Soufflé-Palooza

I've gone on a bit of a carb binge the past few days and splurged by making a variety of soufflés, sweet and savory. I'm going off a base recipe and adjusting as I go. So far, although there have been a few technical glitches here and there, these soufflés have been delicious.

Nutella souffle

Cheese soufflé

Dark chocolate soufflé

Lemon-almond soufflé

The idea behind a soufflés, both sweet and savory, is that you make a base mixture enriched with the egg yolk, then beat the whites to stiff peaks and fold it into the yolk mixture. Bake, then serve. Easy, right?

The basic recipe for a single soufflé baked in a 7-ounce/200ml ramekin calls for 1 room temperature egg, carefully separated into two bowls, so that no trace of the yolk is in the whites. Prepare the ramekin by buttering the inside liberally and then coating it with sugar for sweet soufflés, cocoa powder for dark chocolate soufflés, and bread crumbs or gated parm for savory cheese soufflés. Preheat the oven to 375.

For a savory soufflé like the cheese soufflé, you can make a standard cheese sauce from a Bechamel, then let it cool a bit and whisk in the yolk. For a single serving, I used about 1/3 cup of the cheese sauce per one yolk.

Set that aside and whip your egg white to pretty stiff peaks, adding 1/8 teaspoon of cream of tartar if you like to help stabilize the whites. Then fold in about half of the whipped whites into your yolk + cheese sauce base, and then carefully fold in the remaining whites in two more additions. Scoop into the prepared ramekin and bake for 15 minutes.

The base for a chocolate dessert soufflé generally uses a ganache of melted chocolate and butter, which is cooled a bit and then fortified with the yolk. Then proceed as with a savory soufflé by beating the egg whites with cream of tartar, but adding 2 teaspoons of sugar to them once they have reached soft peak stage and them beating them to stiff peaks before folding them into the chocolate mixture. Bake as usual.

For the lemon-almond dessert soufflé, I used a base of 1 tablespoon plain Greek yogurt, to which I added 1 tablespoon of flour, almond extract, a teaspoon or so of lemon juice, 2 teaspoons of sugar and 1/4 teaspoon of fresh lemon zest. Again, add sugar and cream of tartar to the whites, beat to stiff peaks and fold into the base mixture and bake.

I am still fooling around with the Nutella soufflé. When I made it the other day, I just mixed the egg yolk with a glob of Nutella straight from the jar and 1 tablespoon of flour. That base ended up being too thick to allow the beaten egg whites to incorporate fully, so I ended up with distinct layers of Nutella + yolk and lighter layers of almost sponge cake.

See the layers? The slightly gooey Nutella layer sank to the bottom, while the egg white layers sat mostly on top.

 It was delicious, but not quite a soufflé. The next time I make it, I may omit the flour, and melt the Nutella in a double boiler with some butter or heavy cream before adding the yolk.

Dark Chocolate Soufflé

Makes 1 serving 

Ingredients:

• 1 egg 
• About 1 ounce of bittersweet chocolate - I used 1.3 ounces of Scharffen berger 70% cacao baking chocolate
• 1.5 tablespoons of salted butter 
• 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar 
• 2 teaspoons sugar 
• butter and cocoa powder for the ramekin

Directions:

1. Set an egg out on the counter and let come to room temperature. Preheat oven to 375. Prepare ramekin by buttering it liberally and pour in a little cocoa powder and swirl it around so that the sides are all coated with the cocoa. 
2. Separate the egg, putting the white in one bowl, the yolk in another. 
3. Put the hunk of chocolate in a bowl over simmering water and once it starts to melt, add 1.5 tablespoons salted butter. When the chocolate and butter start to soften and melt, take the bowl off the heat and stir briskly until it is all smooth. Whisk in one egg yolk and stir until it's all mixed together. Set aside. 
4. Add 1/8 teaspoon of cream of tartar to the egg white and beat until soft peaks form, then add the sugar and beat until the white forms firm peaks. 
5. Gently fold the whipped white into the chocolate and yolk mixture, one third at a time until it's all incorporated. Scoop into the prepared ramekin and bake for 15 minutes. Dust with confectioner's sugar and serve immediately.

