星期天，给自己庆祝，做了几个奶酪souffles，今天才知道这叫蛋奶酥，好像广东点心里的蛋嗒。
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在意大利，常见的甜点有gelato和tiramisu，前者原意是“冰冻、结冰”，现在指“雪糕”，有多种不同口味，后者看起来像是日文，不过它跟日本人绝对没有关系，字面意思是“引领我上天堂”，是一种海绵状的咖啡蛋糕。而且非得选用意大利特产mascarpone芝士不可，否则造不出那种海绵状的奇特效果，在世界各地广受欢迎。
在法国，常见的甜点有pouding（布丁）、souffles（蛋奶酥）和sherbet（雪泥），布丁形态多样，冷的、热的、干的和湿的，souffles原意是“蓬松的”，将鸡蛋、砂糖、面粉搅拌均匀，放进专门用于制作蛋奶酥的盅里，按照各人口味加入水果、干果和香料，再将蛋白打成泡沫，放在上面，高温烘烤，变成松软的蛋糕，记住一定要趁热吃！不然，原本蓬松漂亮的蛋糕就会冷却，塌陷，直到变成一摊面糊，让人大倒胃口。Sherbet来自阿拉伯语，意思是“冰冻果汁或牛奶”，中世纪流传到意大利，变成意大利语就是sorbetto，再传到法国。
至于西班牙，相比之下在烹饪方面显得逊色一些，比较出名的是arroz conleche（甜牛奶米饭），从名称就可以看出制作方法，不过，这道甜点虽然看来简单，却同样很受欢迎，在意大利，奥地利等国家相当流行。
Economical, elegant and easy!!
Just say the word soufflé and be ready for tales of dramatic disasters and fallen soufflés leading to culinary disgrace. It's enough to terrify novice and experienced cooks. Yet a souffle is actually a classic example of how French cooks take a few ordinary ingredients - milk, butter, flour, eggs and cheese - and turn them into something elegant and, yes, dare we say it, easy.
The word soufflé is the past participle of the verb souffler which means "to blow up" or more loosely "puff up" - an apt description of what happens to this combination of custard and egg whites. Every soufflé is made from 2 basic components: 1) a base of flavored cream sauce or purée and 2) beaten egg whites. The base provides the flavor and the whites provide the "lift". Whether you are making a sweet or a savory soufflé the basic sequence, as set out by Madeleine Kamman and James Peterson is:
1. Preheat the oven.
2. Butter dish (and collar, if using).
3. Sprinkle dish with sugar, breadcrumbs or cheese, depending on your recipe.
4. Cook the base - usually a béchamel or Mornay sauce - then add the egg yolks one at a time, whisking well.
5. Correct seasoning. Your base should be highly seasoned because the egg whites are so bland.
6. Beat the egg whites and fold 1/4 of them into the warm (not hot) base to lighten it. Then fold in the remaining whites.
7. Cook the soufflé on the lowest rack.
After one or two trys, this whole process should take less than an hour.
What can go wrong?
Many times it is the egg whites that seem to cause the trouble. First, you must have a perfectly clean bowl and beaters. Make sure the whites are a room temperature before beating. With an electric beater, start on slow speed until they begin to foam. Slowly, increase the speed and when they look smooth, shiny and hold a soft peak, stop. If you've gone too far and they appear grainy and clump together, add another white and rebeat.
Another problem is a leathery crust, which is caused when the soufflé is baked in the middle of the oven rather than on the lowest rack. James Peterson even suggests that you preheat the oven to the desired temperature (at least 15 minutes before using) and as soon as the soufflé is in the oven, turn the temperature up 25° to give the soufflé a little "push".
So, have no fear, try one today. They are economical, easy and always elegant. Voilà les recettes: Soufflé aux coeurs d'artichaut Artichoke Soufflé
Soufflé aux broccolis Broccoli Soufflé
Soufflé aux carottes Carrot Soufflé
Deviled Crab Soufflé
Goat Cheese & Walnut Soufflés served on a bed of mesclun with walnut vinaigrette
Soufflé au Jambon Ham Soufflé
Soufflé aux navets Turnip Soufflé
Soufflé au Roquefort Roquefort Soufflé
Soufflé aux épinards Spinach Soufflé
Soufflé aux courgettes Zucchini Soufflé
Soufflé au Fromage Cheese Soufflé
Je vous souhaite bonne chance et bon appétit!
Suggested Reading
Tips for making SoufflésMore Soufflé Recipes
