“THE ONLY THING THAT WILL MAKE A SOUFFLE FALL IS IF IT KNOWS YOU ARE AFRAID OF IT.” James Beard
I AM NOT AFRAID OF SOUFFLES! But the sad reality is…..they don’t stay poofed up forever! I LOVE to make souffles. And I LOVE to eat souffles. But I’ve never had to photograph them before! I had everything prepped in advance for the ‘photo shoot’. But I gotta tell ya….next time I will take a picture of them before I even take them out of the oven! Because once that oven door opens…..it’s a mad dash against time and gravity! And the other reality is…..even as they deflate…..they are delicious! This one, made with peaches, was light and airy and subtly sweet. And the twist about this recipe is…….
…….the bottom of the ramekin gets covered with a bit of sweet chopped peaches! And I drizzled it with a little (or a lot!) of cinnamon creme anglaise. Those 3 layers of goodness make a nice light alternative to peach pies and cobblers.
THE SOUFFLE:
2-3 peaches, peeled and sliced
juice of 1 lemon
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
7 large egg whites, at room temperature
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup granulated sugar (plus 2 TBSP for the ramekins)
3 TBSP butter at room temperature, for the ramekins
confectioner’s sugar for sprinkling
Position your rack on the bottom of your oven and preheat it to 400°F. Butter (generously) six 8 oz ramekins and set aside on a rimmed baking sheet.
Pulse the peaches in the work bowl of your food processor until coarsely chopped. Place 2 TBSP of the peaches in the bottom of each ramekin. To the remainder of the peach mix add the lemon juice, vanilla and salt. Process until very smooth and set aside.
With your electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the egg whites and a pinch of salt on medium speed until frothy. Add 1 TBSP of sugar and beat until soft peaks form. Slowly add the remainder of the sugar and beat on high speed until the whites are glossy and hold stiff peaks.
Add about 1/4 of the beaten egg whites to the puree mixture. Stir until well mixed. And then pour this mixture over the remaining egg whites and fold gently. They don’t have to be perfectly combined. Spoon the mix into the ramekins. The mix should come just to the top of the ramekin. Smooth the top of each with a metal spatula. And then run your thumb around the inside of the rim of each dish. This will help the souffles to rise higher.
Bake 8-10 minutes until puffed and golden. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with confectioner’s sugar and serve IMMEDIATELY. I served with cinnamon creme anglaise. Also, as the souffle naturally deflates….I removed one from the ramekin onto a plate of creme anglaise and topped it with the peaches from the bottom of the ramekin.
CINNAMON CREME ANGLAISE:
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 cups whole milk
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 vanilla bean split diagonally
1/4 tsp cinnamon
8 egg yolks
Place the cream, milk, sugar, seeds and pod of the vanilla bean, and cinnamon in a medium saucepan. Heat until warm and sugar has dissolved. Whisk the egg yolks in a separate bowl. Slowly add about 1/2 of the warm cream to the egg yolks whisking constantly. Add the egg mixture back into the saucepan and heat on medium-low until the cream becomes thick enough to coat the back of a spoon and a thermometer inserted registers 180°F. Strain the mix through a sieve and discard vanilla bean. Chill until ready to use.
Enjoy!
SUPER creative! And love the flavor profile! And yes… figuring in the photography takes some practice, but this looks fantastic!
Tiffany…the flavors were great! But they were much higher in the oven! : )
I haven’t tried making souffles yet, because I’m actually a little intimidated by them… I don’t like working under pressure, dammit.
That said, I’m all about the peaches right now because we’ve had such a fantastic local crop this year, so I’m just going to have to confront my fears head on and give these a try.
BTW – one tip I learned at a food photography seminar is to set up your entire shot with a stand-in for the food until you’re totally happy with the way it looks. That way, when your food is ready, you just need to swap it out for the stand-in and then snap away while it’s still fresh. So much less pressure!
Isabelle…souffle isn’t so hard…you just have to eat it right away! And thanks! That’s a GREAT tip about setting up the shot! I usually plan it and get my stuff together. But I’ve never actually put in a stand in. ( I love that….ok…ok…..let’s get the stunt souffle now!) Thanks for that great suggestion. I appreciate all the help I can get! : )
Awesome! I love souffles but I am afraid to make them! Yours looks awesome and decadent with that cinnamon creme anglaise on top!
Stephanie….I love souffles….but I don’t like to photograph them! Next time…they will make their debut as they sit in the oven! : )
This sounds so good Anne! The Cinnamon Creme Anglaise sounds so good. I’ve never made anglaise or souffle but I would love to try, yours look amazing!
Cassie…this is worth it for the cinnamon creme anglaise alone! I could eat that stuff with a spoon! : )
Your souffle looks so good. Making one is on my list of things I want to do but I haven’t gotten there yet. It looks perfect. One day I’ll make one.
Susie….you should try it one day. They are not hard or temperamental …..they just deflate quickly. Which is okay if you eat them right away instead of photographing them! :- }
Your souffle looks terrific and so do your photos of it!
Thanks Maris….but honestly….they were MUCH higher when they were in the oven! :- O
Well done-nice looking souffle. Good to know that if it deflates it still tastes good. I do need to work on my skills in this area. Thanks for a tasty recipe-yum!
Thanks Tina. They were a lot higher in the oven. But they were delicious just the same! : )
Oh.My.Heavens. This is beautiful and looks delicious Anne and I just want to dive into the photo
.
Janet….I just wanted to dive into the sweet creme sauce! : )
Anne – that is absolutely STUNNING! You did an amazing job! I’ve buzzed this one…..wowza!
Ann….thanks…but you should have seen them right before I took them out of the oven! ;- )
Wow, this is divine. You did a great job. I am terrified of souffle. It takes some serious skill. You have it in spades.
Kim…honestly….not much skill needed! But maybe a little luck! : )
Wow Anne this is amazing! I’ve never made or had a souffle and I’m not quite sure I’m ready for the challnge. Think I’ll be satisfied for a while to live vicariously through yours.
Sandra….I spend a lot of time poking around your blog! Girl…..you are BEYOND ready for souffles! Trust me on this one! This will not be a challenge for you at all! ;- }
Look at you go with your perfectly risen souffle! I have never tried to make one. I have only had it once that I can remember, and it was amazing! I have a couple recipes bookmarked to try when I get brave!
Thanks Erin! I love souffles. But I have to admit….it was more ‘perfectly risen’ before I pulled them out of the oven!!! ;- )