Weekend Souffle Trial...

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Otter

Sous Chef
Joined
Sep 1, 2004
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Having successfully completed our first turkey brining, we're going to take a whack at the intimidating souffle this coming weekend. Emile's Restaurant in San Jose used to have the absolutely greatest Grand Marnier souffle, so I'm going to try that one. Audeo is apparently going to go a similar route, and mudbug is undecided at present. I've started sniffing around my cookbooks and will be getting souffle basics from Cooking for Dummies and the specific recipe from How to Cook Everything. I've done a few souffles in the past, and they weren't total disasters, but they also weren't quite what I wanted. Additional participants and/or advisors are urged to hop in.
 
I am currently consulting Monsieur Bittman's book on zee souffle I weel preepair. Perhaps I shall consult Madame Stewart's book aussi for zee fancy-schmancy souffle. Shall it be zee sheese? or zee chocolat? Je ne sais pas.
 
I realized that I have relatives coming next weekend, so I will do mine on a weekday toward the end of the week. Maybe others can benefit from my success, or lack thereof.
 
mudbug, I love Grand Marnier souffles, but I find it overly sweet for drinking - how does your hubby drink it?
 
:shock: Grand Marnier...with a TAB chaser??? That's intimidating, Mudbug!

Okay, I'm confirming a Bread Pudding Souffle with Whiskey Sauce from my copy of the recipe collection of Commander's Palace. Since my success rate at souffles has been about 1 out of 1,000, I'm not holding much hope. However, I see the potential for happy accidents everywhere, since I LOVE bread pudding. And I'll only be using half of the bread pudding anyway!
 
That GM/Tab chaser thing grossed me out too - eeeewwww! It's 25 degrees here right now, so I'm going to do some reading and make sure that I have all the necessary ingredients and paraphenalia ready to go.
 
Otter, I have made a Raspberry Souffle (Tyler's recipe) with great results everytime.

It turns out light and fluffy and rises perfectly well.

I guess follow the advice of the souffle recipes or books. Chill the bowl that you use to beat your egg whites. Use the folding technique as indicated as well as the buttering and sugaring technique in the souffle cups.

I serve mine with some whipped cream that is lightly sweetened and flavored with orange extract, you can use liquor as well.

Goodluck I was rather intimidated by it until I dived in and found that's it's easy if you follow the science of baking rather than treat it as a cooking recipe that you can modify.
 
Thanks, Yakuta, cooking has never been too difficult for me, but baking has been an entirely different story. I've finished my reading and think I may have a couple of ways I can improve. First, cream of tartar was listed as optional for beating the egg whites and I didn't have any, so I didn't use it. Second, Joy of Cooking says if you are using a liqueur that you should add extra egg yolks or the mixture will be too thin. Third, since I was reading as I went, I don't think I got them in the oven fast enough.
 
Gulp....I went to the Source. Mastering the Art of French Cooking, by the immortal Julia. I will attempt the chocolate souffle - that way if it turns out lousy the kids will eat it anyway Saturday night.

Now, what am I gonna eat while I drink the red wine and watch the debate tonight?

p.s. Audeo, can't wait to hear how the BP souffle turns out. I love bread pudding, always have, but the people I live with won't hear of it. What is WRONG with them??!!
 
I did mine last night and it came out the best that it ever has. It rose nicely above the ramekins, had a beautiful exterior color and the inside was done just right. I attribute this to the three considerations I mentioned in an earlier post.
 
Congrats on reaching the finish line first, Otter, with rewarding results! I am going to re-read Julia's instructions again today before I do anything. Likely won't begin mine until Sunday.
 
Well, after significant delays, I'm finally on the road to completing my entry here today. I made bread pudding yesterday, which turned out fantastic (gosh, I love that stuff!). Then I left for the airport to pick up Wonderful Husband. When we returned an hour later, youngest son and four pals had discovered the bread pudding and were enjoying themselves immensely!

With all gratitude to the Fates, I had made a large batch (13x9 dish) and half of it remains. That will be plenty to make the souffle later today. At this moment, the bread pudding rests safely within a tupperware container hidden in a vegetable crisper beneath a package of portabella mushrooms and behind a bag of fresh green beans......
 
Unfortunately, my souffle is still in the cookbook as a recipe. Worked late last night and came home to the still-going-on slumber party with about a dozen girls. Now it's Sunday afternoon and three of them Still Have Not Left.

I need no distractions once I start, so I am waiting until I have the house to myself again. Husband cannot monitor girls because he is out at a gun show as his reward for playing chaperone for the party.

Audeo, wish your sons were my kids. Nobody here likes bread pudding except me!
 
Well...finally....

I can now report completion with surprisingly good results. After hiding the remaining bread pudding from the family, I finished making the souffle for early dinner's dessert last night. The greatest reason for my success I attribute to Yakuta's post wherein she said to approach souffles with its science, and not as a cooking recipe that can be altered. Hmmm...made me think. So I followed the recipe almost to a tee. My deviation was in the egg whites (I used 7 jumbo egg whites, instead of the 9 medium egg whites called for in the recipe) and I'm certain that I ended up with more meringue than originally designed...a happy accident I feel in light of the weight of my bread pudding. Anyway, the end result was a successful souffle (no collapse this time!) that was sincerely delicious in flavor...definately "bread pudding", but light as air. The recipe, which I will post below if anyone is interested, is definately one you will not want to do in a rush, but I recommend it to Mudbug, sans family, and others who enjoy bread pudding. Would I make it again? Perhaps, due to no fault of the recipe, but I just dearly love bread pudding cooked with about a 3" thick meringue on top and served with a bourbon sauce. In the future, I think I will take a spin at chocolate souffle, cheese souffle, etc. and leave bread pudding alone. But it was really good.....

KitchenElf will be pleased that I found a link to the recipe online, instead of retyping that which is found in my cookbook. Both are identical:

http://www.commanderspalace.com/new_orleans/recipes_1.php

PS: Mudbug, right now, I'm unwilling to relinquish the boys. However, check back on Thursday: If I don't have some volunteers post haste to help me cut down a fallen willow in the back yard, they'll be up for sale
REAL cheap! You'll rarely have a leftover-cluttered fridge again!
 
Congrats, Audeo. I have to agree with you that success with souffles requires strict attention to detail. I'm also going to try chocolate and cheese in the future.
 
Mudbug, haven't heard from you. I heard a rumor yours didn't come out so well, you fed it to the dog, and you had to take him to the vet. :roll:
 
nyuk nyuk nyuk, Otter. Watch out, or I'll name a fragrance after you!

Have to confess that I spent my free time today shilly shallying around on this board instead of making a souffle. I'm gonna get to it - probably next weekend now. I have to work for the next four days in a row. Talk about yer hardship....
 
Audeo & mudbug -
I'm right there with you on the bread pudding. I'm the only one who likes it! Ack!
did either of you ever see my posting on Banana Bread Pudding? It's fabulous with vanilla creme sauce on top!
 
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