Adding solids to a souffle

[phatch]

I made souffle again for dinner yesterday. I added some canadian bacon instead of ham as that's what I had on hand. It was sliced thinly and diced in about 1/4 inch pieces.

Which sank to the bottom of the souffle.

How small do pieces have to be to stay suspended in a souffle?

Phil

[Scarecrobot]

The best thing to do would probably mince it & fold it in with your egg whites. That way you'd have your ham or whatever solids you put in there evenly distributed through out the souffle'. If you use vegetables I'd go with a puree.

[kuan]

Yes I agree, puree is definitely the way to go if you want it to stay suspended. Make a ham puree "sauce." So, if I'm thinking correctly waht you're thinking, it would be:

Bechamel, cheese, ham, puree. Stir in half the whites, fold in the other half.

It's not going to raise as big as other souffles, probably because of the oil in the ham? Never tried it though.

[cape chef]

Originally Posted by kuan

Bechamel, cheese, ham, puree. Stir in half the whites, fold in the other half.

.

This is correct, make sure your base is hot to the touch, also, perhaps .25 of the whites whipped in, then the rest folded. Be sure your base is thick.The fat in the ham is not why it does not rise as high as lets say a grand marnier soufflé which is very light, the weight of the ham, cheese if added weights it down. I would not puree the ham, just a nice bruniose.

[phatch]

I was using a Joy of Cooking recipe as the basis of my souffle. It just said chopped small. I did use a pretty thick base. But when I poured into the cookware, I could see the Canadian Bacon sinking. It was still good even with the bacon in the bottom inch.

Next time, I'll chop it smaller.

My youngest child ran the hand mixer for beating the whites. It needed some repair when he was done as the top was starting to go dry and there was still unbeaten whites in the bottom. So my whites were probably over beaten too when I had it all mixed together. But he was helping in the kitchen and that's all for the good.

Phil

[Ma Facon]

Lightly toss the pieces in flour and shake off well. This will help with the suspension.