Paula H
12-17-2003, 02:34 PM
Last year there are the thread asking what dish we were afraid to try, and I replied souffle. I then got to wondering why I was afraid of trying it, I mean, what's it going to do, hurt me? Point and laugh at me? Tell the world I suck at making souffle?
So I decided that at some point this year, I was going to make souffle.
Last weekend, I realised I was running out of year to be making it in. So I rang up a friend and borrowed her souffle dish, grabbed my recipe books, and told my boyfriend I was making souffle, so to be prepared for whatever happened.
I choose the chocolate souffle (well, it had to be chocolate, didn't it????) from Steven Raichlen's "High-Flavour Low-Fat Cooking". After my boyfriend had cooked us dinner and we'd finished eating (he cooks for me every Wednesday), I attacked the kitchen. Cocoa everywhere, the whisking of chocolate mixture, cracking seven eggs in order to get the five egg whites I needed (I'm so glad I decided not to "cheat" for once and didn't do them all into the same bowl!!), the whir of electric beaters, and then folding it all together.... my hands were shaking as I put the souffle into the oven.
Twelve minutes later, I went back into the kitchen, feeling pretty nervous, flicked on the oven light and.... a beautifully risen souffle was in there! I took it out slooooooowly, put it down on the bench, then raced out to drag my boyfriend back to see it. He was really impressed (he's a fantastic cook, but pretty much never bakes).
I sprinkled it with icing sugar, served it up, along with my first two strawberries of the season, and we ate.... heaven. Soft and sweet (but not too sweet) and velvety and delicious. We had all four servings between us, while I kept sitting there saying "I made souffle!!".
When I was in the bathroom taking off my makeup later, I heard a scraping sound in the kitchen - it was my boyfriend picking at the souffle dish, trying to get the last bits off it. He left for work this morning all ready to tell his best friend about how I made souffle last night.
I'm so happy and delighted, and have no idea why I was afraid of trying to earlier. I think possibly because I always hear people going on about their souffles falling, like it's the end of the world.
Next up, cheesecake (not afraid of it, just have never made it) and I want to make mousse from scratch (haven't done that since I was about 11), and both my boyfriend and I are going to try perfecting pastry making for pies.
So I decided that at some point this year, I was going to make souffle.
Last weekend, I realised I was running out of year to be making it in. So I rang up a friend and borrowed her souffle dish, grabbed my recipe books, and told my boyfriend I was making souffle, so to be prepared for whatever happened.
I choose the chocolate souffle (well, it had to be chocolate, didn't it????) from Steven Raichlen's "High-Flavour Low-Fat Cooking". After my boyfriend had cooked us dinner and we'd finished eating (he cooks for me every Wednesday), I attacked the kitchen. Cocoa everywhere, the whisking of chocolate mixture, cracking seven eggs in order to get the five egg whites I needed (I'm so glad I decided not to "cheat" for once and didn't do them all into the same bowl!!), the whir of electric beaters, and then folding it all together.... my hands were shaking as I put the souffle into the oven.
Twelve minutes later, I went back into the kitchen, feeling pretty nervous, flicked on the oven light and.... a beautifully risen souffle was in there! I took it out slooooooowly, put it down on the bench, then raced out to drag my boyfriend back to see it. He was really impressed (he's a fantastic cook, but pretty much never bakes).
I sprinkled it with icing sugar, served it up, along with my first two strawberries of the season, and we ate.... heaven. Soft and sweet (but not too sweet) and velvety and delicious. We had all four servings between us, while I kept sitting there saying "I made souffle!!".
When I was in the bathroom taking off my makeup later, I heard a scraping sound in the kitchen - it was my boyfriend picking at the souffle dish, trying to get the last bits off it. He left for work this morning all ready to tell his best friend about how I made souffle last night.
I'm so happy and delighted, and have no idea why I was afraid of trying to earlier. I think possibly because I always hear people going on about their souffles falling, like it's the end of the world.
Next up, cheesecake (not afraid of it, just have never made it) and I want to make mousse from scratch (haven't done that since I was about 11), and both my boyfriend and I are going to try perfecting pastry making for pies.