Introduction

Don't run away at the sight of the word Soufflé! I have complete and utter confidence that you too can create a “light as air” soufflé that is sure to impress and delight your guests. With a bit of care and foreknowledge your results will be stellar and you can boast about your soufflé skills, or at the very least enjoy a fantastic dinner.

Soufflé literally means, "to blow up", not in a catastrophic way, but in a delightful and delicious way that creates a light dish that remains to be filled with flavor. All soufflés, sweet or savory, start with a base, which is then combined with a perfectly whipped meringue. The base is often in the form of a cream sauce or purée and is the vehicle that carries the flavor. Egg whites are whipped into a stiff peaked meringue and then carefully folded into the base. The meringue is what creates the "lift" in the baking process.

There are a couple of key items to note to encourage the success of your soufflé. First of all make sure that all bowls and utensils that will be touching the whites are impeccably clean. Any presence of fat in the whites will cause them to not whip up properly.

Know your peaks! You are looking to achieve stiff peaks in your meringue. Periodically check by lifting the whisk or beaters out of the meringue - if the whites stand straight up in a tight peak then you are good to go. If they droop a little bit then continue to whisk or beat on medium. The meringue should look nice and shiny, dull meringue is often over beaten. Over beaten whites will separate.

When adding the meringue to the base you start with one third of the whites. This helps to lighten the base and prepare it to receive the rest of the whites. Gently add the remaining whites and proceed by folding. Folding is NOT the same thing as stirring. With a rubber spatula you lift from the bottom of the white/base mixture, follow the edge of the bowl, and turn gently over toward the center of the bowl. Repeat this gentle process until all the whites are incorporated.

The dish you bake the soufflé in should have high sides and must be buttered - and in this case covered with finely grated Parmesan cheese. This gives the soufflé something to grab onto when it is trying to reach great heights. Rather than pouring the batter in, gently scoop it so that no amount of volume is lost. Carefully place the dish in the center of a very hot oven (pre-heated for 20 minutes) and then PLEASE whatever you do, resist the urge to open the door. Say a little prayer and then wait patiently. At this point it is out of your control - it is now up to the soufflé and the oven to work its magic. If you've followed my instructions, then you should be 30-40 minutes away from enjoying a very rich, yet airy light, savory soufflé.

The other thing I don't want you to run away from is cauliflower. If you are like me most of your cauliflower experience comes in the form of plastic assorted vegetable trays and gobs of ranch dip. What happens when you roast cauliflower is almost as magical as watching a soufflé "blow up". It becomes buttery and sweet. If theaters and fellow moviegoers would let me, I would take a bucket full of roasted cauliflower over popcorn any day. It is great alone as a side dish or as a salty snack to tide you over until dinnertime. Ever since Molly of Orangette taught me the wonders of roasted cauliflower, I have been hooked and have proceeded to treat every other vegetable in the same manner (roasted broccoli is another recent family favorite). Don't be afraid of the presence of cauliflower and whatever you do, do NOT skip the roasting step.

Roasted Cauliflower Soufflé with Brown Butter

adapted from Gourmet Magazine, May 2008

Soufflé:

• 3 tablespoons finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• 1 1/4 cups finely chopped cauliflower florets, roasted (see directions below)
• 1/4 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 stick unsalted butter
• 4 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups whole milk
• 6 large egg yolks
• 8 large egg whites

Brown Butter:

• 1 stick salted butter

Roasting Cauliflower:

Pre-heat oven to 400°F

Remove leaves and stalk from the cauliflower. Cut the entire cauliflower in 1/4 inch slices, then arrange on parchment-covered baking sheet. Drizzle 1/4 cup olive oil to coat the cauliflower. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast until nicely caramelized and tender, 15-20 min. You may need to re-arrange during the baking process if some are getting too much color. Just remember that color equals flavor - so nice golden brown parts are GOOD!!

Equipment:

2-qt soufflé dish

Preparing the Soufflé:

Preheat oven to 400°F with rack in middle.

Generously butter soufflé dish, then sprinkle with cheese, knocking out excess.

Stir together cooled, roasted cauliflower, parsley, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste in a large bowl. Melt butter in a 2- to 3-quart heavy saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour, then cook, whisking, until pale golden, about 2 minutes. Add milk a little at a time, whisking constantly until very smooth. Bring sauce to a boil, whisking, then simmer, whisking, until quite thick, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and whisk in yolks, 1/4 teaspoon white pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Stir into cauliflower mixture.

Beat whites in a bowl with an electric mixer at high speed until they just hold stiff peaks (they should not look dry). Stir a heaping spoonful of whites into yolk mixture to lighten, then gently fold in remaining whites until just combined.

Gently spoon into soufflé dish (leave at least 1 inch of space at top) and bake until golden brown and top appears set, 35 to 40 minutes.

Making the Brown Butter:

Cook butter in a small heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until it turns golden with a nutlike fragrance and flecks on bottom of pan turn a rich caramel brown, about 6 minutes. Remove from heat.

Serve soufflé immediately, drizzling with warm brown butter.

About Ashley E. Rodriguez

Food became my life while living in Italy. Growing up I was fortunate to have been brought up around a mother who intuitively knew how to cook, and just by being around that, it rubbed off on me. But it was in Italy where I truly began to appreciate the power of good food.

For me food is so much more than following a recipe in order to reach a desired product. As much as I enjoy that tasty product and the process in which it was created, my personal infatuation with food focuses on the aspects that go beyond satisfying a bodily hunger. I am completely and utterly obsessed with food because of its effect on the people who consume it, grow it, produce it, enjoy it, and live for it. Food is culture, it nourishes our bodies, it is passion, it is hard work, and for many it is their livelihood.

My culinary career has been primarily pastry focused. I worked under the Captain of the winning American Coupe du Monde team (the Olympics of bread baking) at the Essential Bread Baking Company in Seattle, WA. From there I went on to Los Angeles where I studied under Sherry Yard (Executive Pastry Chef for Wolfgang Puck's restaurant empire) at Wolfgang Puck's famous Spago restaurant in Beverly Hills. While working with Sherry, I also assisted her with her second book, Desserts By The Yard.

I moved back to Washington State and began my pastry business, fulfilling all sweet needs. You can see my work in numerous publications including Seattle Metropolitan Bride & Groom. Currently I am focusing on training my two young boys to have distinguished palates. You can also find me writing, teaching and creating a television program on the subject of real, good food.

Photographs copyright by Gabriel Rodriguez. Used with permission.