The markets are being flooded with fresh spring produce and i make it my personal goal to use as much as possible in the next few weeks. The latest discovery were young, tender stalks of fresh rhubarb. I love rhubarb and i can’t think of enough ways to use it but combine it with white chocolate in a glorious soufflé and it’s almost guaranteed you’ll eat them sitting on the kitchen floor as they come out of the oven. I mean… not that i would ever do anything like that..

Of course that’s assuming the poached rhubarb in syrup even make it to the soufflé. It’s hard to resist eating them straight out of the syrup, a temptation you shouldn’t take lightly if you’re known for you legendary sweet tooth and lack of restrain. Not that i am alluding to myself one bit here…

And there’s the white chocolate ganache with fresh vanilla bean sitting in a bowl on the kitchen counter ready to mingle with the egg whites. The natural instinct in most people would be to pick up a teaspoon to have a little taste. The next natural instinct, for those of us lacking self-control, would be to pick up a bigger spoon to have a bigger taste, and so forth…

Now, how did i end up with only 4 tiny soufflé cups with a recipe that serves 8?

Err.. I plead the fifth!.. My lawyer! I want to talk to my lawyer!!

• Rhubarb-White Chocolate Soufflé

• 
• Adapted from Francois Payard in Chocolate Epiphany
• serves 8

• • Rhubarb-White Chocolate Soufflé Recipe:

  • 3 1/2 ounces white chocolate (preferably Valhrona), chopped
  • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 2 teaspoons cornstarch
  • 2 large egg yolks
  • 1/4 cup whole milk
  • 1 vanilla bean, split
  • soft butter for the molds
  • 2 tablespoons sugar, plus more for the molds
  • 2 large egg yolks
  • 5 large egg whites

  • Poached Rhubarb:

  • 8 ounces rhubarb, trimmed, peeled and cut into chunks
  • 1 stalk lemongrass, cut into chunks
  • Grated zest of 1 lemon
  • Grated zest of 1 orange
  • 1/2 cup sugar
• 

  • For the Poached Rhubarb:

  • Preheat the oven to 400′ F.
  • Put the rhubarb in a baking dish. In a saucepan, add the lemongrass, zests, sugar and 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Pour the hot syrup over the rhubarb and place in the oven for about 12 minutes, or until the rhubarb is tender. Let it cool in the syrup.

  Rhubarb-White Chocolate Soufflé Recipe:

  • Put the chopped white chocolate in a medium bowl.
  • Mix the flour, sugar, cornstarch, and egg yolks in a medium bowl and whisk until combined.
  • Pour the milk into a saucepan and add the vanilla bean + seeds and bring to a boil.
  • Pour a half of the hot milk into the yolk mixture and mix it well. Transfer back the yolk mixture to the milk and cook over medium heat for 1 minutes, whisking constantly, until thick and smooth. Pour the hot custard over the white chocolate and stir until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth (if necessary, finish melting in a bain-marie). Cover with plastic wrap and let it cool to room temperature. Do not refrigerate.
  • Generously brush the ramequins with soft butter. Add sugar and swirl it around the ramequins to coat the sides and bottom. Pour out the excess sugar.
  • Drain rhubarb pieces on paper towels and place 3 or 4 chunks at the bottom of every ramequin. Refrigerate the ramequins until ready to use.
  • Whisk the egg yolks into the white chocolate soufflé base. Whip the egg whites on medium speed in a Kitchenaid. Gradually add the 2 tablespoons of sugar after they reach soft peaks. Whip until they reach stiff peaks.
  • Fold one scoop of the meringue into the soufflé base to lighten. Gently fold the remaining of the meringue until combined.
  • Fill the ramequins with the mixture, wiping off the butter and sugar from the rim with your thumb.
  • Bake 12 to 15 minutes at 400′F, until they have risen and golden on top. Serve immediately.

Making soufflés scares the cheese out of people, but we aren’t gonna be intimidated by a couple of egg whites, are we?

