Hot Vanilla Souffle Recipes

Steps:

• In "Mastering the Art of French Cooking," their profoundly influential 1961 cookbook, Julia Child, Simone Beck and Louisette Bertholle describe the soufflé as the "epitome and triumph of the art of French cooking." A half-century later, soufflé remains as vital as ever, as successive generations of chefs revisit and refresh the classic recipe. A souffle has two main components, a flavorful base and glossy beaten egg whites, and they are gently folded together just before baking. The word itself comes from "souffler," meaning "to breathe" or "to puff," which is what the whites do to the base once they hit the oven's heat. The base may be made either savory or sweet. Savory soufflés usually incorporate cheese, vegetables, meat or seafood and are appropriate for a light dinner or lunch, or as a first course. They require a substantial and stable base, in the form of a cooked sauce that often involves butter, egg yolks and some kind of starch (flour, rice or cornstarch). Sweet soufflés, with fruit, chocolate or liquors, make spectacular desserts. The base can be made from a fruit purée, or a sweet, rich sauce. Soufflés are found all over France, with each region applying its own spin. In Alsace, cooks use kirsch. In Provence, goat cheese or eggplant are excellent additions. And naturally, Roquefort cheese is a popular addition in Roquefort.
• Marie-Antoine Carême, the father of French haute cuisine, is credited with perfecting and popularizing the soufflé, publishing his recipe in "Le Pâtissier Royal Parisien" in 1815. (The first recipe had appeared in 1742, in Vincent La Chapelle's "Le Cuisinier Moderne.") Initially, Carême made his soufflés in stiff pastry casings called croustades that were lined with buttered paper. Soon after, vessels were developed just for making souffles, deep dishes with straight sides, for the tallest rise. Carême went on to create several variations, including Soufflé Rothschild, named after his employer, one of the richest men in France; it contained candied fruit macerated in a liquor containing flecks of gold. (Contemporary versions substitute more attainable kirsch for the golden elixir.) As the soufflé evolved, the number of variations grew. By the time Auguste Escoffier published "Le Guide Culinaire" in 1903, which codified the classic recipes of French cuisine, more than 60 soufflé variations were in common use, with versions that incorporated ingredients as varied as Parmesan cheese, foie gras, escarole, pheasant, violets, almonds and tea. A layered soufflé called a Camargo alternated stripes of tangerine and hazelnut soufflé batters in the same dish. "Mastering the Art of French Cooking," published nearly six decades later, offered several recipes, including a version called Soufflé Vendôme, in which cold poached eggs are layered into the unbaked soufflé mixture. After baking, the eggs warm up slightly, releasing their runny yolks when the soufflé is broken. Despite a movement in France in recent years that called for a more experimental take on traditional cuisine, there is still a place for perfect soufflé. And while chefs may innovate upon the classic version, those first 18th-century recipes are still very much in use. Above, the menu at Le Soufflé, a restaurant in Paris.
• Soufflé mold The soufflé has a pan created just for it, a deep ceramic dish with straight sides. Ceramic holds the heat evenly, so the center cooks at nearly the same rate as the edges, and the sides direct the expanding air upward, to give the most rise. A heavy metal charlotte mold also works. Or use a shallow oven-safe dish, like a gratin dish or a skillet. The soufflé won't rise as high, but it will still puff up. (It will likely cook faster, so watch it carefully.)Metal mixing bowl You will achieve better results beating the whites in a metal mixing bowl rather than in a plastic, glass or ceramic bowl. Plastic can retain oily residue, and glass and ceramic are slippery, making it harder to get the whites to cling and climb up the sides. This is especially important if you are beating the whites by hand. Stainless steel or copper work best.Electric mixer Using an electric mixer, whether it is a hand-held model or a stand mixer, makes the work of beating egg whites go faster and easier than if you were to use a whisk and your arms. Wirecutter, a product recommendations website owned by The New York Times Company, has a guide to the best stand mixers.
• A chocolate soufflé is an eternal showstopper of a dessert. The flavor is dark and intense, yet the texture is light and custardy. Be sure to use excellent bittersweet chocolate. For maximum drama, always serve a soufflé straight from the oven.
