Soufflés on the Rise

Recipes by Della Gossett, Pastry Chef, Spago Beverly Hills

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A dessert soufflé is a perfect way to finish a spectacular meal and leave your guests with one final emorable moment. The soufflé is a series of contrasts – light and airy, hot and cold, sweet and savory, and is a satisfying way to finish a meal and a great complement to a variety of dessert wines. It is also extremely visual and interactive and able to turn heads of surrounding diners as it makes its way across the restaurant and served to the lucky recipients.

We all know that soufflés are also a balancing act that requires impeccable timing, skill and training. We spent some time with Della Gossett, Pastry Chef, Spago Beverly Hills, who loves to make and serve dessert soufflés. She has some delicious recipes and pairings to share and some helpful tips to help you deliver a great soufflé experience.

Chef Della’s Souffle Tips and Tricks

Here are a few tips and tricks that I follow when preparing and serving soufflés on a busy night of service to make sure that I deliver a great soufflé experience.

Preparation: Many soufflé recipes can be finished in soufflé ramekins and kept at least for most of dinner service, approximately 5-6 hours. Very stable soufflés, like chocolate, can be saved overnight. We test all newly developed soufflés for correct timing.

Baking: We like our soufflés to go out creamy in the center. This ensures that we don’t overbake the soufflé, thus causing it to fall prematurely. Some soufflés also do a little carry-over cooking as they go to the table.

Timing: We fire soufflés all night, so it’s very important that you have a timer that can accommodate all rotating bake times. I’ve found a timer by Taylor that has a mini dry erase board divided into 4 sections that keeps all our soufflés organized. After we’ve figured out the bake time, for example 12 minutes, I will divide the timing of each soufflé so we can alert the dessert plater to prepare for the soufflé and organize all the other desserts that need to go out at the same time. For a 12-minute fire, it would be 9 by 3 minutes. At the 3-minute mark, we would call a warning to the dessert plater. The cook that is firing the soufflé would then wipe off the “9” on the dry erase timer so everyone knows the soufflé is on the “3 minute” mark.

Organization: When plating soufflés with many components, organization is key. If possible, prefill your components like creams, crumbles, sauces ahead of time for a smooth transition. Make sure your front-of-house servers have all the tools and knowledge to make your soufflé delivery a success, for example, service spoons if they are doing table side service, linens, etc.

Hazelnut Crêpe Soufflé with Teff Crêpes and Milk Chocolate Shaved “Truffle”

Wine pairings with desserts are one of my favorite things to suggest to really bring out the flavor of the dessert and the wine. This Hazelnut Crêpe Soufflé was created by pairing a chocolate dessert with Banyuls, a dessert wine, which has notes of red fruits, toasted nuts and a touch of spice, perfect for black truffles, chocolate and roasted hazelnuts. For this dessert experience, shaving the Milk Chocolate Hazelnut Truffle tableside is a fun way to interact with the guest. It melts on the warm teff crêpe soufflé, creating an aroma of sweet malty caramel, hazelnuts and chocolate. The teff crêpe lends earthiness and the cold black truffle gelato rounds the flavors together in the dessert

Teff CRÊPE

• 260 g teff flour
• 60 g granulated sugar
• 1 tsp fine sea salt
• 10 g instant espresso powder
• 20 g Guittard Cocoa Rouge cocoa powder
• 560 g milk
• 200 g eggs
• 60 g unsalted butter, melted and kept warm
• 500 g Guittard Cocoa Rouge and Dark
• Cocoa powder, 50/50 blend for dusting

1. Mix all the dry ingredients (except the cocoa powder blend for dusting) in a bainmarie. Add the milk and eggs and blend until smooth with an immersion blender. With the blender running, stream in the butter.

2. Refrigerate overnight.

Note: To be used when making the crêpe soufflé and individual soufflé.

Milk Chocolate Hazelnut “Truffle”

• 300 g Guittard 38% Soleil D’Or Milk
• Chocolate Wafers
• 72 g cocoa butter
• 720 g hazelnut praline paste, 50%
• 240 g paillete feuilletine
• 2 g fleur de sel

1. Temper the milk chocolate with the cocoa butter. Whisk in the hazelnut praline paste until homogenous. Fold in the paillete feuilletine and fleur de sel.

2. Using aluminum foil, create pouches to resemble black truffles. Let crystallize.

3. Roll “truffles” in a blend of Guittard Cocoa Rouge and Guittard Dark Cocoa Powder. Press into the chocolate form and use the warmth of your hands to create the shape of a truffle.
   

   

Crumble Base

• 160 g bread flour
• 180 g granulated sugar
• 90 g unsalted butter, cubed and cold

1. Combine the bread flour and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the cold butter and paddle the mixture until butter is well blended and a sandy texture is achieved.

