Killing Me Soufflé

Chocolate, Orange & Sesame Soufflé w Miso Aerated Custard

Hi all and welcome back to ‘Kitchen Extra…’.

This week I am reliving past trauma with Soufflés and have an announcement that you may have seen on Studio Kitchen. I also said to myself that I would make something simpler this week to cut down on the amount of photos we take and process - but that all went out the window and you have another stack with tons of images to go with detailed recipe instruction. I might try something simpler next week, I had to make and shoot the Soufflé on my own as Cath was out. It was tricky, as the Soufflé waits for no-one (read below), so look out for a toastie recipe next week 😂.

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Souffle

Honestly, I can say I have made thousands of soufflés in my days as a pastry chef is some of the best hotels and restaurants.

It was always pretty stressful, and you had to get the timing right.

“Check on”… here comes the dessert order and get those egg whites on the go ASAP, try to juggle other things like plating and organising your section while they whisk. No-one ever just stood and watched the machine, there’s no time for standing around. So making sure the whites were at the perfect consistency for the the lightest but still strong Soufflé became an experience game. You’d made so many, and the pressure was so high, that you KNEW when the whites were ready by the time they were whisking and the sound of the machine.

Then mix into your Soufflé base, get it into the mould… neatly! Any mixture on the sides of the ramekin will bake on and look rubbish when they come out of the oven, and you can’t clean a soufflé dish once it’s cooked. There’s no time…

I swear as soon as it was in the oven Chef, (I am not naming names… it was a different time 🤣), would start shouting “HOW LONG?”. Gosh the stress, having Chef look over menacingly as they cooked.

Then as soon as they come out of the oven… everyone disappears. You can’t find a waiter ANYWHERE 👀. These have got to go, they only have a finite lifespan; and to level up the trickery…they were always served with a quenelle of ice cream and a hot sauce on the side. Oh and don’t forget the other desserts on the table as well,* all with their own level of skill and balance that had to be timed to perfection with the Soufflé.

We don’t have time to make again… SERVICE PLEASE!!!

Just thinking about it makes me stressed (dessert backwards?), it probably took me a while to get over it and revisit the dish.

In actual fact I love Soufflé, it is the perfect dessert. It has skill, timing and is theatrical. It is something you would not make at home (until now - see recipe below), and it has contrasts of texture and temperature. Most of all though it is delicious with that magical airiness and it really shows the talent of the cook.

When you have time to make one at home it is so lovely, not stressful at all and something you and your guests will really appreciate. As with lots of things but probably more with a Soufflé, practice does make perfect so don’t attempt these or any other Soufflé for the first time at an important occasion. Have a practice first to get an idea of timing, oven, consistency and all the other little things involved in pulling off this timeless classic. At least you have a recipe that works… read below and have fun.

*For younger people, in the old days restaurants didn’t have just one or two tasting menus with dishes that didn’t change much. The was an ‘a la carte’ menu where diners could order what they want. So you would often get an order for a table of eight pax that all had different dishes.

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Bake Like A Pro

I have had lots of you asking if I do classes? Well I can say that along with Food Festival appearances I am also holding my own hands-on Masterclasses with my great friends at SMEG.

We will be making Focaccia and a snazzy Chocolate & Coffee Mousse layer cake together, and well as enjoying cake and coffee on arrival, and a delicious lunch prepared by me and Cath.

There will be lots more besides… and it will be a great chance to bond over our love of baking - all at the gorgeous SMEG showrooms in Collingwood. I have four dates - I have popped the links below for more details and ticket sales, and as there are only 12 places per class they will sell out fast.

I would love to see you there. x

🎟️5th July 2025 🎟️12th July 2025 🎟️11th October 2025 🎟️18th October 2025

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The Soufflé Moulds

This is a demoulded soufflé, so it is not served in a ramekin making it a bit harder to do. You could serve them straight in the dish if you like! I am using these stainless steel dariole type moulds with dimensions of 6 cm diameter base tapered up to 8 cm diameter top and it is 6 cm deep. You can use something similar and I have used disposable foil cups in the past as well.

Demoulding the soufflé quickly while hot is another thing. These are slippery and it is easy to inver the hot soufflé under pressure and let it slip out of your hands. Wanna know the secret? I use a combo of blue tack and grip mat. I have two squares of grip mat and put two balls of bluetak on them, I use these on the sides of my moulds to invert the soufflé carefully and without incident.

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The Recipe

These have a reputation of unpredictability and being tricky to get right but you really should not be scared of these. Make sure you have everything ready when you need it such as prepared moulds, cold chocolate centres, room temperature egg whites and a preheated oven. This will be half the battle, and the rest is just to whip up a few egg whites and to fold and bake your way to soufflé glory.

These soufflés are a demoulded, but you can serve them in ramekins if you wish just brush ramekins the same as you would the aluminium moulds and serve straight away from the oven.

Don’t be daunted but as with anything new or slightly temperamental try a couple of practice batches before the big night.

Timing is everything so again make sure everything is ready and to hand before you need it. We will use the French meringue method for these.

Orange Pastry Cream

150 g milk, whole fat

40 g egg yolks, (approx. 2 large egg yolks)

30 g caster sugar

10 g cornflour

10 g plain flour

1 orange, finely grated zest