A thing of beauty is a joy forever, that is what John Keats said but that is definitely not true in the case of soufflé.
A thing of beauty is a joy forever, that is what John Keats said but that is definitely not true in the case of soufflé. The beauty of a soufflé lasts for not more than 10 minutes, more about that later.
Now, most of us have a very different perception of soufflé. The inevitable elaneer soufflé served at the end of a nice Malayali buffet is indeed a treat to our sweet tooth with the refreshing flavour of tender coconut, but is no where related to the original one. It is in fact closer to a panacotta.
Soufflé is originally a puffed up baked classic from the classic French cook houses which can be savoury or sweet depending on the ingredients you use. It has two components, a cream patisserie base imparting the flavour and the soft beaten egg whites which give the lift and the lightness. The savoury versions include cheese, spinach, carrot or even a sweet potato one in more Asian or Latin influenced ones and the sweet ones have the usual suspects, chocolates, berries and the rest of the ilk. My personal favourite is the Gruyere cheese soufflé with a hint of parsley and bacon bits, the salty smokiness of bacon giving that edge.
Soufflés are usually baked in ramekins, and it has to be served hot, the joy when you puncture the top and dig into the deliciousness just cannot be described in words. It definitely requires a lot of skill to bake a perfect one. No wonder you see all amateur home cooks sweating it out to bake one in the Masterchef challenges!
The writer is a management professional who blows up all his salary on food
