This winter there has been a renaissance, a rebirth, a peaking of interest, in the food wonder that is The Soufflé. So wowed have our guests been at Chef, Oliver Salt’s superb soufflés that he started giving a Master class. After a long day on the piste, and a quick aperitif in the hot tub, guests came armed with notebooks, enthusiasm, and probably a BC Signature Cocktail to watch Oliver work his soufflé magic.

Here we give you Oliver Salt’s Chef Master Class on how to make the perfect soufflé.

THE INGREDIENTS

  • 250g Egg Whites
  • 250g Sugar
  • 30-50g Cocoa Powder

THE HOW

WHISK

The most important part of the soufflé is the initial whisk of egg whites. I use 250 grams of egg white and whisk them to a firm peak. You can do it by hand but I prefer an electric whisk. And when I say ‘whisk to a firm peak’ the consistency really is quite hard.

SUGAR

Add in the sugar. Sprinkle it in slowly. Mixing, again with an electric whisk, to make a meringue. Keep adding, then whisking, then taste it. You shouldn’t be able to taste any granulated sugar any more, it should all be dissolved.

CHOC

Get 30–50g of cocoa powder and using a spatula gently fold it in. Don’t over beat it. Just fold. Add a bit at a time until you get the flavour and consistency you desire.

PRE BUTTER

Put the mixture into pre buttered ramekins. You can butter them using a pasty brush.

LAYER

At this stage I build up the soufflé. I add a spoonful of the mixture, push it down, then add another layer, push that down, slowly building it up to the top.

THE DÉCOR

When the mixture reaches the top of the ramekin either over fill it and put a few spikes into it with a spoon, or flatten it off with a palette knife, depending on how you want it to look when its cooked.

THE COOK

Cook in a pre-heated oven for 7-9 minutes. I cook mine at 175 degrees. You know when they are ready because they have risen and they are firm.

BEWARE – THE COLLAPSE

In my opinion soufflés collapse if you slam the oven door after checking them. Ideally check they are ready by looking through the oven window. If you can’t then make sure you open and close the oven door very gently.

SERVE

I like to serve with pistachio macaroons, ice-cream or chocolate gnash. Choose something that won’t take away from the flavour of the soufflé.

SOUFFLÉ FACTS

A soufflé is a baked egg-based dish which originated in early eighteenth century France. It is made with egg yolks and beaten egg whites combined with various other ingredients and served as a savory main dish or sweetened as a dessert.

The word soufflé is the past participle of the French verb souffler which means “to breathe” or “to puff” (if you do it right!).