In this bleak economy you’ll appreciate to see something finally go up, even if it’s for a fleeting moment. My promise to you is that by the end of this post you’ll be able to levitate cheese with the power of your mind (okay, and with an oven at 350′F) so put on your magician hat, stretch your fingers and give your bunny rabbit a day off… or serve him as a second-course.

A soufflé is a fantastic way to begin a meal and the truth is, it’s not difficult to make at all. Photographing it before it collapses is way harder. The prepared batter can even sit for a while without loosing too much of it’s ‘puffing power’. Just pop the prepared ramequins into the oven when you’re ready to go and watch the magic happen.

The only thing that could go wrong is having guests away from the table when the soufflés arrive. You could velcro your guest’s buttocks to their respective chairs as one of many options. Tasers and whips work well too. Email me if you need more creative ways to keep your guests in check.

If you still consider a classic soufflé the culinary equivalent of walking on a tightrope over a snake pit check out my goat cheese souffle for the challenged post. Enjoy!
The perfect Cheese Soufflé

(serves 4)

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• a pinch of nutmeg
• 1 1/4 cup milk
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 10 ounces (total) of gruyere, comte and/or emmenthaler, grated
• 3 eggs, separated
• pinch of salt
• 1/4 cup parmegiano, grated

• Preheat the oven to 350′F. Butter generously the inside of four 8-ounce ramekins or crocks with 2 tablespoons of the softened butter. Divide the grated parmesan among the ramequins and rotate them so the cheese adheres to the butter all around (see picture above). Tap the excess cheese out and set aside. This step ensures that the souffles will rise properly.
• Melt the remaining 4 tablespoons in a medium size saucepan. Whisk in the flour and ‘cook’ the flour for 2 or 3 minutes. Do not brown it. Add the nutmeg and salt and whisk in the milk. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat, whisking occasionally. After 5 minutes the mixture should be thick and form ribbons when lifted.

• Stir in the grated cheeses stirring until smooth. Remove the pot from the heat and whisk in the egg yolks until fully incorporated. Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl.
• Put the egg whites in the bowl of a mixer, add a pinch of salt and beat at medium speed until stiff peaks have formed. Do not overwhip the whites!

• With a rubber spatula mix a quarter of the whites into the cheese mixture and fold the remaining whites gently but thoroughly. Divide the batter amongs the ramequins (3/4 full) and tap on a flat surface to even it out.
• Put the ramequins on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes, or until puffed and golden brown. Serve immediately.

- Hi Zen, How are you today? she said.
- I’m good M’dam. How are you?
- Great, what a lovely day!
- Yes, it’s beautiful outside. I said.
- You remember i invited Mr & Mrs Badnews for dinner, right? she said probably noticing the lack of activity in the kitchen.

(like my Friendly French Chef T-shirt? My buddy Furious chef made it.)

Being a self-control freak, i faked a smile and said: “Of course, mad’am”.

She’d mentioned the guests earlier in the week but i had totally forgotten.

-”Oh, and Mrs Badnews loves your desserts!” she said before leaving the kitchen.

I did a quick assessment of the situation. I would make a frisee salad with poached egg and crispy bacon for appetizer, i had enough sea bass with morels, ramps, fava beans and asparagus for an entree with a warm herb vinaigrette to go with the fish. A few canapes were ready to roll. Overall, i was in pretty good shape except for one small little detail: I had nothing for dessert. Nothing. Nada. Rien du tout except for a half-eaten pint of passion fruit sorbet.

This arrogant pint of sorbet must have felt the heat, when i opened it again it had melted into passion fruit puree. Sucker! Even the rats were leaving the ship. [A portion of this post containing lots of swearing and self-kicking was removed.]

Out of despair great things are born sometimes. In an extremely rare moment of brilliance, the Zenstein remembered this life saving equation addition learned in cooking school…

Fruit puree + Yolks + Meringue = Souffle!!

haha!! Who’s laughing now! You round piece of cardboard..er.. scum!!

