Souffles are Yuck....

Jappy · #1 08-23-2007, 06:18 PM

Dear chefs,
eversince i ever started readin about food, i've always been intrigued by this sillly dish called the souffle. french cuisine's high point...yet i find it so drab. Talk about mousses, n i'll grab them with both my arms... souffles ..eeks...
i've never had a souffle made by someone who is good at it (they arnt at all popular , especially savoury souffles, around this part of the world...india). i know the principle is pretty simple, and thanks 2 harold mc gee, the science is simple too. but the bottom line is...THEY ARE JUST TOO EGGY, and one dimensional and bland.
probably its the recipe i used for a cheese souffle...
60 ml bechemel, 2-3 egg yolks, 40 ml cream, 125 gm ricotta, 70 gm mascarpone, 15 gm parmesan, seasoning and a hint of mustard which got los in the eggs!!!
baked @ 160 centigrade.
believe me, it tasted like a slightly overdone cheese scrambled egg in a timbale mould.
are there awards 4 the worst chefs in the world???
jappy

Jim · #2 08-23-2007, 08:16 PM

One poorly executed recipe does not completely dismiss a dish. Souffles are classic specimens of French cuisine, often requiring great skill to prepare properly. You may even find that some folks even enjoy them.

I am not sure why you are looking to recognize "the worst chefs" with an award, so perhaps you could ellaborate.

abefroman · #3 08-23-2007, 08:25 PM

I've had a chocolate souffle at a restaurant in Naple, FL that was very flavorful and not too eggy.

kuan · #4 08-23-2007, 08:44 PM

Well, use less eggs, forget the eggs really. Just use a mornay with added parmesan and try it.

shroomgirl · #5 08-23-2007, 09:25 PM

One of the best desserts I've ever had was at Nikolais Roof in Atlanta circa 1978.....chocolate souffle with khalua sauce. I even sent a request to Bon Appetit at the time for the recipe...no luck.

mornay and parmesan?um and it rises how?

kovatch · #6 08-23-2007, 10:14 PM

try a new recipe, the souffle's we serve sell like hotcakes. grand marnier souffle being the most popular. the only bad thing about them is trying to get a server to run them the second they come out of the oven.

oldschool1982 · #7 08-23-2007, 11:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shroomgirl

One of the best desserts I've ever had was at Nikolais Roof in Atlanta circa 1978.....chocolate souffle with khalua sauce. I even sent a request to Bon Appetit at the time for the recipe...no luck.

mornay and parmesan?um and it rises how?

Ohhh Shroomgirl you are correct at that! Fortunately Nikolais still does a Souffle on the dessert menu. Nikolaiâ€™s Roof Restaurant

Another place in Atlanta, Hedgrose Heights, and the dear departed Chef/Owner Heinz Schwab used to do a killer dessert souffle too. The one I remember the most was the Chocolate Raspberry. Unfortunately the memory is fading.

Ishbel · #8 08-24-2007, 04:25 AM

In savoury types I use a strong cheddar, such as Davidstow or isle of Mull in cheese souffles. This takes the eggy blandness away (IMO).

shroomgirl · #9 08-24-2007, 08:08 AM

Fio's (in STL) lately departed as of 3-4 years ago had killer souffles.
I'm amazed you know Nickolai's Roof....we used to dine alot in Atlanta in the late 70's early 80's. Aquavit, now what was the name of the monk restaurant..(?)....Nik's Roof was my favorite.....in HI it was Bagwell 2424, the turkish costumed coffee guy was impressive.

kuan · #10 08-24-2007, 08:20 AM

I have an idea

2T custard powder
1 cup milk

Add custard to a little cold milk, whisk to remove lumps, then add rest of milk and bring up to boil.

Fold in with eggwhites and make souffle like you normally would. Serve with lime and cinnamon infused syrup.

Think that might work?

shroomgirl · #11 08-24-2007, 08:24 AM

work as what? does a souffle need the glutin as well as beaten whites to rise?.....kinda think it may.....what does Dr. Heidi say?

kuan · #12 08-24-2007, 08:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shroomgirl

work as what? does a souffle need the glutin as well as beaten whites to rise?.....kinda think it may.....what does Dr. Heidi say?

No need gluten. Just good technique.

There's also the meringue technique for souffles. All you need is sugar and eggwhites. Heck all you need for eggwhites to rise are eggwhites. Everything else just weighs it down.

shroomgirl · #13 08-24-2007, 08:45 AM

and that would be the souffle goo.....weighing the egg whites down.....

no gluten, are we talking baked souffle or frozen souffle here? hmmmmm, need to look through some books prior to posting any more....kinda think I may be getting past my faded knowledge on souffles rising.......I use whites to heighten and lighten, usually chevre...but am unsure what the definition really is, in my mind it's the old world french beauty with bechemil, flavoring and egg whites.

thetincook · #14 08-24-2007, 08:46 AM

Shroomgirl, wow, for a second there I thought you were talking about Dr. Ruth.

But yeah, you don't need flour for a soufle. My favorite is made out of a puree of fresh and/or dried apricots, some suger (or some simple syrup if the fruit was dry), a touch of almond extract, and egg whites. It is a little more fragile then the cheese and flour soufles but it does puff.

oldschool1982 · #15 08-24-2007, 09:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shroomgirl

I'm amazed you know Nickolai's Roof....we used to dine alot in Atlanta in the late 70's early 80's. Aquavit, now what was the name of the monk restaurant..(?)....Nik's Roof was my favorite...

Ohh Atlanta! Oh Hot-lanta! (thanks Little Feet) Papas, Elan, Boston Sea Party, The Diningroom, Pano's and Paul's, Pittypat's Porch, Atlanta Fish Market, Azio, Buckhead Bistro, BeefCellar, Cork'n'Cleaver, 54th Aero Squadron (?) at P'tree DeKalb airport and so many, many more. Visited all of 'em . Heck even put in two years at Ray's on the River when they just opened the doors. Ohhhhh, could I take that walk down memory lane. That town sure has changed in the last 25-30 years.