Vanilla Souffles With Vanilla Creme Sauce Recipes

HOT VANILLA SOUFFLE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Brush 4 to 6 individual souffle dishes (or a 7-cup souffle dish) well with melted butter. Put the sugar inside one dish and toss to coat, then tip the excess sugar into the next dish and repeat. Place the dishes in the refrigerator to chill.
• Reserving 1/3 cup of the milk, place the remaining 1 cup in a large saucepan. Add the vanilla bean and heat just to a boil, then turn off the heat and set aside to let the vanilla bean infuse for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk the 1/3 cup granulated sugar, the flour, and the reserved 1/3 cup milk. Add a little of the hot milk and whisk to combine, then add the flour mixture to the hot milk mixture in the saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, whisking occasionally. Simmer just until thickened, about 1 minute. Turn off the heat. Add the butter, stir, cover, and set aside 15 minutes. Remove the vanilla bean and whisk in the egg yolks.
• In a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment (or using a hand mixer), whip the egg whites in a clean dry bowl until soft peaks form. Add the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar and continue whipping until stiff and glossy. Fold into the milk mixture.
• Pour the mixture into the prepared dishes, filling them 3/4 full. Run your thumb around the inside rim of each dish, making a shallow "moat" around the edge of the batter. This will help the souffles to rise straight up. Dust the surfaces with confectioners' sugar. (The souffles can stand at this point for up to 30 minutes.) Bake in the center of the oven until puffed and light golden brown, 20 to 30 minutes. Do not open the oven door unless absolutely necessary.
• Satin Chocolate Sauce: Combine the 2 chocolates over simmering water in the top half of a double boiler. Stir constantly until melted, then whisk in the syrup and water without removing the double boiler from the heat. Whisk until smooth and shiny. (The sauce can be made up to 48 hours in advance and refrigerated. To rewarm, stir over low heat or heat in a microwave.) At the table, serve the hot souffles by poking a hole in each one and pouring chocolate sauce into the hole, then drizzling sauce over the tops. For a large souffle, spoon onto dessert plates and drizzle sauce on each serving.

VANILLA SOUFFLE

Steps:

• To prepare dish for a sweet souffle always rub the inside of dish generously with butter, then sprinkle with sugar, tapping out the excess. If any souffle is been baked in the oven as this one -- put a double collar around the outside of the dish about two inches higher than top, and secure on the outside with a string.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. F.
• Scald one cup of the milk, if using a vanilla bean put it into the milk cover and leave to infuse 15 minutes.
• Reheat the milk to a boil, remove the bean and add the sugar.
• If using extract then just add extract to scalded milk.
• Blend the remaining cold milk with the flour and arrowroot to make a smooth paste.
• Stir into the hot milk and bring to a boil and stir constantly. Boil for 2 or 3 seconds, and then remove from heat, dot with the butter, cover and let stand for 6 minutes to slightly meld and cool.
• Now stir to mix in the butter and add more vanilla if desired to taste.
• Beat in the egg yolks one at a time.
• Beat the egg whites until they hold a stiff peaks, using a metal spoon fold in some of the whites about one quarter into the yolk custard mixture to lighten the weight of the custard. Then now add remaining whites mixture and fold together as lighlty as possible.
• Transfer the mixture to the prepared souffle dish and bake at once in the preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes -- until its puffed and golden brown.
• Remove the paper collar, sprinkle with powdered sugar, and serve at once.

VANILLA SOUFFLE

Steps:

• Butter and sugar eight 6-ounce soufflé dishes, including the rim of each dish.
• In a medium saucepan over high heat, combine milk and vanilla bean with scrapings.
• Bring to a boil, and remove from heat.
• Cover, and let steep for 1 hour.
• Remove bean from milk, and reserve for another use.
• In a medium bowl, combine flour, 1/3 cup granulated sugar, and salt.
• Add 1/2 cup steeped milk, whisking to combine and form a paste.
• Transfer paste to saucepan with milk, and cook over medium heat while whisking constantly until thickened and smooth, about 5 to 8 minutes.
• If the mixture begins to get lumpy, remove from heat, and whisk until smooth.
• Remove saucepan from heat.
• Prepare an ice-water bath: Fill a large bowl with cold water and ice.
• Add egg yolks and vanilla extract to milk mixture, and whisk to combine.
• Transfer soufflé base mixture to a shallow 1-quart container.
• Cover surface directly with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming.
• Set saucepan in the ice-water bath to cool completely.
• Refrigerate until ready to use.
• Remove soufflé base from refrigerator, and bring to room temperature, about 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 375° with rack in center.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip 5 egg whites on low speed with cream of tartar until foamy.
• Gradually add remaining 1/4 cup sugar while slowly increasing the speed of the mixer until it is on high.
• Whip until egg whites are stiff and shiny.
• Gently fold egg whites into the soufflé base in three additions.
• Divide between prepared dishes, gently tap on each dish on the work surface, and place on a baking sheet.
• Transfer to oven, and bake until dark golden and the sides appear spongelike, 16 to 20 minutes.
• Remove from oven, and dust with confectioners' sugar.
• Serve immediately with vanilla bean ice cream.

