Sinking Feeling

Chefs fear nothing. Nothing. We work with dangerous implements at terrifying temperatures at searing speeds. In such an environment, fear is a luxury. Hesitation, at best, causes mistakes. If you're a bit worried about singeing the flesh on the back of your hand when you are retrieving that potato rosti from the back of your 300ºC oven, there's a good chance that what you finally do pull out will be carbon. Fear slows the kitchen down. It's not possible to cook 40 or 50 meals at once without keeping very, very focused. A moment's panic will send you spinning.

Admittedly, I am not completely fearless. Hypodermic needles make me quite squeamish and I could do without spiders in general (especially the giants that pass for house spiders here in Sydney). Inside the kitchen, however, I'm completely unflinching. 200 covers booked for lunch? No worries. Deep fryer on fire? Under control. Angry kitchenhand with a knife? Bring it on.



I suppose there are exceptions. Situational fear is virtually nonexistent, but some food items elicit a hint of dread in chefs. Sugar work is a bit scary, a few degrees in either direction spells failure. Tempering chocolate is tricky. Boning quail is the sort of delicate work wherein a tiny, nervous slip can ruin a bird. Any of these things might shake a chef, but there is one kitchen product that makes even the best of us pause with a niggle of self-doubt: Soufflés.

When they go well, soufflés are beautiful. They are impossibly light; flavors are delivered to your mouth on lacy clouds that disintegrate upon contact with your tongue. They are well worth risking failure. However, there are so many things that can go wrong with a soufflé. It can collapse, not rise at all, rise unevenly, over-cook, under-cook, you can beat the egg whites too much, or too little, your roux or anglaise can be too runny, or too thick, and a host of other things can go awry. It's no wonder amateur and professional cooks alike are more than apprehensive about whipping up a batch.

There is a mythology of sorts that surrounds soufflés; a group of prohibitions and rules and suggestions that one is meant to follow to ensure success. Some of them are helpful. For example, it is very important to make sure that the bowl in which you whisk egg whites is completely clean, as any trace of oil or debris will hinder your whisking attempts. Other suggestions for successful soufflé making are pure nonsense. Dispelling a couple of these might remove a touch of the fear surrounding them.

Many cooks (me included) have been told that egg whites must be completely free of any traces of egg yolk if one wants to have any chance of whisking them. This however is not true. A bit of egg yolk will pose no real problem at all; it might make whisking slightly more difficult, but yolk can be whisked. Starting with room-temperature whites (with or without a touch of yolk) will help greatly, as a touch of heat speeds up the denaturing of the proteins.

I've also heard that opening the oven during cooking will cause the soufflés to collapse. While technically possible, this would require that the temperature in your oven fall below that of the interior of the soufflé, as it's the hot, expanding air trapped in all those whisked egg whites that is causing the soufflé to rise. In other words, feel free to check their progress from time to time.



There's no doubt that soufflé making is both complicated and tricky, but that's no reason not to make them. I suggest you try a simple desert soufflé to begin. A bit of success instills a great amount of confidence. Or, if you like a challenge, try the twice-baked soufflés below. The method is a bit complicated, but they have the advantage of being prepared long before you might serve them, making them perfect for feeding guests.

I've made endless variations of these using the same base recipe and guiding principles. Changing the flavors added to the cooked roux, the types of cheese, adding different purees to the cream at the end, you can do just about anything with this recipe.

One or two more suggestions to help ensure success: Cook the roux until it becomes creamy, mousse-like. You will notice that it becomes thicker as it cooks until, before it really begins to color, it will suddenly become thinner. This is the point when it is ready.

Also, when removing the soufflés from the oven on the first baking, be sure to be quite gentle as a jolt can pop those air bubbles you've been working so hard to create, making a rise on the second baking impossible. Good luck.



Twice-Baked Roast Corn, Cheddar, and Char Grilled Capsicum Soufflés

This recipe makes 8 to 10 soufflés.

There are quite a few steps involved here, so I am breaking them down one by one, instead of listing all of the ingredients at once. Wouldn't want to scare you off.

