"Dee Randall" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:I don't like to cross-post, so since I know there are experienced bakers
here, I'll pose my question here instead of the 'baking' newsgroup.
I was watching Alton Brown doing Souffles - a whole program on it -
Cheese Souffle
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_19915,00.html
His recipe had no collar and it did not rise above the dish (well, maybe a
teensy bit). He called for an 8" mold and did talk about different sizes
for different recipes.
Then I watched a show on Cookworks, where they did a Cheese souffle and
she used a collar, and it rose above the dish. Her recipe does not call
for a specific sized mold.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_26372,00.html
Is a souffle more desirable when it rises over the edge; i.e., desirable
in other than appearance?
Thanks,
Dee Dee
Dee, if you use an 8" souffle mold the crust won't rise above the edge, even
with eight egg whites. A lot of recipes say don't go over 6". I routinely
use the 8" mold and I tend to collar anyway, even though it only keeps the
upper "cap" from spilling over. To address your question, other than
appearance, the rising over the edge doesn't mean anything.
I do almost exclusively dinner, or main course souffles, so the puffy
appearance doesn't affect us too much, and the smoked salmon doesn't spill
over witht he 8" mold.
BTW, I, being heart conscious, always use a maximum of two yolks in the
bechemal sauce, even before adding extra whites. I've even done a souffle
with no yolk. That is pretty bland.
For best results, don't beat your whites too stiffly, and add 25% of the
beaten whites into the bechemal before proceeding with final composition of
your souffle. Souffle is one of our absolute favorite main courses.
Good Luck,
Kent