I’ve never made soufflé before. I’ve certianly enjoyed it, particularly the indulgent chocolate variety. My mother used to serve us a bacon and cheese version; a reliable soufflé supper when she was out at work.
As the kitchen is slowly being boxed up, the one item we’re not short on is eggs and as I’ve not dealt with wrapping the ramekins yet, it seemed like time to overcome my fear of soufflé and get whipping.
Light and airy
Soufflé is all about air, and swift serving—this much I know. It seems to be a dish people are wary of; I guess I was too. But the method is definitely quite simple. I liked the Alice Waters mixed in with a bit of BBC approach, covering all my bases.
A lot of yolk
Once the base is made, it’s about some seriously aerated egg whites. I skipped the electric beater and went handheld this time; tiring work.
Whipped, and mixed
One recipe recommended adding an extra egg white if the final mixture wasn’t light and fluffy enough—a good cheat tip, me thinks. Since a soufflé is all about air, you need to take care to fold the whites into the base mixture as gently as possible. I spooned the mix into the lightly buttered ramekins and crossed my fingers. For the more professional look, you can run a cutlery knife around the edge to create a ‘top hat’ effect; this ensures the soufflé rises above the rim and doesn’t stick.
Pretty perfectly cooked
Final result? I was pretty chuffed: golden and puffy. Certainly homemade, but tasty and light. A perfect breakfast, which I intend to make again.
Recipe
1 tbsp flour
1oz butter
½pt milk, warmed
4 tbsp soft goats cheese
4 large egg yolks
5 large egg whites
salt and freshly ground pepper
2 sprigs of thyme
cayenne pepper
Prepare the basic mixture by stirring one generous tablespoon of flour into 1oz of butter melted in a heavy saucepan. Gradually add just under ½pt of warmed milk, stirring until your mixture is quite smooth. Let this sauce cook very gently and slowly, stirring frequently, for close on 10 minutes. Now stir in the goats cheese and the very thoroughly beaten yolks of 4 large eggs. Remove the mixture from the heat, and continue stirring for a few seconds. Now add a seasoning of salt (always to be added after the cheese) and quite a generous amount of freshly-ground pepper, plus a pinch of cayenne and the thyme leaves (omit the stalk). This basic mixture can be made well in advance.
When the time comes to make the souffle, preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas6. Have the shelf placed fairly low in the oven, and a baking sheet on the shelf. Butter your soufflé dishes.
Whisk the whites of the eggs, in a large dry and clean bowl, until they stand in peaks on the whisk and look very creamy. Tip half the whites on top of the basic mixture. With a palette knife cut them into it again, slowly rotating the bowl with your left hand, lifting rather than stirring the whole mass. Add the remainder of the whites in the same way. All this should take only a few seconds. Spoon the mixture gently into the ramekins. Put it instantly into the oven.
As to timing, it depends upon the type of both the oven and the dish. In small ramekins at 200C/400F/Gas 6 they soufflés should be done in about 10 minutes. Serve immediately.
Delicious-looking! How did you make them so light and fluffy?
Thanks, your blog is great! I’ll be back soon for more!
Arrrrghhh – everybody seems to be whipping up goat’s cheese souffles with ease lately – why am I the only one who can’t seem to get them to rise? Thank you for your comment and stopping by my blog, I’m happy because it made me find yours. Your photos are fantastic! Hanna x
@ Hanna – try the cheat and add another egg white to the mixture at the last minute. Might work!
Nicki – thanks! I’ll definitely try that out next and hopefully I’ll get to gobble up a nice souffle soon…
Souffle with goat cheese…..that sounds heavenly. They have turned out so beautiful.
Now, that is a tasty, soul satisfying souffle. Awesome. Thanks for sharing.
Velva
Well done! You can just run your finger round the top, much easier than a knife. It’s well worth checking the temperature of your oven; it makes all the difference!
These look perfect – nice work for a first attempt. Great blog.
Nice! They look amazing. I can just hear the “shhh-shhing” sound as the spoon cuts through the fluffy, eggy goodness. Mmmm…
Well done! They are beautiful, standing proudly there in their ramekins.
Thank you for your visit and kind comment. I’ve linked to your blog in my sidebar.
Happy Cooking!
Thanks @ Christine – don’t think I’ve had a sidebar link before, very exciting!
I smiled when I saw the name of your blog, because ginger and almonds are two of my favorite things. I recently made my first souffle (gruyere and spinach) and realized there’s nothing to be afraid of. Yours look wonderful.
Thank you so much for leaving a comment on my blog. Love to hear from readers, especially ones that are so far away!
What beautiful light fluffy souffles. Really wonderful!
Well done! I haven’t yet tackled that classic, but will very soon…
Cheers,
Rosa
Your soufflés look as light as air. What a great way to start the day.
Great recipe, they turned out perfect! :-)
These are gorgeous! For your first time they couldn’t be more perfect!
I love how in the midst of packing, you are busy making souffles! Totally something I would do.
They look like they turned out perfectly! Little puffs of deliciousness.
And they stood at attention long enough for the photo. Again, I’m marveling. We’ve never attempted a souffle. Plenty of eggs to attempt…