Oh, and before you ask, capsicum is what bell peppers are called down here.

250g raw corn kernels (about 2 small ears of corn)
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp butter
1 clove garlic, cracked, but not crushed
1 sprig thyme

This, by the way, is absolutely the best way to cook corn off the cob; just skip the blender step at the end and eat. Heat oven to 200ºC. Cut the kernels from the raw corn. Heat a large pan over medium heat. Add the oil, coat the pan, and then add the corn. Shake gently once or twice to prevent sticking, but do not stir, we want the corn to get some color by not moving it around too much. When the kernels just begin to pop, add the cold butter, thyme, and garlic. Toss a few times, season, and transfer to the hot oven for 5 minutes. Remove the thyme and garlic and transfer the rest of the contents immediately to a blender. While still hot, pulse until a rough puree forms. A few chunks are just fine.

50g flour
60g butter
375ml milk

Heat the milk and a generous pinch of salt in in a small pot until it nearly boils. Keep warm. In a medium pot, heat the butter on medium low heat until it melts and begins to foam, but does not brown. Add the flour and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon. It will form a paste as you cook. Just before the roux colors you will notice that it sort of “collapses” (can't think of a better word really; the roux suddenly becomes thin and mousse-like). At this point, whisking constantly, add the hot milk all in one go. Remove from heat and whisk until the mixture thickens. It will become quite thick indeed. Transfer to a large bowl.

100g cheddar, crumbled
50g parmesan

Get a good quality cheddar for this. It basically forms the base flavor for the entire soufflé. I used a lovely, aged Tasmanian cloth-bound cheddar.

Mix together the roux mixture, the corn puree, and the cheese. Cool to room temperature.

3 yolks

Mix the yolks into the cooled corn mixture.

100g melted butter
fine bread crumbs

Now, once you start whisking the whites, you are committed until the soufflés come out of the oven, so be sure that you have everything prepared before you begin. Preheat the oven to 220ºC. Place a medium pot of water on the stove and bring it to a boil.

Line 10 soufflé molds or (what I use) coffee cups, by brushing them with butter and then rolling the crumbs around inside of them. Make sure that there are no spaces left uncovered.

6 whites, room temperature

Most cooks have far more egg whites hanging around than they can possibly use, and these are usually found in a bucket or some such bulk container. If this is the case for you, it's pretty handy to know that the average white weighs about 30g. So, for this recipe it's 3 whites (from the eggs you are using in the corn mixture) and 90g.

In a very large bowl whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt until medium peaks forms.

Fold one third of the whites into the corn and cheese mixture to loosen it a bit. Then fold the rest of the whites in, making sure to keep the mixture as light as possible. Divide into prepared molds, only filling each about 2/3 full.

Arrange, spaced evenly, on a deep-sided baking dish. Gently pour the boiling water around the molds, until it reaches 2/3 up the molds. Transfer to the hot oven and bake for 15 minutes. Rotate, and bake 15 minutes more. Remove from oven and allow to cool in the tray with the water bath.

When the soufflés are cool enough to touch, gently remove from molds. At this point the soufflés can be stored for a few days in the refrigerator. If you do keep them in the fridge, remove them an hour or more before you want to use them, as they bake better the second time when they are at room temperature.

1 large red capsicum
100ml cream

Over an open flame, blacken the skin of the capsicum all over. Transfer to a plastic bag and allow it to steam in its own juices until cool. Peel the charred skin away, leaving as little behind as possible. Cut the capsicum open and remove the seeds. Pulse the capsicum in a blender until a smooth puree forms. Mix this puree with the cream.

100g grated parmesan

Heat oven to it's highest temperature. You'll need one, small, oven-proof dish with shallow sides per soufflé. Place each soufflé, flat side down, on its dish. Pour the cream mixture over each, making sure to coat the entire surface of the soufflé, but not drown them. Sprinkle with cheese and bake in a hot oven until they puff up, the cheese melts, and the cream begins to boil, but not split. Serve and eat immediately.