2. Set aside until ready to use.

Hazelnut Milk

• 1000 g hazelnuts
• 250 g milk

1. Roast the hazelnuts.

2. Heat the milk and add the roasted hazelnuts. Blend with an immersion blender and refrigerate overnight.

Hazelnut Soufflé

• 400 g Hazelnut Milk (see recipe above)
• 287 g Crumble Base (see recipe above)
• 80 g egg yolks
• 10 g vanilla extract
• 5 g salt
• 100 g hazelnut praline paste, 50%
• 242 g egg whites, at room temperature
• 5 g cream of tartar
• 90 g granulated sugar
• 30 g cornstarch
• ¼ tsp cream of tartar
• Generous pinch fine sea salt

1. Bring Hazelnut Milk to a simmer. Add 287 g Crumble Base and whisk together until Cool slightly, then add egg yolks, vanilla extract, salt and hazelnut praline paste. Whisk until smooth. Note: the hazelnut base can be made ahead of time, but must be blended until smooth.

2. Just before serving your soufflé, make the meringue: Whip egg whites with cream of tartar to soft peaks. Gradually add the sugar and whip egg whites until firm, but not dry. Sprinkle in cornstarch and finish by gently folding until just incorporated. Fold 1/3 of the meringue into the batter just to loosen the hazelnut mixture. Gently fold in the remaining whites. Use this soufflé base immediately when making the Crêpe Soufflé. 

Note: For the Crêpe Soufflé, place a teff crêpe on a baking sheet. Spoon hazelnut soufflé batter on half of the crepe folding the other half on top. Bake at 375°F (90°C) for about 10 minutes.

Black Truffle Gelato 

• 928 g whole milk
• 175 g heavy cream
• 26 g invert sugar
• Black truffle shavings, as needed
• 210 g egg yolks
• 52 g non-fat milk powder
• 280 g granulated sugar
• 28 g glucose powder
• 44 g dextrose
• 5 g ice cream stabilizer
• Fine sea salt, as needed

1. Heat the milk, cream and invert sugar; add black truffle shavings and infuse overnight in the refrigerator.

2. Blend the yolks into the cold truffle mixture.

3. Mix all dry ingredients together. Whisk the dry ingredients into the truffle-infused liquid. Pasteurize the gelato base. Add salt to taste.

4. Fill a Paco Jet container as directed by the manufacturer.

5. Freeze and spin when needed.

S’Mores Soufflé 

I’m always trying to find a twist for a chocolate soufflé. The components of a S’more are chocolate, marshmallow and graham cracker. Smoked vanilla and toasted marshmallow, reminiscent of cooking over a campfire, is the inspiration for this soufflé. I opted to bring balance by pairing those two ingredients with a dark chocolate soufflé made with melted chocolate. I like to use organic ingredients in my recipes whenever possible, and Guittard’s 66% Organic Bittersweet Chocolate Wafers are ideal for this soufflé. They have subtle fruit notes with well-rounded rich chocolate undertones and a light touch of molasses with soft tannins. The soufflé is topped with a smoked vanilla marshmallow with a hint of orange and finished with house-made chocolate sauce made with Guittard 100% Oban Wafers. Vanilla gelato, graham cracker crumble and dark chocolate sauce are served on the side.

Smoked Marshmallow Fluff 

• 390 g light corn syrup
• 150 g granulated sugar
• 5 g smoked vanilla sugar
• ½ smoked vanilla bean, split and scraped
• Zest from ¼ orange
• 135 g egg whites, at room temperature

1. Cook corn syrup, sugar, vanilla sugar, vanilla bean and zest together to 239°F (115°C). Turn off the heat and let the bubbles fade a little. Carefully remove vanilla pod.

2. In the meantime, whip the egg white to soft peaks. With the mixer running, stream the hot vanilla syrup into the egg whites. Turn mixer to high and whip until stiff peaks form. Store in an airtight container in the cooler until ready to use.

Graham Cracker Crumble

• 200 g graham flour or whole wheat flour
• 80 g pastry flour
• ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ¾ tsp salt
• 70 g granulated sugar
• 55 g honey
• 150 g unsalted butter, cubed and cold
• 1 egg

1. Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, blend first 6 ingredients together for 1 minute until combined.

2. Add the honey, butter and egg. Continue mixing until mixture is crumbly, resembling granola. Spread out onto sheet pan, and dry out in cooler, unwrapped.

3. Bake at 325°F (160°C) until golden brown. Stir with a spatula while still warm to break up into pieces, if necessary.

Chocolate Soufflé

• 340 g Guittard 66% Organic Dark
• Chocolate, plus broken pieces as needed
• 106 g unsalted butter
• 400 g egg whites
• ¼ tsp cream of tartar
• 150 g granulated sugar

1. Melt the 340 g chocolate and the butter together over a water bath to 114°F (46°C).

2. Whip the egg whites and cream of tartar to soft peaks. Slowly stream in sugar and whip to form firm and shiny peaks.

3. Fold 1/3 of the meringue into the chocolate mixture to lighten the base. Gently fold in the remaining meringue.

4. Put the soufflé in a piping bag. No tip needed – cut a generous hole at the tip to prevent souffle from deflating. Pipe into vessel, adding broken chocolate wafers as desired.
   

