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Authors: Richard Grausman
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point; see “Preparing Soufflés for the Oven Ahead of Time,” page 264 .)
9. Bake for 5 minutes. Lower the temperature to 425°F and bake for another 5 to 7 minutes. The soufflé should rise 1½ to 2 inches above the mold and brown lightly on the top. The top of this soufflé has a tendency to crack slightly. Serve immediately.
VARIATION
S MOKED S ALMON S OUFFLE
[SOUFFLÉ AU SAUMON FUMÉ]
Substitute ¼ pound finely chopped smoked salmon (or any other smoked fish) for the ham. Omit the Madeira and mustard. Add 2 tablespoons chopped chives or dill with the fish in step 5.
B EATING E GG W HITES : The Magic of the Copper Bowl
A firmly beaten egg white is the “secret” of the success of all soufflés and many desserts; and there is no firmer egg white than the one that has been beaten by hand with a balloon whisk in an unlined copper bowl.
When egg whites are beaten in a copper bowl, the copper combines with the protein to form a polymer. Simply put, this means that the protein molecules and the copper combine to form a strong chemical chain. This allows you to beat the egg whites until they are very stiff without their breaking down.
When egg whites are not beaten in a copper bowl, a little cream of tartar should be added to the egg whites. Cream of tartar is a potassium salt. The potassium reacts with the egg whites as the copper does, although the chemical chain formed is not as strong. Nevertheless, with cream of tartar you can beat egg whites until they are stiff.
There’s no reason for you to go out and buy a copper bowl unless you have poor results with the present procedure. If you are planning to buy one, however, I recommend a 10-inch-diameter bowl. With this size bowl you can beat 3 to 9 egg whites.
A balloon whisk is used for beating egg whites. For bowls ranging in size from 10 to 14 inches, I use a 14- to 16-inch balloon whisk. Many people use large sauce whisks or smaller balloon whisks with their large copper bowls, making their task much more difficult.
Before each use, the bowl should be cleaned with a little vinegar and salt, and then rinsed out with cold water and dried.
SPINACH SOUFFLE
[SOUFFLÉ AUX EPINARDS]
This is a very light version of a spinach soufflé; if you make it with frozen spinach, it is also quick and easy. Just be sure to squeeze the spinach as dry as possible. The measurement for nutmeg here is for 2 or 3 pinches, which is difficult to measure accurately, so if in doubt, skimp; although a little nutmeg enhances the flavor of spinach, too much will overpower it. The soufflé serves two for lunch or four as a first course.
SERVES 2 OR 4
Butter and all-purpose flour, for soufflé mold 5 ounces frozen spinach, the washed, stemmed leaves from
1 pound fresh large spinach, or
8 ounces fresh baby spinach
1 cup milk
3 egg yolks
1 tablespoon water
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 to 3 pinches of freshly grated nutmeg
4 egg whites
⅛ teaspoon cream of tartar
1. Preheat the oven to 475°F with the rack set in the lowest position. Liberally butter a 4-cup soufflé mold and lightly dust with flour, tapping out any excess.
2. If using frozen spinach, cook according to package directions, then drain and refresh under cold running water. If using fresh spinach, drop the leaves into boiling water and cook 1 to 2 minutes. Drain and refresh under cold running water. Squeeze the spinach to extract as much moisture as possible, and finely chop. Set aside.
3. In a small saucepan, bring the milk to a boil over medium heat. While the milk is heating, whisk the egg yolks and water together in a small bowl. Add the 3 tablespoons flour to the yolks and blend until smooth and free of lumps.
4. Before the milk boils, stir about ¼ cup of it into the egg yolk mixture to thin it. When the remaining milk boils, add it to the egg yolk mixture and stir well.
5. Return the egg-milk mixture to the saucepan and whisk rapidly over medium-high heat,
9. Bake for 5 minutes. Lower the temperature to 425°F and bake for another 5 to 7 minutes. The soufflé should rise 1½ to 2 inches above the mold and brown lightly on the top. The top of this soufflé has a tendency to crack slightly. Serve immediately.
VARIATION
S MOKED S ALMON S OUFFLE
[SOUFFLÉ AU SAUMON FUMÉ]
Substitute ¼ pound finely chopped smoked salmon (or any other smoked fish) for the ham. Omit the Madeira and mustard. Add 2 tablespoons chopped chives or dill with the fish in step 5.
B EATING E GG W HITES : The Magic of the Copper Bowl
A firmly beaten egg white is the “secret” of the success of all soufflés and many desserts; and there is no firmer egg white than the one that has been beaten by hand with a balloon whisk in an unlined copper bowl.
When egg whites are beaten in a copper bowl, the copper combines with the protein to form a polymer. Simply put, this means that the protein molecules and the copper combine to form a strong chemical chain. This allows you to beat the egg whites until they are very stiff without their breaking down.
When egg whites are not beaten in a copper bowl, a little cream of tartar should be added to the egg whites. Cream of tartar is a potassium salt. The potassium reacts with the egg whites as the copper does, although the chemical chain formed is not as strong. Nevertheless, with cream of tartar you can beat egg whites until they are stiff.
There’s no reason for you to go out and buy a copper bowl unless you have poor results with the present procedure. If you are planning to buy one, however, I recommend a 10-inch-diameter bowl. With this size bowl you can beat 3 to 9 egg whites.
A balloon whisk is used for beating egg whites. For bowls ranging in size from 10 to 14 inches, I use a 14- to 16-inch balloon whisk. Many people use large sauce whisks or smaller balloon whisks with their large copper bowls, making their task much more difficult.
Before each use, the bowl should be cleaned with a little vinegar and salt, and then rinsed out with cold water and dried.
SPINACH SOUFFLE
[SOUFFLÉ AUX EPINARDS]
This is a very light version of a spinach soufflé; if you make it with frozen spinach, it is also quick and easy. Just be sure to squeeze the spinach as dry as possible. The measurement for nutmeg here is for 2 or 3 pinches, which is difficult to measure accurately, so if in doubt, skimp; although a little nutmeg enhances the flavor of spinach, too much will overpower it. The soufflé serves two for lunch or four as a first course.
SERVES 2 OR 4
Butter and all-purpose flour, for soufflé mold 5 ounces frozen spinach, the washed, stemmed leaves from
1 pound fresh large spinach, or
8 ounces fresh baby spinach
1 cup milk
3 egg yolks
1 tablespoon water
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 to 3 pinches of freshly grated nutmeg
4 egg whites
⅛ teaspoon cream of tartar
1. Preheat the oven to 475°F with the rack set in the lowest position. Liberally butter a 4-cup soufflé mold and lightly dust with flour, tapping out any excess.
2. If using frozen spinach, cook according to package directions, then drain and refresh under cold running water. If using fresh spinach, drop the leaves into boiling water and cook 1 to 2 minutes. Drain and refresh under cold running water. Squeeze the spinach to extract as much moisture as possible, and finely chop. Set aside.
3. In a small saucepan, bring the milk to a boil over medium heat. While the milk is heating, whisk the egg yolks and water together in a small bowl. Add the 3 tablespoons flour to the yolks and blend until smooth and free of lumps.
4. Before the milk boils, stir about ¼ cup of it into the egg yolk mixture to thin it. When the remaining milk boils, add it to the egg yolk mixture and stir well.
5. Return the egg-milk mixture to the saucepan and whisk rapidly over medium-high heat,
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