Sunday School In The Fast Lane

Phew! What a whirlwind. I'm still reeling from the fast pace and have sugar shakes from speed tasting my chocolate souffle straight out of the oven. I think I burned my tongue. Today's class was all about classic, and often intimidating Souffle and Pate A Choux, and even though this wasn't my first attempt at either just the thought of making them is enough to make me break out into a cold sweat.
And while they didn't come off completely without a hitch (I got a little behind with the souffles base because had to remake my roux) I am happy to report that both the souffle and the eclairs were successes.

Some tips to help you conquer your pastry fears:
-Never use a whisk with you choux dough, always a wooden spoon -Don't let your choux dough sit out for more than an hour before piping and baking.
-When whisking your pastry cream to a boil, don't allow foam to form. Just keep running the whisk around the corners of the pot.
-Many people make the mistake of over whipping egg whites. To help know when to stop, look at the size of the bubbles. You want to make sure there are no big ones left in your egg white mixture, just little bubbles throughout.
-For sweet souffle, coating your ramekins with butter and sugar to get that chewy/sweet exterior. For savory use butter and flour.

Is souffle on your pastry fears list? Why don't you give it a try.

Chocolate Souffle
from the New School of Cooking
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup sugar
3 ounces butter
1/4 cup flour
1 egg yolk
1.75 ounces bittersweet chocolate melted (over a bain marie)
1 1/2 tsp cocoa powder
3 egg whites

Preheat oven to 375
In a small saucepan over medium heat make a sandy roux with the butter and flour.
Bring the milk and sugar to a boil and add to the roux. Cook until smooth until a paste forms. Transfer to a mixing bowl and whisk in egg yolk. Add melted chocolate and cocoa. Cool to room temperature. Once the base is cooled, whip the egg whites and immediately fold into the base. Bake for 20 minutes.