These souffles took me 25 minutes to prepare from start to finish (and that includes the cooking time). They came out puffing warm passion-fruit goodness worth of a 4-stars restaurant. Serve with some fresh passion fruit if available and you’ll be in heaven. Enjoy!

Passion-Fruit Souffles

• 4 large egg yolks, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup passion-fruit puree (or yes, melted sorbet!)
• 3/4 cup egg whites (about 4 large eggs)
• 1/4 cup plus 1 Tbsp sugar
• Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting
• 2 fresh passion fruits (optional)

1. Center a rack in the oven and preheat to 375′F.
2. Generously butter the inside and rims of four 6 ounce ramequins. Dust the inside and rims with sugar. Tap out the excess sugar and put the dishes on a baking sheet.
3. Whisk together the egg yolks and passion-fruit puree in a large bowl until well blended; set aside.
4. Put the egg whites in the bowl of a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Beat on medium-low speed until foamy. Increase the speed to medium-high and gradually add the sugar, beating until the whites form glossy medium-stiff peaks. Using a large rubber spatula and a light touch, fold the meringue into the passion fruit mixture until well incorporated but not overmixed.

5. Spoon the souffle mixture into the dishes up to their rims. Run your thumb along the outside edge to remove any excess butter and sugar. Bake the souffles 15 to 20 minutes, until puffed and lightly golden. If you touch the tops o the souffles, they should be firm with centers that are still a bit jiggly.

6. Dust the souffles with confectioners’ sugar and serve immediately. Serve a half passion fruit on the side if available and instruct guests to scoop some of the pulp in the souffle. Enjoy.

It’s showtime and the souffles go into the oven at the right moment, the Concierto ends within the time frame and the guests are seated shortly after, the ballet of waiters pouring wine and serving bread runs smoothly. The souffles come out of the oven perfectly puffed with a golden brown crust and are ready to meet their fate. At this exact moment in the middle of a lavish display of jewelry and designer dresses, one of the few billionaires sitting at the table decides to get up and make a little speech followed by a toast. The maitre d’ runs into the kitchen shouting: HOLD IT! (the following exchange between the chef and the maitre d’ has been censored to preserve the innocence of small childrens, kittens and white rabbits who might come across this blog). You watch as your beautiful souffles deflates, your sense of impending doom was once again, correct.

You think that would be the end of the battle?…Think not!

Private Chefs are equipped with an armory of fool-proof recipes and the following one is no exception. A goat cheese souffle that ,when baked twice, regains it’s original puffiness, and let me tell you my friends, puffiness is Godliness. You can serve it as a first course unmolded over a Mache salad with pine nuts tossed with your favorite vinaigrette or as part of a cheese course (see picture above). Be your own boss!

• 10 ounces soft Goat cheese (Coach Farm), crumbled
• 2 ounces firm goat cheese, crumbled
• 4 large eggs, separated
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter (plus more for ramequins)
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 cup whole milk
• 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
• Salt and black pepper to taste

____________

1. Preheat the oven to 375′F
2. Butter 6 3/4 cup ramequins and set aside
3. Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat and add flour (roux)
4. Cook roux for 3 or 4 minutes, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon
5. Whisk in the milk and keep whisking until the mixture boils and thickens
6. Remove from the heat and add yolks, mustard, thyme, soft goat cheese and salt and pepper to taste. Whisk until smooth.
7. In a separate bowl with an electric mixer, beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt to stiff peaks
8. Add the firm goat cheese to the cheese mixture and thoroughly fold in the egg whites
9. Divide the mixture among the ramequins and place in a bain marie
10. Add hot water to reach halfway up the sides of the ramequins
11. Bake 25 minutes until puffed and golden brown
12. Serve immediately or let them cool unmolded and reheat as needed, they will puff up again nicely

I hope you’ll enjoy it. Cheers!