First Time With Soufflés

If there were ever a desert that could be described as the most theatrical, I think the soufflé would be an earnest contender. No sooner than when they emerge from the oven, all proud and puffed up that they turn into something completely different. Their dramatic exit from the oven is punctuated more so by their dramatic deflation. All in one act they go from gloriously risen to depressingly deflated; the soufflé is a culinary thespian if there ever was one.

Seasoned “soufflérs” are probably hardened to the melodrama of making soufflés. All that business of whisking and delicately folding the egg whites into the mixture, then all your work is undone the moment they come out form the oven. I didn't know how to take it at first, it was my very first time making soufflés and I truly thought that all my work would last at least more than just a brief moment. Luckily, although most of the soufflé’s puff is lost in the first few minutes, its taste is not lost.

They say that you should never judge a book by its cover, and rightly so, I probably would have never read or bought plenty of books if I had based my judgements on such things. Although one habit I cannot shake off is to judge a cookbook by its deserts. I am pretty hopeless with main meals and to be honest all I can really make are deserts so when I get a cookbook, I usually skip all the other chapters and head straight to the end where the sweet stuff is. And so far, this method has been a good gauge.

I adapted this recipe from Aria chef Matt Moran’s new cookbook, which I bought simply on the basis of seeing his Grand Marnier soufflé recipe. His soufflés were fortunate enough to be baked in gorgeous shiny individual copper pots that afforded his soufflés the most magnificent of rises. The soufflés were quite a sight to behold and I have to admit there was little bit of kitchen paraphernalia envy when I came across those copper pots.

Seeing that I could only revel in the thrill off the risen soufflé for but a moment, I wanted to know what vessel could produce the best rise. I didn’t have pretty copper pots to play with so I had to settle for what I had and conducted the experiment using ramekins, dariole moulds and ceramic espresso cups.

The verdict, well, the dariole moulds produced the most even rise while cooking beautifully all the way through. The espresso cups produced the highest rise; although the higher the rise, the more haphazard the fall, so some soufflés collapsed unevenly and cracked at the side. The espresso cups were also the thickest of all the dishes, so the batter failed to cook completely through leaving the bottom half quite soggy. Lastly, the ramekins produced the smallest rise, although rose evenly and did manage to cook all the way through.

So I would say that I got the best results using the metal dariole moulds, I estimate that they were probably the most even conductor of heat and therefore produced the best and most level rise and cooking all the soufflés all way through.

Being my first venture into the realm of soufflé making, the enterprise was met with some trepidation. All those steps, all that whisking and of course the glaring possibility of failure, what if my soufflé doesn’t rise? I guess that is the question every virgin soufflé maker must ask. And it is not that this fear is unfounded, you always hear and are forewarned about the things you must do to make your soufflés lift and unless these things are adhered to, then, what becomes is a failure. You’re frightened off even before you get the chance to attempt the recipe.

Luckily for Moran, he never cautions you about how your soufflé may not rise, all he says is that they are dead easy to make and he has been making this same recipe since he was an apprentice chef. Now this chimes with much more optimism and is exactly what the novice wants to hear. If an apprentice chef can make it then so should I be able to.

And so I went on to embark on this process and I have to say that it was not as terrifying as some of those cookbooks make it out to be. The operation was a success and after consuming several soufflés later, I was ready for another round of baking.

With these soufflés, rather than using orange flavourings like Grand Marnier as Moran did in the cookbook, I opted for using a coffee flavoured base. I infused the custard with coffee and Marsala, a fortified wine that is commonly placed in desserts like Tiramisu and Zabaglione. What results is a soufflé that tastes a lot like Tiramisu. Here is the recipe.

Coffee and Marsala Soufflé
adapted from this cookbook

25g cornflour
15g plain all-purpose flour
135ml milk
3 egg yolks
½ tbsp instant espresso
50g caster sugar
50ml Marsala
butter for greasing soufflé dishes
100g caster sugar, plus extra for coating soufflé dishes
300g egg whites, from 9-10 eggs
¼ tsp cream of tartar
icing sugar, to serve

FOR THE SOUFFLE BASE
Combine cornflour, plain flour, 25ml of the milk and one egg yolk in a small bowl.
In a small saucepan, bring the remaining milk and instant espresso to the boil, stirring occasionally to make sure the coffee has dissolved and then remove from heat.
Whisk in the cornflour mixture, then return to the stove and cook over low hear, stirring constantly until the custard thickens.
In a separate bowl, stir together the sugar and the rest of the egg yolks, then add to the coffee custard in the pan and cook for another two minutes, whisking constantly.
Remove from heat and stir in the Marsala.
Strain through a fine sieve placed over a bowl.
Cover mixture with some plastic wrap and leave to cool.

