Nailed it!!!

[Jenise]

Lofty, perfect, great flavor. Gorgonzola and fresh rosemary (an inspiration, having used rosemary earlier in the day in something else and had the happy thought that rosemary's flavor is very pine-y, which would make it perfect in a Christmas souffle).

IMG_5257.JPG

(34.08 KiB) Downloaded 2029 times

Holy moly! That looks great! Gorgonzola and rosemary, you say...?

Nice choice of flavours, but also NICE RISE!
Looks very tasty

Looks and sounds fantastic!

Did you use a collar or did it do that by itself?

Nailed it! is so apt, Jenise. All I need is a spoon. Way to go, girl!

Pretty!

[Jenise]

Did you use a collar or did it do that by itself?

Used a collar of buttered parchment that I tied on with kitchen twine, Carl. Two other factors: 1) I added xantham gum to the egg mixture for more loft and stability and 2), unlike the souffles I posted about earlier in the week, I didn't put cheese on top so there was nothing to discourage the cap from rising as far as it wanted to go.

[Robin Garr]

Y to the um!

Wow....that is quite the work of art.

Absolutely gorgeous. I can taste it!
How many people did you make these for? Curious, because when I'm throwing a dinner party, I tend to stick to things that can be done mostly in advance and don't require too much attention when our guests are there. You served it as a first course, I assume?

[Jenise]

Carrie, I've been making them only for Bob and I over the past two weeks. After a lifetime of hating all things egg, suddenly scrambled eggs taste good to me (though I'm not exactly dying to eat them for breakfast yet) and I'm excited about souffles, an art form I've up til now only been able to admire from afar.

Tonight they'll be Christmas Eve dinner-for six's first course, and I think they're very manageable in this position. Two reasons: they're a perfect white wine pairing (where the next course will be pinot and the main will be a big red), AND I'll have perfect control over them since they'll be the first item we sit down to. The bechamel was made two days ago, so all I have to do is have it at room temp and ready to blend with the egg yolks, with the whites ready to go in the Kitchen Aid mixer and the cheeses and rosemary standing by. The ramekins will be prepped--the hardest part will probably be tying the collars on, and that's a task I can assign to my guests which will make it even more fun. All the guests will be in the kitchen anyway (you know how that goes) so no problem staying part of things while taking the five or six minutes needed for final assembly and getting them into the oven. Once they come out, I have a hot oven ready for the beef en croute which I'll fire when we sit down to the 'tween course of beet and salmon salads. The souffles will actually make a great show, especially since none of my guests have probably ever had a savory version.

Should work out just great. I'll let you know.

Turned out quite nicely! I may have to attempt these, but I'll need to practice separating whites and yolks (or corral someone who can).

[Jenise]

Turned out quite nicely! I may have to attempt these, but I'll need to practice separating whites and yolks (or corral someone who can).

If you don't mind getting your hands dirty, your own (clean) hand is a really easy way to go. Dump the cracked egg into one hand, and separate your fingers just enough to let the white slip through into one bowl, then toss the yolk into another. Easy peasy.

That's the style, Jenise! Getting your hands into the cooking is the best way!

Now THAT'S a souffle! I'm in awe.

-Paul W.

Wow, if it tastes half as good as it looks must be fantastic.

Beautifully done!