in between. Souffles first popped up in France back in the 18th century. I know some people think that French stuff is all fancy, but a souffle can be simple and made at home pretty easily.

The key to making a light and airy soufflé lies in the method by which the whisked egg whites are incorporated into the base mixture. This process, called ''folding'', requires gentleness and patience, as the aim is to preserve as much of the air introduced into the whites during whisking as possible.

Another way to ensure your soufflé rises is to have a pre-heated baking sheet in the oven. Cher adds, 'The idea behind this is that you have a baking sheet that's quite hot so when you place your soufflé directly on to it, the heat from the sheet helps to boost it up a bit. ' And there you have it!