The other night I was watching "The Shopping Bags" on TV (Jana’s choice); it is a fun informative show on the the W Network. Anna and Kristina were testing the claim as to whether or not The Joy of Cooking’s latest edition could make anyone a great home cook. They chose some recipes and had a local chef come in to critique the end results. It was fun to watch, because I am both a home cook and a chef. One of the recipes they chose was a soufflé, ambitious considering they both made no claims to be great cooks. Watching Anna and Kristina inspired me to try out a soufflé recipe myself.

I really enjoy making and eating a great soufflé -- they are an “eggcellent” way to use eggs in a recipe and are the ultimate challenge for any home cook! Soufflés require a little confidence, organization, timing, a number of culinary techniques and a gentle touch!

For a light lunch or dinner, a savoury flavoured soufflé is perfect. They are generally based on a béchamel sauce, which is milk thickened with a roux (flour and butter). The well beaten egg yolks and flavourings are then stirred in, away from the heat, and the mixture is allowed to cool to room temperature before it is seasoned and the egg whites are lovingly folded in. Sweet Soufflés on the other hand are based on custard thickened with egg yolks. It is then flavoured and lightened with the whipped egg whites before being baked and served with a dessert sauce poured in and overtop.

If you’ve never made one before, you should, it may take you a couple of cracks at it to get it right, but the results are oh so good! Here are a few tips to get you on the right path to great soufflé.

• No matter which type of soufflé you are making, they need to be served immediately after taking them out of the oven, as they start to deflate almost instantly!
• Have your eggs at room temperature before getting started with your recipe. This will help avoid scrambled egg yolks in the base and will allow you to get the most volume out of your egg whites when you are whipping them.
• Pre-heat your oven and keep the door closed. This will bring instant and consistent heat which is vital to the rise of your soufflé.
• Be gentle when you are folding the egg whites into the soufflé base, otherwise you will loose all the air and lift in your soufflé. You also need to be gentle removing them from the oven and serving them at the table -- a good thump could result in instant deflation!
• Because timing is vital, have all of your ingredients and equipment ready to go; pre-heat your oven, prepare the baking dishes etc.
• Have fun and don’t sweat your mistakes!

Happy Cooking!
Chef Ryan Skelton

Herb and Goat’s Soufflé
Makes: 6 soufflés
Prep time: 45 minutes
Total time: 60 minutes

400 mL milk
1 small onion, peeled and halved
2 bay leaves
5 cloves
4 tbsp (60 mL) Compliments Organic Unsalted Butter [1], separated
3 tbsp (45 mL) Compliments All Purpose Flour [2]
6 Compliments large eggs, separated
2 tbsp (30 mL) each chopped fresh thyme, parsley and chives
2 tubs (112g each) Compliments Goat’s Milk Cheese Crumbles [3]
Pinch each sea salt and fresh ground black pepper
Cornmeal as needed

1. Attach the bay leaves to the onion using the cloves to secure them in place. Set the onion in a small sauce pan, add the milk and heat the milk over medium high heat and keep warm.
2. In a medium sized sauce pan, melt 3 tbsp (45 mL) of butter over medium heat, add the flour, stirring and cooking for 1-2 minutes. While whisking, slowly incorporate the warm milk to avoid lumps, you can discard the onion, bay leaves and cloves, they have done their job. Simmer the milk, stirring often until the roux has cooked out and the béchamel has thickened (about 10 minutes). Remove from the heat, stir in the 6 well-beaten egg yolks, goat’s cheese crumbles, the fresh herbs and season with salt & pepper, stir until slightly cooled and set aside to cool to room temperature.
3. Meanwhile, pre-heat your oven to 425°F (218°C), butter 6 oven safe ramekins or 1 large soufflé dish with the remaining 1 tbsp (15 mL) of butter and coat the insides with cornmeal, set them on a baking tray.
4. Whish the egg whites to stiff peaks and gently fold them into the soufflé base, don’t over mix! Fill the soufflé dishes ¾ full with the mixture and bake in the hot oven.
5. Carefully remove from the oven, gently set on plates and serve immediately.

Nutritional Analysis per Serving:
Energy: 300 (kcal)
Protein: 12 g
Fat: 21 g
Saturated Fat: 12 g
Cholesterol: 270 mg
Carbohydrates: 11 g
Fibre: 1 g
Sodium: 240 mg
Potassium: 235 mg

Individual-sized soufflés will take around 11-14 minutes, while one large soufflé will take almost 30 minutes to cook.