Souffle

14 Jan 2024

I made the soufflé from Jacques Pépin’s Complete Techniques, inspired by seeing him cook it with Ming Tsai. While it seemed effortless on screen, I did need to use an electric mixer. My soufflé rose beautifully, but unfortunately, two sides were stuck because I didn’t drag my finger deep enough around the ramekin’s rim. Remember, when fingering the ramekin, go all the way down! I was surprised by how quickly they deflated, but learned that’s normal.

Jacques’s recipe uses chocolate instead of flour for structure, which was interesting. This was my first time eating a soufflé! It reminded me a bit of the Chinese paper-wrapped sponge cake (紙包蛋糕) in texture. While delicious, I don’t think I’ll make it again regularly unless someone requests it, as it needs immediate serving.