IMBB #20-Souffles

[Pecorino Cheese Souffle with Caramelized Vegetables]

Sunday's IMBB event is hosted by Kitchen Chick.

To be overly ambitious can be dangerous.  For my first attempt at souffles, I wanted to wow the taste buds.  I chose a most interesting Christine Cushing recipe that required me to take out a loan from the bank.  Why I chose such an expensive venture cannot be justified.  I knew going in the success rate was about 30%.  I had heard the usual before commencing, souffles can smell your fear, don't make any sudden moves and be sure to hold your breath while they bake. 

In my defense, I wanted a delicious blend of ingredients to eat as I was most certain my dish would fail.  See, my logic was pretty simple.  I wanted to enjoy the meal, even if it literally fell flat.

The word souffle in French means to breathe or to blow out.  This is why I would call my souffle this evening, sucer, which means the opposite, to suck in.  The dish while phenomenal in taste, did not puff up to my expectations (if there were any to begin with).

I leave this recipe baffled.  I re-read the instructions.  Made sure my eggs were room temperature.  Made sure my bowl and whisk were whistle (souffle) clean for the whites.  The only error I can foresee could have been the fact that I followed the instructions too closely. Christine suggests filling the ramekins only 2/3 full.  Perhaps if I had filled them up even more I may have avoided this almost-done-but-not- quite look. 

If you are a souffle pro, I would enthusiastically suggest this recipe.  It was the best combo of flavours I have ever put together in my kitchen, really.  The percorino and grano padano cheeses combined together produced a rich goodness and the caramelized vadalia onion, fennel and Roma tomatoes added a little surprise and the bottom of the ramekin.   

Pecorino Cheese Souffle with Caramelized Vegetables

Ingredients:

Caramelized Vegetables

2 tbsp olive oil (30 ml)
1 small vidalia onions, chopped
1 small bulb fennel, diced (about 3/4 cup diced)
1 clove garlic, minced
2 Roma tomatoes, peeled, diced
1/4 cup dry sherry (60 ml)
2 tsp chopped fresh tarragaon (10 ml)
2 tsp chopped fresh parsley (10 ml)
Coarse salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

Pecorino Cheese Souffle

1 tbsp butter, for greasing the ramekins (15 ml)
4 tbsp grated Grano Padano cheese, for coating the ramekins (60 ml)
3 tbsp butter (45 ml)
1/4 cup flour (60 ml)
2 cups milk (500 ml)
3 egg yolks
1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese, for the souffle (125 ml)
Coarse salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
pinch of nutmeg
4 sprigs fresh thyme, chopped
2 tbsp chopped fresh chives
4 egg whites

Directions:

Caramelized Vegetables

In a sauté pan over medium heat, add the olive oil. Stirring frequently, cook the onion and fennel until vegetables are golden brown, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and tomatoes and continue to cook another 3 to 5 minutes.

Add dry sherry, tarragon and parsley. Season the mixture with salt and pepper. Cook until liquid evaporates, about 5 to 10 minutes. Set aside and cool. The caramelized vegetables will be layered into the bottom of each of the ramekins for the soufflés.

Pecorino Cheese Souffle

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Butter the 8 ramekins (6-ounce ramekins). Dust each ramekin evenly with grated Grano Padano cheese. This step will help the soufflé to rise.

Add the vegetables to the bottom of the ramekin.

In a medium saucepan, heat 3tbsp. butter until melted. Add flour and cook over medium heat until just golden and smooth, stirring with wooden spoon. Remove from heat. Add milk slowly while whisking until smooth.

Return to heat and cook over medium heat until boiling and thickened, about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add egg yolks, one at a time, stirring well after each addition. Add the pecorino cheese, salt and pepper, nutmeg, thyme and chives. Stir well to blend. (Let cheese mixture cool slightly before folding the egg whites.)

Whip egg whites in a clean bowl until light and fluffy. Continue to whip until stiff peaks hold, but are not grainy.

Fold egg whites into cheese mixture. Pour into the ramekins, filling only 2/3 full.

Place the ramekins in a baking pan or roasting pan. Cook in a water bath by pouring hot water into the roasting pan, so water is about 1-inch deep in the pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden and puffed.

Comments

[Sara]

Well it still looks good. And fennel and tomatos in a souffle? Sounds wonderful.

[Nic]

It does sound tasty, judging from the recipe. I think that the rising problem is from the recipe. I never baked a souffle in a waterbath and it seems that the slow, even heat of the batch is designed to produce something more custardy than high-rising and fluffy.