   

Marshmallow Soufflé

• 100 g egg whites, at room temperature
• Generous pinch of cream of tartar
• 30 g granulated sugar
• 360 g Marshmallow Fluff

1. Whip the egg whites and cream of tartar together to soft peaks. Sprinkle in the sugar and whip until meringue is firm, yet still smooth.

2. Add 1/3 of the meringue into the fluff to loosen the base. Gently fold in the remaining meringue. Put the marshmallow base into a piping bag fitted with a large round tip.

Assembly

1. Prepare the soufflé dishes with softened butter and sugar.

2. Pipe a ring of Marshmallow Soufflé around the edge of the soufflé dish. Pipe the chocolate soufflé in the middle, adding chocolate wafer pieces throughout. Hold soufflés in the cooler and bake to order. These soufflés will keep for approximately 5 hours.

3. Bake for approximately 12 minutes, depending on the size of the dish. Testing is necessary.

Additional ingredients

Serve with Graham Cracker Crumble, Whipped Crème Fraiche, extra Marshmallow Fluff, House Made Chocolate Sauce or Smoked Vanilla Gelato, if desired.

Pistachio Chocolate Chip Soufflé with Raspberry Stracciatella

I enjoy going to the Santa Monica Farmers’ Market to look for seasonal fruits, nuts, herbs and even vegetables to use as inspiration for desserts. The Farmers’ Market berries are so lovely, and I enjoy all their different varieties and flavors. Raspberries, as well as other berries and fruit, change in flavor as the season and varieties change. The Santa Barbara pistachios are also so delicious here. Along with their pistachios, they also press their own 100% pistachio oil and nut pastes.

The Pistachio Chocolate Chip Soufflé with Raspberry Stracciatella is a favorite at Spago. We serve the pistachio and Guittard chocolate chip soufflé with soft, whipped crème fraiche that is topped tableside with raspberry sauce. I prefer not to top soufflés with gelato, because the contrast of chilled whipped crème fraiche and a touch of raspberry sauce adds the perfect amount of acidity. Raspberry Stracciatella is served on the side for a refreshing treat.

Pistachio Paste

• 400 g Santa Barbara Pistachios, raw
• 50 g Santa Barbara 100% pressed pistachio oil
• 1/4 tsp fine sea salt

1. Put all ingredients into a Paco Jet container. Process as many times as needed to achieve desired consistency of paste.
   

   

Pistachio Soufflé

• 400 g Pistachio Paste
• 40 g pistachio oil
• 1360 g egg whites, at room temperature
• 1064 g granulated sugar, divided
• 4 g cream of tartar
• 360 g water
• Handful of chopped Guittard 66% Organic Bittersweet Chocolate Wafers (6 pieces per soufflé)

1. Place the Pistachio Paste and oil into a large bowl.

2. Begin to whip the egg whites with 104 g of the sugar and the cream of tartar to soft and foamy peaks.

3. While the whites begin to whip, cook the water and the remaining 960 g sugar to 235°F (113°C).

4. Stream the hot syrup into the meringue. Beat to medium peaks that are shiny and smooth.

5. Fold 1/3 of the meringue into the Pistachio Paste mixture to soften the paste. Carefully fold the remaining meringue into the lightened batter.

6. Spoon the soufflé batter into the prepared buttered and sugared ramekins. Alternate the batter with Guittard 66% Organic Bittersweet Wafers. Bake at 375°F (190°C).

Candied Pistachios

• 350 g Santa Barbara pistachios
• 40 g granulated sugar
• 30 g water
• 5 g honey
• 7 g fleur de sel

1. Place the pistachios in a mixing bowl.

2. Combine the sugar, water and honey and bring to boil. Cook for a few additional minutes. Let the bubbles dissipate. Pour syrup over the pistachios. Stir to coat. Sprinkle with the fleur de sel. Cast pistachios onto a Silpat-lined sheet pan. Bake for about 12-14 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, at 325°F (160°C).

3. When toasted, stir pistachios until cool and separated.

Raspberry Stracciatella

• 2000 g milk
• 700 g heavy cream
• 90 g dextrose
• 500 g granulated sugar
• 225 g glucose powder
• 90 g non-fat dry milk powder
• 2000 g raspberry purée
• 15 g vanilla extract
• 30 g Chambord or raspberry liqueur
• 450 g Guittard 66% Organic Bittersweet
• Chocolate, melted and cooled

1. Prepare and pasteurize gelato base, chill.

2. Add raspberry purée, vanilla and liqueur.

3. Spin gelato in the machine as directed.

4. Using a pastry bag, drizzle fine lines of chocolate into the gelato while stirring, to create chips

(This article appeared in the Summer 2023 issue of Pastry Arts Magazine)