Souffles

Preparation

1. Doesn’t rise (or rises, then sinks during baking)

   Step 1

   It probably still tastes good (perhaps even better; a collapsed chocolate soufflé we created while doing research for this book was wonderfully dense and chocolatey). To disguise a sunken savory (nonsweet) soufflé, remove it from the pan, cover with cheese, and broil. Call it a frittata. Or simply cover it with a sauce appropriate to the ingredients. A sweet soufflé can be covered with whipped cream or a sauce.

   Step 2

   Traditional soufflés won’t rise again if reheated. Some cookbooks offer recipes for “double-rising” soufflés that do, in fact, rise again when reheated. We’re not using up three pages to present these, because we feel it is more a matter of the ego than the palate.

   Step 3

   Next time, be sure to bake the soufflé on the lowest rack in the oven. This is partly because it is hotter down there (in most ovens), and partly so that, as it does rise, it won’t smash into the top of the oven, quite possibly lifting the roof off your house.

2. Top is browning too fast

   Step 4

   Make a foil “lid” to cover it. You’ll have to guess the approximate size because you shouldn’t take the soufflé out of the oven while it’s baking. Cut a circle about 2 inches wider than the top of the soufflé. Bend the edges up about 1 inch in from the outside (to make a pie tin–like shape). Oil the inside lightly. Open the oven and quickly slide the foil, oiled side down, onto the soufflé and continue baking.

3. Uncrowned

   Step 5

   To make a crown, just before baking, run a knife around the mixture about 1 inch from the edge. The tip of the knife should be near but not at the bottom of the pan.