[Photograph: Brian Kennedy]
Crafted for the late, great Julia Child, this salty-sweet soufflé from Baked Occasions celebrates the life of a woman who found her calling at fifty, and who taught her audience the secrets of French cooking in the comfort of their own kitchens. Make this to celebrate a great woman in your life, or anyone who has achieved lofty heights and sweet success (much like a caramel soufflé).
Tips: For reasons that might be derived entirely from Warner Brothers cartoons, a soufflé is seen as something ultra-delicate and nearly impossible to make. The slightest breath or jiggle will cause it to fall, ruining your dinner party and social standing. A soufflé becomes much easier to tackle when you view it for what it is: a gently baked cake that gets its eponymous lift from beaten egg whites. There is no magic spell or incantation that will prevent a soufflé from falling. Your best best is to follow the instructions of the recipe to the letter, and abide by these words especially: use truly room-temperature eggs for the room-temperature egg whites. They'll whip up more easily and provide more volume. Second, when it comes time to fold your beaten whites into the caramel base, really fold them, lifting up from the bottom and back down again. Simply stirring will not achieve the lighter-than-air results you're looking for.
Tweaks: I'm not about to mess with success; preparing this recipe the way it's described works well. However, in step 2, if you've made a faux pas and now have sugar-water splashed up on the pan, you don't have to start over. Either put a lid on it and use the condensation to wash the mixture back down to the bottom of the pot, or dip a pastry brush in water and paint the sides. Also, whisking the egg yolks by hand isn't too difficult, but use a mixer for the whites; it'll save time and your arm strength. I've made meringue several times by hand, and never by choice. Lastly, when they say serve immediately, they mean immediately; otherwise, you run the risk of a somewhat deflated dessert.
As always with our Bake the Book feature, we have five (5) copies of Baked Occasions to give away.