The Best Soufflés

The Best Soufflés: Apricot and Lemon Soufflés and Chocolate Soufflés

I used to have my signature soufflé recipe but I have been testing a lot of different recipes recently.
Today, after testing and tasting, I have discovered and confirmed the best recipes. A soufflé is a lightly baked cake, which could be made into sweet dessert or savory appetizer or main course. The word soufflé literally means  " blown up" because of the air trapped in making the meringue.

 For the cooks, who are intimidated by making soufflés, follow my advice. First, understand the method: soufflés are made in two parts. You need a pastry cream for the sweet soufflé and white sauce or a puree for the savory souffle. This is the soufflé base. Then, you will need a meringue that is whipped to soft peaks. The meringue is folded into the base and the mixture is then baked in a ramekin or a souffle dish.

My second advice is that you need to follow the recipe closely and lasty, plan ahead, the timing is crucial. The soufflé will deflate within 5-10 minutes after it's been baked. 

Lemon Apricot Soufflé Recipe 

Pastry Cream:
350 ml. Milk
70 g. Granulated Sugar
1 tsp. Vanilla
7 medium Egg Yolks
50 g. All Purpose Flour
40 g. Apricot Puree or Apricot Jam
1 tbsp. Lemon Juice

Meringue:
8 medium Egg whites
80 g .Granulated Sugar


Chocolate Soufflé Recipe

Ingredients for half of the recipe

Pastry Cream
350 ml. Milk
80 g. Granulated Sugar
4 medium yolks
30 g. All Purpose Flour

50 g. Cocoa Powder, sifted
240 g. Plain Chocolate (70% cocoa solids), chopped

Meringue:
10 medium Egg Whites
40 g. Granulated Sugar
 
 Note: These are two different recipes. The amount of the ingredients for each recipe are different but the procedure is the same. Both recipes yield 4 souffles.

1. Grease the ramekins with soft butter and then coat with sugar. Chill the ramekins until ready to use.

2.Make the pastry cream. Heat the milk with 2/3 of the sugar and slowly bring to the boil. Beat the yolks with the remaining sugar in a bowl and whisk to a ribbon consistency. Add the flour. Pour the hot milk on to the yolk mixture, stirring continuosly with a whisk. Return to the pan and whisk over a low heat for 1 minute. Pour into a bowl and cover with cling film and set aside to cool slightly. This is your pastry cream.

3. Now you can flavor your pastry cream, for the apricot souffle, add the apricot puree and lemon juice.
For the chocolate: gently mix the cocoa powder and chopped chocolate. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Put a baking sheet in the oven to heat up.

4. Beat the egg whites to a thick foam, then add the sugar and continue to beat until they form soft peaks. Fold in 1/3 of the meringue to the pastry cream to lighten the mixture. Then fold in the rest of the meringue.

5. Fill the souffle dishes to the top, then insert a knife on the edge and go around the souffle dish. If your ramekin is 10 cm. wide, it will take about 10 minutes, if you have a deeper ramekin which is similar to what I have which is 9 cm. wide it will take 14 minutes.

Dust with powdered sugar before serving.

Note: If you are looking for sexy food to eat, you  have found just the right food. 
After all, apricots has a natural aphrodisiac qualities, not to mention, 
chocolate makes you feel good...
Bake this chocolate soufflé to bring someone closer to your heart!

These recipes are adapted from " Michel Roux The Collection".

PORK BELLY IN A HURRY

Pork Belly Cooked in Its Own Fat
Pork belly and bacon are  staples in my kitchen. A lot of times, coming home from work, I will cook this if I need a quick meal with plain steamed rice. I could literally eat this everyday. The entire dish will take less than half an hour to make.

Remove the rind from the pork belly, then slice about half inch thick slices. Season with salt and pepper.

Put the pork in a heavy bottomed skillet or frying pan. Add just enough water to cover the pork. Depending on the size of the pan, about 2 cups of water. Add half a cup of vinegar, 2 crushed cloves of garlic. In medium heat let it simmer until it cooks itself.

 

The seasoned water braise the pork quickly, making it tender. Simmering until all the liquid evaporates gives the pork its flavor.

 

Then eventually, the fat renders and the pork fries itself. The pork belly caramelizes and dinner is ready.

At home, I eat this simply with steamed rice, sometimes with a quick salad such as tomatoes with soy and lemon juice. If I were to put this on my menu, I will serve it with a romaine salad just like Caesar salad, with the pork belly replacing the bacon bits, making it a complete meal.

Bon appetit!

Boeuf Bourguignon

What dish will I cook first?

I cook on a daily basis, depending on the time I wake up. I thought, I would start with what I already have in my kitchen. First dish is Boeuf Bourguignon or Boeuf a la Bourguignonne. To make this dish, you need braising beef and a lot of red wine, preferably from Burgundy. I frequent the Niagara region to get my wine. Gamay and Aligoté grapes are now grown in this region. These varietals are close enough to Burgundian wines so this is what I decided to use. Actually, use the red wine that you enjoy drinking!

Cooking local, I looked outside my garden, there's not much left other than the vegetables under the ground. I dug up my little onions and my carrots.

There are so many recipes for Boeuf Bourguignon, it doesn't matter which one you use. The most important thing is that you understand the recipe before you start cooking. You must have a vision of the dish in your head. You should know that the beef should be tender with a very light glazing of the reduced sauce with flavors coming from your bacon, onions, mushrooms, red wine and bouquet garni: fresh thyme, parsley and bay leaf.

How do you achieve this? First, devote the time, you will need at least 3 hours.

Flirt with the ingredients in every step: 
sear, saute, simmer, braise, reduce, season, garnish...then fall in love. 

There's your Boeuf Bourguignon.

1 kg. Braising Beef (Rump, Blade or Shortribs) cut into big cubes, season with salt and pepper (coat with flour if you like), sear until brown and set aside.
5 strips of bacon cut into squares, sautee in a casserole with 1 shallots, 2 onions and 2 garlic cloves, a few mushrooms. Add the beef. At this point, you can add about 1/2 cup of brandy and flambe. Add 2 cups or  full bottle of red wine, if you like. Add enough beef stock to cover the meat. Season with salt and pepper, add a bouquet garni. Cover and let it simmer for at least 2 hours. Check regularly, make sure the bottom is not burning. If it's reducing too fast, add more stock. Add your garnish (baby carrots, pearl onions, mushrooms) when the beef is tender. Simmer. Adjust the seasoning. You could strain the sauce if you like, reduce it separately then whisk in some butter before serving. I serve my Boeuf Bourguignon with fried sliced baguette. Bon appetit! 

Victor's Boeuf Bourguignon