Tuesday Tutor: Featuring Fragrant Vanilla Cake

Roquefort Strawberry Soufflés

Every Tuesday I choose a different friend to be my tutor for a day: I select one of their original recipes, I make the recipe following my friend's instructions, I snap a multitude of pictures, I scarf down as much as my belt-line will permit - and then I share everything I love about my friend's recipe. Learn More

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Today's Tuesday Tutor: Fragrant Vanilla Cake

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Recipe: Roquefort Strawberry Soufflés

My tutor today is Amy from Fragrant Vanilla Cake, a marvelous blog filled with all kind of delicious desserts and creative inspirations. Amy's beautiful desserts have frequently been featured in Food Fetish Friday and Amy was even a Featured Foodie of the series - check out her interview. And recently, I've become fascinated with her exploration of raw cheesecakes - glamourous, decadent and no baking required!

But despite how tempted I was by these raw cheesecakes, I couldn't resist attempting today's recipe for Roquefort Strawberry Soufflés. I've never made a soufflé before and as I read through Amy's ingredient list, I knew I'd never seen a more surprising pairing of flavors: salty roquefort blue cheese, sweet strawberries, and tart lemon. I was so curious, how could I resist?

About the Author

1. "I used to actually hate to cook before senior year of high school. Now of course I cannot get enough time in the kitchen!"
2. "I would much rather receieve a boquet of fresh herbs than flowers."
3. "I love to run as much as I love to cook/bake."
4. "I used to make cookie sculptures for my senior art class in college because I was more interested in baking than art at that point and it was a way to combine the two."
5. "The first layer cake I ever made when I was about 18 crumbled to pieces and we ate it as a big frosted pile of crumbs. Luckilly I have more skill now!"

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How to Make: Roquefort Strawberry Soufflés

Original recipe courtesy of Fragrant Vanilla Cake

There are a lot of steps to this recipe but they're all simple to follow. Much of the work involves
eggs, but the first step is to prepare your lemon zest. Depending on the size of your lemons, you
will likely need 2-3 lemons for 2 Tablespoons of zest

You will also need fresh lemon juice - I was using larger lemons, so I only needed about 1 1/2
lemons but if you're using smaller lemons, you may need more...

Squeeze the lemon juice into a liquid measure - you will need 1/3 cup in total

Next, prepare your fresh strawberries

Hull the strawberries...

...and slice or dice them finely. These will be mixed into the final soufflé so I kept my pieces
fairly small. You will need about 1 cup of strawberry pieces

Now to begin in the custard-like base for the soufflés - it all starts with a cup of goat milk

Add the goat milk to a medium sauce pan

Bring the goat milk to a simmer, then remove from heat and set aside while you separate your eggs

You will need 4 egg yolks and 6 egg whites, separated. I recommend using 3 bowls for to
separate your eggs: 1 bowl for yolks, 1 bowl for egg whites, and 1 bowl to separate the egg
over before adding the white to the rest of your egg whites. This 3-bowl method will ensure
that if a tiny bit of yolk gets into one of your egg whites it doesn't contaminate all the other egg
whites you have already successfully separated. Trust me - it's better than going through 12
eggs to get 6 egg whites without any yolk contamination. 

Regardless of how you get to this point, you should now have 6 egg whites and 4 egg yolks

To beat the egg yolks, I used my stand mixer and the wire whip attachment

Add 1/2 cup sugar to your bowl...

...add your separated egg yolks...

And beat them together on medium-high speed...

...until they're lightened in color and form a ribbon as shown. This take about 3-5 minutes.

Next comes corn starch

Add two tablespoons of corn starch to the yolk mixture...

...and beat together until well combined. You will likely need to scrape down the sides and
bottom of the bowl to fully incorporate the corn starch.

Next you will add the goat milk. I found it easier to pour the goat milk into a measure before
adding to the yolk mixture because pouring a slow drizzle with a pan can be tricky

With the mixer on medium speed, slowly add the goat milk

Mix until the goat milk is fully incorporated into the yolks

Pour the yolks back into the pan used to heat the goat milk and whisk over medium-high heat
for 5 minutes or so until the mixture thickens

Make sure to whisk continuously or you will end up with a lumpy mess. The thickening happens
really fast, so be ready to remove the pan from heat as soon as it starts to thicken.

You will end up with a thick custard-like consistency

Pour the "custard" mix into a shallow pan - this will help it to cool much more rapidly

Add your lemon zest and juice to the custard

Whisk the mixture until smooth, spread out in an even layer in the pan, and let rest at room
temperature until completely cooled. If you're using a pan similar to this, it should only take
about 10-15 minutes.

