What is a soufflé?
A soufflé is pure drama. And it’s one of the proudest achievements of any baker. The oohs and ahs you’ll get alone will make your spirits soar. Not to mention the joy of eating your creation. So please believe me when I tell you that soufflés are easy to make. If you can whip egg whites you can make a soufflé, because soufflés are just puffed up with air beaten into egg whites that are then folded into a base, in this case a cooked strawberry purée. I took the picture above as soon as the soufflé came out of the oven and set it on my countertop. No fancy staging. Because I wanted you to see what it looked like the instant it was done. See what I mean by drama?
This recipe makes 2 soufflés. You’ll need two 1-cup soufflé molds. Each measures 4 to 4 ½-inches across and a bit more than 2 inches deep. To prepare them, smear the insides of the molds with softened butter going right to the rim and coat evenly with granulated sugar, knocking out excess. The molds may be prepared hours ahead.
Soufflé Tips
Tip No. 1. To whip properly, egg whites must be beaten in a grease-free bowl with grease-free beaters. Use a glass or metal bowl but not plastic because plastic tends to hold onto grease as if its life depended on it. Wash your bowl and beaters in hot soapy water, rinse well, and dry thoroughly. You can beat whites by hand with a wire whisk or with an electric mixer using the whip attachment.
Tip No. 2. For the best volume, egg whites should be at room temperature. But it’s easiest to separate whites from yolks when the eggs are cold. So once you have your cold whites in a bowl, set the bowl into a pan with warm water and stir the whites gently to take the chill off. Then they’re ready to be whipped. Begin whipping on a medium speed until the whites are frothy. Add a pinch of salt and for every 3 egg whites also add 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar, a white acid powder that stabilizes the whites by strengthening the protein bonds holding in all that trapped air you’re beating in. When the whites form soft peaks, peaks that droop or curl at their trips, gradually add the sugar and continue beating at medium-high speed until the whites hold stiff peaks. With a hand-held whisk, the whites will collect within the wires.
Tip No. 3. Folding in the whites. This is the next key step, combining the whites with the soufflé base. And your aim is to preserve as much as possible of the air you’ve beaten into the whites. You scrape your whites on top of the base with a rubber spatula, in this case the base is completely cooled cooked strawberries, cornstarch, and sugar. When folding, the lighter ingredients, the whites, go on top. Using the edge of a rubber spatula, cut down through the center of the whites and strawberries moving the spatula blade from one side of the bowl to the opposite side. Turn the spatula sideways and with an upward flip bring some of the strawberry base over the whites. Rotate the bowl a quarter turn and repeat the action. Work rapidly—the faster you fold the more air is retained by the whites. Each time you complete a folding motion (cutting down through both the whites and strawberries with the edge of the spatula, turning the spatula and flipping up some of the base over the whites) more of the base gets combined with the whites. In less than a minute the folding is done.
Prepare the soufflé base first and let it cool completely. You can do this step hours or even a day ahead. Cover and refrigerate but bring to room temperature before baking.
So, here we go.