do soufflés scare you?

cooking soufflés are tricky and fiddly, its true!

but it should not be something you don't try to cook yourself.

in most soufflé recipes, you make the 'custard' or flavouring separate to whisking the egg whites.  This is good news at it means all of the elements can be prepared early and even the  separated egg whites can just sit in the mixer or a bowl waiting to be whisked at the last minute before popping them in the oven.  

basically soufflés are done in particular steps.  You must follow the steps exactly how it is written in the recipe and once you have completed each step, you can breathe a bit easier until the next one!  

but, if you are still hesitant about cooking soufflés, then I suggest the first type of soufflé you should cook is twice-baked.  My favourite is a  twice-baked cheese soufflé with a Gruyere cheese sauce and hazelnut salad.  The recipe is by Manu Fiedel and it is brilliant!  Here is a link to the recipe if you would like to give it a go yourself.

I cook this for dinner parties all of the time because it can be prepared in advance right up until the final bake and its a show stopper!! it was one of the recipes I would demonstrate in my cooking classes for both adults and kids because it is easy to follow, impresses the guests and delicious.

it also has a little fail-safe as it is twice-baked.   You do no need to worry about it rising up and flopping as soon as it gets to the table. The end dish will always look beautiful and taste delicious so no one has thought about how high it has risen or whether it looks 'perfect!  They just eat it all up and rave about it.

give the twice-bake soufflé a go and let me know in the comments section  how it went.  If you would like any further information or, if you live in Perth, and would like to arrange a cooking class with some friends around cooking soufflés, then contact me at [email protected].

happy cooking and just remember if you are worried about it flopping, just get all of the guests into the kitchen just as you are getting it out of the oven so they can go 'ooooooowwee' and remember how high it was before it cools down!!!!!