• The primary technique for making a tall and airy soufflé is the proper beating of the egg whites. Once you learn it, a whole fluffy world opens up, rich with spongecakes, mousses and foams.• Always use eggs at room temperature or even warm, for the highest rise. Cold egg whites won't beat up as loftily. To get cold eggs to temperature quickly, soak them in their shells in warm water for 20 minutes. • Make sure your hands are clean. If there is any trace of oil or grease on them and you touch the egg whites, the soufflé may not puff. • Crack your eggs on a flat surface, like the countertop, instead of on the rim of the bowl. That way, you are less likely to shatter the shell and pierce the yolk. • There are two ways to separate eggs. The first is to hold the cracked egg over a bowl and pass the yolk between shells, letting the white slip into the bowl. Gently drop the yolk in into a separate, smaller bowl. Take care: The sharp edge of the shell can easily pierce the yolk, allowing it to seep into the white. The other method requires you to strain the whites through your fingers, but it ensures that yolks do not creep into the whites. First, set up three bowls. Hold your hand over one bowl and drop the cracked egg into your palm, letting the white run through your fingers into the bowl. Drop the yolk into the second bowl. Inspect the white for traces of yolk. If there are none, slip the white into the third bowl. Repeat with remaining eggs. Using that first bowl as a way station for each freshly cracked white before it gets added to the main bowl of pristine whites helps ensure no yolk contaminates the mixture.• Well-beaten, stable whites are the key to a gorgeously puffy soufflé. So don't rush this step. The slower you go, the better your chances for success. • Take a moment to make sure there are no traces of yolk or any fat in the egg whites or the bowl. (Egg yolk will impede the whites from frothing.) • Adding a little bit of acid (in our recipes, cream of tartar) helps stabilize the egg foam, and also helps prevent overbeating. Beating the whites in a copper bowl will produce a similar result without the added acid, which is why copper bowls were historically considered essential for making meringues. • If you are using a stand mixer, check the bottom of the bowl every now and then for unbeaten egg whites. Sometimes the whites pool there, and when you go to incorporate the meringue into the base, those whites will deflate the overall soufflé. Whisk any pooled whites by hand into the rest of the meringue and continue beating with the machine. • Beat until the meringue is just able to hold stiff peaks. This means that when you lift the whisk out of the meringue, it will create a little cowlick that stays upright without drooping as you gently move the whisk. It should look glossy, or be just starting to lose its shine. Don't overbeat (which will make the foam turn grainy and dry) or underbeat (which won't give the proper lift). If you overbeat your whites, you might be able to rescue them by beating in another egg white. This often restores them.• The goal in folding the egg whites into the base is to work quickly and use a light touch. This lightens the base, making it easier to fold in the rest of the meringue mixture all at once. Fold in a C shape, as demonstrated in the video above: Starting in the middle of the bowl, drag the thin edge of a spatula down like a knife, then tilt and scoop up a spatula full of the soufflé base, making sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl. Turn the batter over, away from your body, back into the middle of the bowl. Shift the bowl 45 degrees, and repeat. • Stop folding when the streaks of white have just disappeared - or rather, when they have almost disappeared. A few white streaks are preferable to overfolding, which deflates the batter.• Buttering the soufflé dish, then coating the butter with something with a bit of texture, is essential for the rise. If the soufflé dish were to be just buttered, the soufflé would slip down the sides instead of climbing. An additional thin coating of granulated sugar, bread crumbs, ground nuts or grated cheese creates a rough texture for the egg whites to hold onto as they rise.• If your soufflé dish isn't big enough to accommodate all of the batter, you can extend it by tying a buttered piece of parchment paper or foil around the rim of the soufflé dish to increase its volume.• For individual soufflés, use small ramekins placed on a rimmed baking sheet so they are easy to get in and out of the oven. Reduce the cooking time of a larger soufflé by about half.