Soufflè di Nutella – Nutella Soufflé

Posted on Friday, 8th April 2011 by Grace Massa Langlois

Do you ever wonder what the word “Soufflé” means? The literal definition is, “To blow up”. Hmm, that sounds like an accurate description of some of my cooking projects. James Beard said, “The only thing that will make a soufflé fall is if it knows you are afraid of it.” So why do most people fear making a soufflé?

There are many types of soufflés, sweet (my favourite, of course!), savoury and frozen (hoping to make soon). The structure of a soufflé is quite delicate. The perfect soufflé will be light and fluffy in texture with a creamy centre (not runny).

I remember feeling full of this “fear” before making my first soufflé. And I think Mr. Beard is right – that first soufflé knew it! But today I’m armed with a few good tips for making soufflé, and do you know what? With these tips in hand, making a soufflé is actually a simple process. Simple you may ask? Continue on, dear reader, and you’ll see for yourself.

Soufflé Tips

Begin your soufflé with a flavoured base and then “lighten” the base with beaten eggs whites. This particular recipe for Nutella Soufflé is extremely easy. The flavour base is made up of very few ingredients, egg yolks, melted Nutella, Frangelico, vanilla and a pinch of salt.

These are the tips I’ve learned for making a good soufflé:

Dish it up! Use the proper baking dish, round with straight sides (I strayed from this tip this time and as you can see in the photos I didn’t achieve that straight-sided rise).
Greasing the skids. Take a few moments to properly grease the baking dishes. This is done using a pastry brush and brushing with even upward strokes. And then coating with sugar or grated chocolate for a sweet soufflé or cheese, breadcrumbs or cornmeal for a savoury soufflé.
Preparation is key. Prepare all your ingredients prior to making the soufflé (mise en place) and use precise measurements.
Bring on the heat! Preheating your oven is very important; to rise properly the soufflé needs a very hot oven.
Just beat it. Do not over beat the egg whites because it will be difficult to incorporate into the flavoured base and when baked you will have bits of cooked egg in the centres. Also very important once the egg whites are beaten they begin to deflate so you must move quickly but remember gently fold (you don’t want to lose the volume).
White ties and top hats. To create a “top-hat” effect, run your thumb along the rim of each baking dish, slightly inside the mixture (this will help it rise evenly).
Best for last! The most important tip, “a soufflé waits for no one” (not even photos!), serve immediately!

Soufflè di Nutella is quite rich and in hindsight I wish I would have baked in 4-ounce dishes. It didn’t really matter this time because Matt (my son) and his friends had these luscious chocolate desserts devoured in no time.

So conquer your fears and tame that soufflé explosion. Keep my tips handy and show off at your next dinner party – imagine the looks of admiration you’ll get from your dinner quests when you serve this rich, luscious, and elegant dessert.