Lemon-Almond Soufflé

Ingredients:

• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon plain Greek yogurt
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• butter and sugar for the ramekin

Directions:

1. Set an egg out on the counter and let come to room temperature. Preheat oven to 375. Prepare ramekin by buttering it liberally and pour in a little granulated sugar and swirl it around so that the sides are all coated with the sugar.
2. Separate the egg, putting the white in one bowl, the yolk in another. 
3. Mix together the yolk, 2 teaspoons of sugar, flour, almond extract, lemon juice and lemon zest until smooth. Set aside.
4. Add 1/8 teaspoon of cream of tartar to the egg white and beat until soft peaks form, then add the sugar and beat until the white forms firm peaks. 
5. Gently fold the whipped white into the yolk mixture, one third at a time until it's all incorporated. Scoop into the prepared ramekin and bake for 15 minutes. Dust with confectioner's sugar and serve immediately.

Cheese Soufflé

 Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup whole milk
• 1/4 teaspoon mustard powder
• 1/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg
• hot sauce
• 2.5 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, grated
• salt
• pepper
• 1 egg
• 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
• butter and grated parm for the ramekin

 Directions:

1. Set an egg out on the counter and let come to room temperature. Preheat oven to 375. Prepare ramekin by buttering it liberally and pour in a little grated parm and swirl it around so that the sides are all coated with the cheese.
2. Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the flour, stirring until it makes a paste. Pour in the heavy cream and milk and whisk until smooth. Add the mustard powder, grated nutmeg and a few drop of hot sauce. Add 2 ounces of the shredded cheese and stir until the cheese melts and the sauce is smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and let cool.
3. Once sauce cools a bit, measure out about 1/3 cup of the sauce and whisk the egg yolk until smooth and set aside. You can save the rest of the sauce for other uses - augment another cheese sauce, thin with beer for a sauce for Welsh rabbit, or in a Croque Monsieur.
4. Add 1/8 teaspoon of cream of tartar to the egg white and beat until stiff.. 
5. Gently fold the whipped white into the cheese and yolk mixture, one third at a time until it's all incorporated. Scoop into the prepared ramekin, top with reserved 1/2 ounce of shredded cheese and bake for 15 minutes. Serve.

Nutella Soufflé recipe with my adjustments, coming soon!

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Seared Sockeye Salmon with Greek-ish Vegetables

I'm still going strong with the healthy eating and working out here, though it has been awfully hot lately, which means that I have been disinclined to turn on the oven. I've been eating plenty of cooler dishes, salads, lettuce wraps, the occasional avocado mashed up with salsa, which is surprisingly addictive. Some days it's worth it to fire up a skillet for a few minutes to sear a nice piece of fish.

Sockeye salmon is not for those people who are iffy on fish. It seems to me to have a stronger, more salmon-y flavor, but still has that lovely, soft and buttery texture. I've read that it is leaner than other varieties of salmon and, as such, can dry out quicker than others, so I cooked it slightly less than I generally do with salmon.

The flavor is so wonderful, that I dressed it only with fresh lemon juice and some salt and pepper, so that I could fully enjoy the lovely fishiness of it. The bright medley of Greek-ish vegetables added a refreshing touch.

Seared Sockeye Salmon with Greek-ish Vegetables 

Ingredients:

• sockeye salmon fillet - I had a large one, which I cut into two 4-ounce portions
• 1 T olive oil
• salt
• pepper
• lemon juice
• cherry tomatoes
• Persian cucumber
• zucchini
• feta
• oil-cured black olives
• olive oil
• lemon juice

Directions:

1. Chop the vegetables and toss them with crumbled feta, olive oil and fresh lemon juice, add salt and pepper as needed. Set aside.
2. Season the salmon with salt and pepper.
3. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a pan and sear the salmon skin-side down for 3 minutes, then flip and sear the other side for about 2 minutes.
4. Squeeze some lemon juice over the top of the fish and serve with your Greek vegetables.

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