• Heat matters. Make sure the oven is preheated; that initial hot blast expands the air trapped inside the bubbly foam of batter, which makes it rise. Having the soufflé base hot or warm when you fold in the egg whites helps the temperature rise quickly, too.• Baking the soufflé on a preheated baking sheet on the bottom of the oven helps the soufflé cook on the bottom as well as the top, producing a more even result. The baking sheet will also catch any overflow.• For a higher rise, rub your thumb around the inside rim of the soufflé dish to create a gap between the dish and the batter. (Many soufflé dishes already have a groove there to help.) • If you want a perfectly flat top to your soufflé, level the foam with the back of a knife before baking, and before running your thumb around the edge of the dish. Or you could leave the foam as it is, for a more natural, wavy look. Julia Child preferred a natural top; pastry chefs tend to prefer a flat top. • 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. (Chocolate soufflés can also be intentionally underbaked for a gooey chocolate interior. The soufflé should be a tad wiggly when gently shaken but firm around the edges.) Thicker soufflés made with flour, like a cheese soufflé, don't rise as much in the oven, but won't collapse as much either. • Use the window of your oven to monitor the soufflé, and don't open the oven door until you see the soufflé puff up over the sides of the dish. Once it has done that, you can safely open the oven and check on it. • If the top of your soufflé starts to brown too fast, top it with a round of parchment paper. • All soufflés fall within minutes of coming out of the oven, because the hot air bubbles contract when they hit cooler air. That's why you need to serve them immediately after baking. But as long as you don't overfold the whites, and you resist opening the oven door until the last few minutes of baking, your soufflé will rise gloriously before the dramatic and expected collapse. • You can prepare any soufflé batter ahead, but you will probably lose some volume. Assemble the soufflé in its dish, then set it aside in a warm place without drafts for up to four hours. Julia Child recommends turning your largest soup pot over the soufflé, and that would work. But any draft-free space is fine. A draft could deflate the foam.
• This savory soufflé is as classic as can be, with beaten egg whites folded into a rich cheese-laden béchamel for flavor and stability. Gruyère is the traditional cheese used for soufflé, but a good aged Cheddar would also work nicely. This makes a great lunch or brunch dish.
• Once you've mastered more basic soufflés, try this very light recipe, adapted from Julia Child, which uses a base of syrupy fruit to flavor the egg whites, without the addition of fats or starches. A combination of raspberries and strawberries makes it marvelously pink.
• Savory soufflés are usually served by themselves, but sweet soufflés often have a sauce on the side, to be poured into the center of the soufflé after you've dug in your spoon. Or opt for ice cream, which provides a thrilling hot-cold contrast. Either will deflate the soufflé, so add it after your guests have had a chance to admire it. This creamy custard, made from egg yolks and milk, is a great sauce for any sweet soufflé, including chocolate, fruit and Grand Marnier. You can flavor the sauce with a dash of liquor, some lemon zest or a pinch of cinnamon or another spice.A versatile choice, caramel sauce is lovely with all kinds of sweet soufflés, be they flavored with simple vanilla bean, chocolate or fruit.A perfect match for fruit soufflés, this can be as simple as a lightly sweetened purée of fruit, or a more elaborate fruit-flavored custard or curd.A chocolate sauce accentuates the richness of chocolate soufflés. You can use the same type of chocolate in the sauce as you've used in the soufflé, or try mixing it up, using a darker and more bitter chocolate to cut the sweetness, or a milk chocolate to step it up.
• Photography Food styling: Alison Attenborough. Prop styling: Beverley Hyde. Additional photography: Karsten Moran for The New York Times. Additional styling: Jade Zimmerman. Video Food styling: Chris Barsch and Jade Zimmerman. Art direction: Alex Brannian. Prop styling: Catherine Pearson. Director of photography: James Herron. Camera operators: Tim Wu and Zack Sainz. Editing: Will Lloyd and Adam Saewitz. Additional editing: Meg Felling.
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• Omelet