Preheat the oven to 170°C.
Grease the soufflé dishes with butter and coat with caster sugar.
Place the egg whites and cream of tartar in a bowl and whisk until they form soft peaks.
Gradually add the sugar and continue whisking until they are stiff.
Place the soufflé base in a large bowl and using a large metal spoon, gently fold in half the egg whites, then fold in the other half.
Spoon the mixture into the soufflé dishes to fill them right to the tops and then level with a spatula.
Bake for 8-10 minutes until they are well risen.
Remove from oven and dust with icing sugar.

A Summer's Day Out

When summer in Sydney is at its height, there is no better way to spend it than to get out in a boat and head off for a picnic by the beach. G and I spent last Sunday navigating our way through the super yachts and luxurious marine vessels of the well-to-do Sydneysiders and dropped anchor at the secluded Collins Beach.

The only way to get there was by boat or by foot through the national park so the small beach was only occupied by several families and us. It was great to have the beach almost to ourselves and as we anchored by the shore, there was a great sense of serene seclusion that so often seems to escape us in city life. The beauty of our city is that you can feel like you are so far away, yet still be right in the midst of the metropolis as beaches and national parks are in such close proximity to each other.

It’s a hard life that we live, as we spent the afternoon having lunch, lazing in the sun working on our tans, (well G didn’t have to) and cooling off in the water. It’s paradise on our doorstep and I have to say that you couldn’t convince me to live elsewhere.

If It Ain't Broke...

You know that something is broken when you have to start hitting it to make it work. I first found this out when I was 14. It was 1996 and our television began its slow decline into disrepair. First it would flicker black and white, then green and red, then blue all over. Colour television, this familiar luxury afforded by our generation soon became a distant memory.

Our routine of watching hours of cartoons every afternoon after school soon came to none, as futile attempts were made to convince our parsimonious father to buy us a new TV. It was only until my sister and I became so fed up with the thing and began to beat it violently that we found a way around this problem. Blow after blow to the top of the TV with a closed fist seemed to make the picture get better and better. I guess we thought that no damage could be done, how much more broke could this TV get?

Well, I have now been in denial about the condition of my car radio for quite some time but it looks as if the same fate is inevitable. It never bothered me at first, it became somewhat of a morning ritual having to strike at my car radio like a mad woman to just get it working. A few slaps with an open palm, then if that didn’t work, a fist would be formed and off I went pounding at the thing until some form of resonance would materialise. It’s not pretty, but I have now come to accept that my car radio does need replacing, at least until all the hitting stops working.

Which brings me to these madeleines, now do we really need another madeleine recipe? Will the world profit any gain if another madeleine recipe is posted on a blog, perhaps not, but I must say that these madeleines are exceptional and best of all, this recipe works. There’s no need to throw these madeleines out as I think they are just perfect.

I’ve already posted about them twice before but somehow I can’t seem to bring a halt to this fixation. I don’t know if it’s how they taste or how they look or the fact that they originated from France, but I cannot get enough of these little treats. Last year may have been the year of the cupcake, but I think I have to say that this year could be the year of the madeleine.

I have a tendency to romanticise certain things and I imagine that I have done this very thing to the madeleine to the point of placing them in them in too lofty a pedestal. They are just too delightful and whatever it is about them that I love, yet cannot articulate, then so let them remain on that pedestal. Perhaps it’s that sense of serenity that they elicit; the innocence and simplicity of days gone by. But there is something idealistically rustic about them, like spending a weekend in a summer cottage. I don’t know what it is, but whatever it is, it works for me.

This madeleine recipe is from Matt Moran’s self-titled book that was released in October last year. He doesn’t really illustrate what these madeleines taste like, unlike his other recipes that are preluded with a short description. I guess most people know what to expect with madeleines; yet I was really intrigued to try them.

This recipe calls for honey and butter to be melted together, something I have never seen in a madeleine recipe before. What results is a moist cake with a crisp outer edge. Despite the absence of any sort of leavening agent like baking powder, the cake produces a light airy crumb. I guess the inclusion of 4 egg whites aids in the rising part.

Classified as a tea cake by many, typically, madeleines are paired with tea or coffee; although this time I wanted to do it as a dessert. So instead of tea or coffee I decided to pair it with some Bailey’s Ice Cream that I had made earlier. The ice cream’s taste is quite subtle and has a somewhat soothing effect against the sweetness of the madeleines. You can reduce the amount of sugar in the recipe of you don’t want the ice cream to be too sweet although I found that the 100g is quite adequate.

Homemade ice cream, unless you have one of those professional grade ice cream churners will never turn out as fluffy as those store-bought ones. Simply put, your home ice cream maker cannot physically churn that much air into the ice cream as the ones you find in your supermarket, so don’t lament at the fact that it doesn’t look as light and airy. It should taste a lot better than those generic brands you find while grocery shopping.

