Ham and Cheese Egg Soufflé - A Delicious Soufflé Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to a good soufflé? ›

According to La Varenne Practique (a timeless masterwork you should consider owning if learning more about classic French cooking appeals), there are only a few critical points to perfecting a souffle: a base of the right consistency, stiff egg whites, and the careful folding of the base and the beaten whites.

The rule of thumb is to use one egg per person, so if you're making a soufflé for four, you would use four egg yolks, reserving the whites for later use.

If the egg whites are not mixed enough, they will be too heavy to rise, but if they are over-whipped they will collapse in the oven. Finally, and most problematically, any cross-contamination between yolks and whites will cause the whole concoction to collapse, which is the bane of many dessert chefs' days.

Most can sit for up to 30 minutes before baking. Others can even be prepared hours in advance. The key is in the ingredients. The lighter the base mixture, the longer it will hold.

The motion of beating egg whites traps air into the mix. The egg white protein seals around pockets of air, creating bubbles. Egg yolks are separated out because their fat prevents those bubbles from forming. Those air bubbles expand in the oven, creating that famous cloud-like formation of a soufflé.

Don't open the oven door: Once the soufflé is in the oven, avoid opening the oven door until it's fully cooked. The rush of cool air can cause the soufflé to collapse. Serve immediately: Soufflés are best served immediately after they come out of the oven, as they tend to deflate quickly.

Use breadcrumbs (or caster sugar for sweet souffles) to coat the base and side. This helps the souffle grip the side and rise evenly.

The trick is to know when to stop beating: Under-beaten whites will result in a soufflé that does not rise to its potential, while over-beaten whites result in a tough, cracked soufflé.

The last key ingredient in a cheese soufflé is the cheese. You can use various types, but a flavorful, good melter like Gruyère or cheddar is ideal.

The recipe for the original souffle came from here, but if you really want to taste what my childlike imagination conjured all those years ago, I suggest you let them cool, cover with plastic wrap, and keep in the fridge overnight. The next day, top with some berries and a big plop of whipped cream.

Do you need cream of tartar for soufflé? ›

You technically could — egg whites will still whip to stiff peaks without cream of tartar — but we highly recommend including it whenever it's called for in a recipe. While developing those lofty Japanese Soufflé Pancakes, Molly quickly realized how integral a stabilizer was to create the perfect pancake texture.

Why does a soufflé fall after baking it in the oven? Souffle is supposed to have a lot of bubbles in it as it bakes so it will be fluffy when it's done. If a souffle falls thus means the bubbles have leaked or burst, causing the souffle to deflate.

How do you make soufflés that don't collapse? Egg whites beaten to stiff peaks and carefully folded into the other ingredients are the key to a well risen souffle. The other trick to help them rise is giving them something to hold on to.

Souffle Logic: A soufflé is made up of three elements: A base sauce enriched with egg yolks (pastry cream for sweet, béchamel for savory), a filling (anything from cheese to chocolate), and whipped egg whites.

A quick way to solve the problem is to add a pinch of salt on the egg yolks (not the egg whites!) this will remove the eggy taste.

Use breadcrumbs (or caster sugar for sweet souffles) to coat the base and side. This helps the souffle grip the side and rise evenly.