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Brush the insides of 2 (8-ounce) ramekins with 1 tablespoon melted butter and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sugar. Place on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil.
• Melt 1 tablespoon butter and 2 teaspoons butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat; cook and stir flour in the melted butter until golden brown and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Pour in milk and cook, stirring continuously, until smooth and thick, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer to a mixing bowl.
• Stir orange zest and 1 tablespoon brandy-based orange liqueur into butter mixture until combined. Add egg yolks and 1/8 teaspoon vanilla; mix until smooth.
• Whisk egg whites in a large bowl until frothy. Slowly add half the 1/4 cup sugar and whisk until combined; add remaining sugar and continue to whisk until meringue is thick and holds it shape, but is not stiff.
• Fold half the meringue into egg yolk mixture until combined. Gently fold in second half until well mixed. Transfer to the prepared ramekins, allowing 1/4-inch of space at the top.
• Bake in the preheated oven until risen and browned, 16 minutes.

Steps:

• Put the milk in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat until steam rises, about 10 minutes. Stir in the granulated sugar to dissolve, then turn off the heat. Split the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape the seeds into the milk. Add the pod as well, cover, and steep for about 15 minutes. Remove the pod and discard. Meanwhile, use a bit of the butter to grease a 2-quart soufflé or other deep baking dish. Sprinkle the dish with granulated sugar and invert it to remove excess sugar. (Hold off on this step if you're going to delay baking the soufflés until later.)
• Put the remaining butter in another small saucepan over medium-low heat. When the foam subsides, stir in the flour and cook, stirring, until the mixture darkens, about 3 minutes. Turn the heat to low and whisk in the milk, a bit at a time, until the mixture is thick. Let cool for a few minutes, then beat in the egg yolks. (You can prepare this base a few hours in advance of baking; cover tightly and refrigerate; bring back to room temperature before continuing.)
• About an hour before you're ready to serve, preheat the oven to 375°F. Use an electric or hand mixer or whisk to beat the egg whites with the salt until quite stiff. Stir about a third into the sauce to lighten it, then fold in the remaining whites, using a rubber spatula or your hand. Transfer to the prepared dish and bake until the top is brown, the sides are firm, and the center is still quite moist, about 30 minutes. Dust with confectioners' sugar and serve immediately.
• Chocolate Soufflé
• Omit the vanilla or not, as you prefer, and add 4 ounces good bittersweet chocolate (like Valrhona, for example), chopped, to the milk as it heats, stirring so the chocolate dissolves.

Steps:

• Bloom gelatin sheets in cold water. Combine liqueur and vanilla bean seeds in a small saucepan over low heat. Once gelatin sheets have bloomed, add gelatin to the small saucepan to dissolve.
• Whip heavy cream and confectioners' sugar to soft peaks. Once the gelatin has dissolved, pour into the whipped cream and begin whisking on high speed to combine. Pour into glasses and allow to set up overnight.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Brush 4 to 6 individual souffle dishes (or a 7-cup souffle dish) well with melted butter. Put the sugar inside one dish and toss to coat, then tip the excess sugar into the next dish and repeat. Place the dishes in the refrigerator to chill.
• Reserving 1/3 cup of the milk, place the remaining 1 cup in a large saucepan. Add the vanilla bean and heat just to a boil, then turn off the heat and set aside to let the vanilla bean infuse for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk the 1/3 cup granulated sugar, the flour, and the reserved 1/3 cup milk. Add a little of the hot milk and whisk to combine, then add the flour mixture to the hot milk mixture in the saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, whisking occasionally. Simmer just until thickened, about 1 minute. Turn off the heat. Add the butter, stir, cover, and set aside 15 minutes. Remove the vanilla bean and whisk in the egg yolks.
• In a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment (or using a hand mixer), whip the egg whites in a clean dry bowl until soft peaks form. Add the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar and continue whipping until stiff and glossy. Fold into the milk mixture.
• Pour the mixture into the prepared dishes, filling them 3/4 full. Run your thumb around the inside rim of each dish, making a shallow "moat" around the edge of the batter. This will help the souffles to rise straight up. Dust the surfaces with confectioners' sugar. (The souffles can stand at this point for up to 30 minutes.) Bake in the center of the oven until puffed and light golden brown, 20 to 30 minutes. Do not open the oven door unless absolutely necessary.
• Satin Chocolate Sauce: Combine the 2 chocolates over simmering water in the top half of a double boiler. Stir constantly until melted, then whisk in the syrup and water without removing the double boiler from the heat. Whisk until smooth and shiny. (The sauce can be made up to 48 hours in advance and refrigerated. To rewarm, stir over low heat or heat in a microwave.) At the table, serve the hot souffles by poking a hole in each one and pouring chocolate sauce into the hole, then drizzling sauce over the tops. For a large souffle, spoon onto dessert plates and drizzle sauce on each serving.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400°F. Generously butter four 8-ounce or six 5-ounce soufflé ramekins. Put a couple of tablespoons of the sugar inside one ramekin and toss to coat, then tip the excess sugar into the next, and repeat until all the ramekins are sugar-coated. Place the ramekins on a rimmed baking sheet.
• In a large saucepan, add the milk and the vanilla bean and heat just to a boil over medium-high heat. Turn off the heat, cover, and set aside to let the vanilla bean infuse for 10 minutes. Remove the vanilla bean and rinse and reserve for another use.
• To make the pastry cream, in a bowl, whisk 1/4 cup of the sugar with the egg yolks until thick and light, about 1 minute. Whisk in the flour, cornstarch, and a pinch of salt. Add a little of the warm infused milk and whisk to combine. Add the remaining milk. Return the egg mixture to the saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Decrease the heat to medium and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened, 45 to 60 seconds; it will be lumpy. Remove it from the heat and whisk until smooth. Set aside.
• To beat the egg whites, in the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer fitted with the whisk, whip the egg whites with a pinch of salt on medium speed until foamy. Increase the speed to high and beat until the whites begin to form soft peaks. Slowly add the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar, beating until the whites are glossy and hold stiff peaks, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Add about a quarter of the beaten egg whites to the pastry cream mixture and stir until well mixed. Pour this mixture over the remaining whites and fold them together as lightly as possible.
• To assemble the soufflés, spoon the mixture into the prepared soufflé ramekins (the mixture should come up to the top). Smooth the tops with a metal spatula. Run your thumb around the inside of the rim of each dish, making a shallow channel around the edge of the batter. (This will help the soufflés rise up straight and tall.) Set the filled soufflé ramekins on the rimmed baking sheet.
• Bake the soufflés until risen and just set, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven. With two forks, pull open the center of each soufflé. Place a scoop of vanilla ice cream in the opening. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar and serve immediately.