While the "custard" cools, you will have time to prepare your ramekins. I used five 7 oz ramekins
for this recipe and found that it worked out perfectly. Amy originally used four 8 oz mugs
for her souffles.

You will need a LITTLE coconut oil for greasing the ramekins. I scooped some out of the jar
just so you can see the consistency of coconut oil at room temperature. You will need to warm
about 1 teaspoon of coconut oil to melt it for greasing your ramekins. You could also use
organic shortening in place of the coconut oil. Just grease each ramekin thoroughly.

Next you will coat your greased ramekins with sugar. Just add a little sugar to each ramekins
and tilt the ramekins around to coat the bottom and all sides. Tap out excess sugar.

Ramekins are now ready for the soufflés. Now is the time to preheat your oven to 375F and
to position an oven rack in the lower 1/3 of your oven. This is important to ensure soufflés
puff up during baking...

Next, crumble your blue cheese. If you're not a big fan of blue cheese, you may want to cut
back from 4 oz to 1 or 2 oz of cheese...

Once the "custard" is cooled, transfer to a large bowl. This will make it much easier to fold in
the whipped egg whites without deflating them...

To whip the egg whites, add them to a perfectly clean metal or glass bowl (I used the stand
mixer for this part, but you could also do this with a hand held mixer). The bowl MUST best
clean and without even the slightest hint of grease, oil or fat - otherwise the egg whites will
never mount to their full potential...

Add 1/2 teaspoon sea salt to the egg whites

Beat the egg whites on medium speed until frothy, about 1 minute

Add 1/2 teaspoon cream of tarter. This is an acid that will help stabilize the egg whites as they
whip and help them mount to their full potential.

Whip the egg whites on high speed for about 2 minutes until...

...the egg whites form stiff peaks off the end of your whip. Just don't over-whip the egg whites
or they will become dry and the moisture will fall out of the egg whites down the sides of the
bowl. So watch the egg whites carefully towards the end of the whipping and check for peaks
frequently...

Add 1/4 of the egg whites to the "custard" and stir gently to combine and lighten the mixture

Once combined, the mixture will have doubled in volume in your bowl

Add your crumbled roquefort

Add your strawberry pieces

Add the remaining egg whites

And fold everything together gently. Use the classic folding technique and work carefully so
you do not deflate the egg whites while combining.

As soon as the mixture is combined, STOP folding. You're ready to divide the mixture out into
the individual ramekins. I found that a bowl with pour spouts like the one shown really helps
when transferring the soufflé to the ramekins...

Once in the ramekins, clean the rims of each ramekin by running your thumb around the lip
of each dish. In this photo, I have cleaned the ramekin in the bottom right corner. Cleaning
the rim of each dish allows the soufflés to rise beautifully...

Once you have cleaned the rims of each ramekin, place gently on a baking sheet, spacing evenly.

Bake for 20-25 minutes until puffed and golden on top. 

Serve immediately - after staring for a few moments in awe that the soufflés came out so
perfectly, of course :)

The soufflés will start collapsing quickly, so don't waste too much time plating ;)

Savory, salty, and sweet - and such a light yet rich flavor all in one little ramekin...

Thoughts while scarfing...

• Did you see how beautifully these soufflés puffed up? I was never so amazed when I opened the oven and saw these perfectly puffed little soufflés staring back at me. I must admit, heart did a little flip-flop of happiness - I couldn't ask for a more successful first attempt at soufflé thanks to Amy's clear and precise instructions.
   
• If you LOVE roquefort blue cheese and would happily eat it by the spoonful, you will love these soufflés - the roquefort is the dominating flavor, intensified by the sea salt and lemon. The little sweet bits of strawberry contrast sharply against the saltiness of the cheese. However, if you're not such a big fan of roquefort, steer clear or cut back dramatically on the blue cheese. Although I enjoy roquefort in moderation, these were a bit too intense for me.
   
• Make sure to invite a couple of friends over to help you scarf these soufflés hot from the oven. The soufflés will immediately begin to deflate once they leave the oven, so you really do need to serve immediately for the best flavor and texture. Within 10 minutes, soufflés will have collapsed by about 1/4 of their original puffed height...
   
• There are 3 keys to gorgeous soufflés that I learned in following Amy's recipe: oil and dust your ramekins, don't deflate the egg whites when folding them into the soufflé, and clean the rims of your ramekins. I'm still in awe of how beautifully these puffed up and I think I've finally conquered my fear of soufflé - thank you, Amy!

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More Must-Try Recipes from Fragrant Vanilla Cake

Raw Pretty in Pink Cheesecake

Peanut Butter and Strawberry Rhubarb Jam Streusel Tartlettes

Little Peanut Butter Banana Galettes

Amy's Vegan Banana Split

Little Raspberry Lavender Cream Pies

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