A Tale of Two Soufflés: Dessert Soufflé

 “A woman happy in love, she burns the soufflé. A woman unhappy in love, she forgets to turn on the oven.” - Sabrina (1954)

Sabrina is probably one of my favorite movies. It stars Audrey Hepburn at the beginning of her career after winning the Oscar for Roman Holiday. It was also the first film she worked with Hubert de Givenchy for her costumes. It was a partnership that lasted decades. 

This film is the other reference I think of when I think of soufflés. As a lovesick teenager, I loved this movie. I always dreamed of going off to Paris and coming back as a better, more cultured version of myself. However, I didn’t go to Paris; I went to Iraq. It proved to be a far dirtier personal transformation.  

Hepburn plays the titular character as the daughter of the chauffeur to a wealthy family on Long Island. Her whole life, she had been in unrequited love with the younger son of the family, David, played by William Holden. To help her move on, she gets sent off to culinary school in Paris. At first, she has a hard time, as you can see in the soufflé scene below. 

Last week, I made a cheese soufflé, and it wasn’t bad for my first try. This week, I attempted to make a dessert soufflé. I had read both recipes enough to grasp by now the basic concept of what I was supposed to do. Make the sauce, whip the egg whites, and gently fold. In the end, the result was not as desired.

Although it tasted okay, it came out lopsided and had a crack on top. If you look closely, under the powdered sugar, you can see that it was a little burnt. I had flavored it with orange extract and sprinkled orange zest on top. I should have used only one tablespoon of the orange extract instead of two and added a second tablespoon of vanilla. It would have given it a nice subtle orange flavor instead of a sharp aftertaste. 

I looked up what I may have done wrong. Most likely, I didn’t butter the pan evenly enough, which is why it came out lopsided. The crack formed because I may have overbeaten the egg whites. This will take time and practice to do. Maybe, once I have baked enough soufflés, I might be able to instinctively know how to make it near-perfect.