Steps:

• Separate eggs; let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Coat a 2-qt. souffle dish with cooking spray and lightly sprinkle with 4 tsp. sugar; set aside., In a small saucepan, combine the cocoa, flour, salt and remaining sugar. Gradually whisk in milk. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Cook and stir 1-2 minutes longer or until thickened. Stir in butter. Transfer to a large bowl., Stir a small amount of hot mixture into egg yolks; return all to the bowl, stirring constantly. Add vanilla; cool slightly., In another large bowl, with clean beaters, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. With a spatula, stir a fourth of the egg whites into chocolate mixture until no white streaks remain. Fold in remaining egg whites until combined. , Transfer to prepared dish. Bake at 350° for 40-45 minutes or until the top is puffed and center appears set. If desired, dust with confectioners' sugar. Serve immediately.

Steps:

• Brush butter on from bottom of ramekin upwards. Coat with sugar, shake our excess.
• On medium heat, add better in saucepan until melted, then add flour, constantly stirring for 1 minute until thickens.
• Remove from heat, then add hot milk, stir, return to medium heat again until it boils and forms ribbons.
• Add salt and vanilla in the milk mixture, stir, then add egg yolk one by one, stir.
• Pour mixture into another bowl so it will not evaporate. This is béchamel sauce.
• Whisk egg whites in a separate bowl.
• Once stiff peaks appear, add in sugar, whisk until combined.
• Add the egg whites in the béchamel sauce, adding in 3 times, combining it gently.
• Spoon the batter in the ramekins using a ladle, then run them around the inside of the rim to make the soufflé rise straight.
• Bake at 200C for 12-15 minutes.

Steps:

• Coat the bottom and sides of 4 6-oz baking dishes with vegetable cooking spray; sprinkle with granulated sugar. Set aside.
• Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat; add flour, stirring until smooth. Cook flour mixture, stirring constantly, 1 minute.
• Add half and half, stirring constantly; stir in 4 tbsp sugar. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened. Remove from heat.
• Beat egg yolks until thick and pale. Gradually stir half of the hot half-and-half mixture into egg yolks; add to remaining hot mixture, stirring constantly. Cook over medium heat 2 minutes; stir in vanilla. Cool 15 to 20 minutes.
• Beat egg whites at high speed with an electric mixer until foamy. Gradually add remaining 2 tbsp sugar, beating until soft peaks form. Gradually fold egg whites into the egg yolk mixture. Spoon into prepared baking dishes.
• Bake at 350 for 25 minutes or until puffed and set. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, and serve immediately with Vanilla Creme Sauce.
• Vanilla Creme Sauce:.
• Combine 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1 cup sugar, and 2 tsp cornstarch in a heavy saucepan; gradually stir in whipping cream. Cook stirring constantly, over low heat until sugar dissolves.
• Beat 8 egg yolks until thick and pale; gradually stir about half of hot whipping cream mixture into yolks. Add to remaining hot mixture, stirring constantly.
• Cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat until thickened. Pour through a wire-mesh strainer into a small bowl, discarding lumps. Cover and refrigerate up to 3 days. Serve with Vanilla Souffles, fresh fruit, or pound cake.