VANILLA SOUFFLé

Steps:

• Put the milk in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat until steam rises, about 10 minutes. Stir in the granulated sugar to dissolve, then turn off the heat. Split the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape the seeds into the milk. Add the pod as well, cover, and steep for about 15 minutes. Remove the pod and discard. Meanwhile, use a bit of the butter to grease a 2-quart soufflé or other deep baking dish. Sprinkle the dish with granulated sugar and invert it to remove excess sugar. (Hold off on this step if you're going to delay baking the soufflés until later.)
• Put the remaining butter in another small saucepan over medium-low heat. When the foam subsides, stir in the flour and cook, stirring, until the mixture darkens, about 3 minutes. Turn the heat to low and whisk in the milk, a bit at a time, until the mixture is thick. Let cool for a few minutes, then beat in the egg yolks. (You can prepare this base a few hours in advance of baking; cover tightly and refrigerate; bring back to room temperature before continuing.)
• About an hour before you're ready to serve, preheat the oven to 375°F. Use an electric or hand mixer or whisk to beat the egg whites with the salt until quite stiff. Stir about a third into the sauce to lighten it, then fold in the remaining whites, using a rubber spatula or your hand. Transfer to the prepared dish and bake until the top is brown, the sides are firm, and the center is still quite moist, about 30 minutes. Dust with confectioners' sugar and serve immediately.
• Chocolate Soufflé
• Omit the vanilla or not, as you prefer, and add 4 ounces good bittersweet chocolate (like Valrhona, for example), chopped, to the milk as it heats, stirring so the chocolate dissolves.

VANILLA SOUFFLé

Steps:

• Prepare the soufflé dish and affix the paper collar as directed on page 72. Slide the rack onto the lower-third level of the oven, and preheat to 400°F.
• Whisk the flour and half the milk in a saucepan. When well blended, whisk in the remaining milk and the 1/3 cup sugar. Then bring to the boil and boil slowly, whisking, for 30 seconds. This is now a bouillie. Remove from heat; let cool for a moment, then, one by one, beat in the yolks and the optional butter.
• Whip the egg whites to soft peaks, sprinkle in the 2 tablespoons sugar, and beat to stiff, shining peaks (see page 100). Whisk the vanilla into the sauce base, then whisk in a quarter of the whites to lighten it. Delicately fold in remaining whites and turn the mixture into the prepared dish.
• Set in the oven, reduce heat to 375°F, and bake until the soufflé has begun to puff and brown-about 20 minutes. Rapidly slide out rack, and dust the top of the soufflé with confectioners' sugar. Continue baking until it has puffed high into the collar. When is it done? See page 73.
• Remove collar and serve at once.
• VARIATIONS
• ORANGE SOUFFLÉ GRAND MARNIER. Follow the master recipe above, but purée the zest (colored part of peel) of a large orange with the 1/3 cup sugar in a blender or food processor, and use in the sauce base. Stir only 2 teaspoons vanilla into the base, but add 3 tablespoons orange liqueur.
• CHOCOLATE SOUFFLÉ. Follow the preceding master recipe, but prepare a 2-quart dish to serve 8. Preheat oven to 425°F. Melt 7 ounces semisweet chocolate with 1/3 cup strong coffee (see page 103). Make sauce base as directed in master recipe, using 1/3 cup flour and 2 cups milk; whisk at the slow boil for 2 minutes. Off heat, beat in 3 tablespoons optional butter, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract, a big pinch of salt, 4 egg yolks, and the melted chocolate. Whip 6 egg whites to soft peaks, add 1/2 cup sugar and whip to shiny peaks (see page 100). Combine by ladling chocolate base down sides of egg-white bowl and folding rapidly to combine. Turn mixture into dish, set into oven, reduce to 375°F, and bake for 40 minutes, or until puff starts. Dust with confectioners' sugar and bake until done (see page 73). Serve with lightly whipped crème Chantilly (page 101).