Souffle Recipes

Here are some souffle recipes, both sweet and savory along with some handy tips for souffle success. Souffle means breath in French, and that's just what you want to give your souffles. A little breath of air.

Cheese Souffle Recipe

This classic souffle can be made with any number of cheeses, including blue cheese for something a bit different. Pumpkin Souffle

This sweet squash dessert is warm, light and lovely. You could make it with canned pumpkin puree, but the instructions for making your own squash purees are included as well.

Tips for Souffle Recipes

Souffles present little difficulty for the average home cook despite their mystic. Here are a few tips to guarantee success.

Work with warm whites. Crack and separate the eggs into two bowls, then let the eggs come to room temperature for at least 20 minutes. Cold egg whites don't whip well.

Avoid fat. In order to incorporate air, egg whites should have no trace of fat. It is essential that the egg whites go into a very clean bowl and that they contain absolutely no yolk. Also to avoid getting any oil from your hands, it is best to use the shell to shell method of separation.

Use a metal bowl. Beat the egg whites in a metal cul-de-poule mixing bowl for best results. This sort of bowl gives the whites something to cling to as they rise. They should increase their volume by 7 or 8 times.

Use an electric whisk. You can use an old-fashioned whisk, but for lazy cooks (which I shall ever be), nothing beats a a hand mixer with whisk attachment.

Learn to fold. And the only way to learn is to fold. Lighten the batter portion of your recipe by mixing in a good cup or so of egg whites before beginning the folding process. Then place the egg whites on top of the lightened batter. Cut through the egg whites with the edge of a rubber spatula and all the way to the bottom of the bowl. Then scrap up the batter from the bottom and fold it onto the top. Give the bowl a slight turn and repeat the process: cut, fold, turn. Don't overdo folding - it should only take a minute or so to achieve a very light, yet blended batter. Practice definitely makes perfect.

Preheat. Preheat your oven to the correct temperature. If a souffle is subjected to changes in temperature during baking, it will fall immediately and irrevocably, which is also the reason for the next, well known tip.

No peeking. Don't open the oven door until you are ready to take the souffle out. This takes a leap of faith that the recipe and your oven are not going to let you down, but it really is the golden rule of souffle making.

Serve immediately. Serve your souffle immediately upon removing it from the oven. Let your diners know in advance so that they are all perched at the table and ready. That way they'll get to see your masterpiece before it falls, which will take about five minutes. A tasty reminder of the evanescence of all things.

Try something different. For an impressive and fun change, try making your souffles in individual souffle dishes.

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