The texture is much thicker and creamier and the good thing is that it isn’t full of preservatives, you can pretty much make whatever flavour you fancy and you can eat less of it and feel more satisfied. It's the pleasures of making ice cream yourself!

Enjoy!

Matt Moran’s Madeleine Recipe
from his self-titled book

100g unsalted butter
35g honey
100g icing (confectioner’s) sugar
40g almond meal
40g plain all-purpose flour
4 egg whites
butter for greasing
a little caster sugar, optional

Melt the butter and honey in a small saucepan, remove from heat and allow to cool to body temperature.
Combine the icing sugar, almond meal and flour in an electric mixer.
With the motor running at low speed, slowly add the egg whites.
Once all the egg whites are incorporated, gradually add the butter and honey mixture and combine well.
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Lightly brush a madeleine tray with butter and sprinkle with caster sugar for a nice crunch.
Half-fill the moulds with the batter and bake for 8-12 minutes, depending on large your madeleines are.
They should be golden brown and well risen.
Immediately turn out the madeleines onto a cooling rack.
Serve while still warm.

Bailey’s Irish Crème Ice Cream
makes 1 litre

500g pure cream
300g full cream milk
4 egg yolks
100g granulated sugar
¼ cup Bailey’s

In a large saucepan set over simmering water (double broiler), whisk cream, milk and egg yolks together.
When the mixture is starting to heat up add the sugar and continuously whisk until dissolved and the mixture has thickened.
This will take about 20 minutes and the custard should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Remove the custard from the heat and mix in the Irish creme liqueur.
Allow the custard to chill in the refrigerator.
When the custard has completely chilled, pour into an ice cream machine and churn according to manufacturer’s instructions.
Store the ice cream in a 1-litre air tight container and freeze.

Weird Things About How I Eat and What's in My Trolley?

If you are one of the several bloggers who have tagged me for a meme then wondered whatever happened to the response, then all I have to say is that I am sorry. I do eventually get around to them, but it just takes me a while. What happens is that I get tagged, then I completely forget about it, then through some random spurt of memory recollection I remember that I promised someone a while ago that I was going to do a meme.

Well to kill two birds in one stone, here is a meme that Marce of Pip In The City tagged me with some time ago: 6 food oddities about myself and an event that I assured Rachel at Food Maven I was going to join, but never did called What's In Your Basket? So here they are:

6 FOOD ODDITIES ABOUT ME

First of all, for most people that have known me for sometime, seeing the word food so close to my name is an oddity in itself. It was well renown that I liked to eat, although my reputation never went as far as being known to enjoy making food and especially to the point of gushing profusely about things like the discovery of wattleseed, the appearance of the season's first asparagus and things of that sort. Although I have been at this blog for almost a year, this food thing is a relatively new distraction. But here are six other idosyncrasies I have with food.

1. I have an ambiguous relationship with onions. I hate them raw, I hate them half cooked and I hate the crunching sound they make in my mouth when they aren't cooked all the way through. That said, I do love how they smell and I am not opposed to eating them when they are cooked completely, thus rendering them crunch-less.

I suppose that it is the crunching noise they make when I eat them because I have to say that the same goes with raw celery. You will never catch me gnawing on a raw stalk of celery, even if it was smothered in peanut butter.

2. Simply put, I cannot abide by coleslaw and think that it should be outlawed.

3. I am quite happy to drive an hour from home to have a nice big breakfast although I will refuse to make one myself at home, even though this would probably require less effort and expense. To me Eggs Benedict always seems to taste better when eaten somewhere that is not your own home.

4. This might come as a shock to you because I’m Asian, but I don't like Asian desserts. Call me a traitor but I just don’t get them. The combination of beans, jelly, tapioca and condensed milk just doesn’t sound tempting to me and I cannot bring myself to eat anything that has the work mung, moon or lotus in its name.

5. I've eaten SPAM, enough said.

6. I am allergic to all types of melons; watermelon, rock melon (cantaloupe), honeydew, you name it, if it's a melon, I can't stand it. They make the inside of my mouth and my throat really itchy to the point that I will scratch my neck in a vain attempt to soothe my itchy throat only to have it look like I have severe sunburn on my neck. I was never always allergic to such fruits, although I found this out when I was 12 and at a friends party and was whole-handedly polishing of the fruit platter consisting mostly of melon fruits.

Let's just say I missed out on playing pin the tail on the donkey as my mum had to come and pick me up.

WHAT"S IN MY TROLLEY?

Here's what I bought at my local IGA...
(pictured)
1. Clementines
2. Asparagus
3. Buttermilk
4. King Island Vanilla Yoghurt
5. Yellow Squash
6. Baby Carrots
7. Baby Beetroot
8. Trocomare
9. Medjool Dates
(not pictured)
10. Waffle Cones
11. Butter
12. Button Mushrooms
13. Lindt 70% cacao Chocolate
14. Yakult
15. Lemons

TOTAL: $59.47