News Chefs Jacques Pépin's Tips for No-Fail Soufflés Jacques Pépin shares expert tips and two delicious recipes that make it easy to bake perfect soufflés every time. By Daniel Gritzer Daniel Gritzer Title: Associate Food Editor At Food & Wine since: 2010 Born and Raised: Brooklyn, NY background: I grew up in a family where tongue sandwiches were often packed for lunch, and bone marrow spread on toast was a popular predinner snack. When I was 13, I opted for dinner at Chanterelle over a bar mitzvah (/sites/default/files/here wasn't really much deliberation on that one), met David Waltuck and took him up on the invitation to stage there, which I did throughout high school and college. Later, I worked for several years as a line cook and sous chef for chefs, including Cesare Casella (Beppe) and Didier Virot (Aix). Between gigs, I worked on farms in Europe, including shepherding in the mountains of central Italy, harvesting Dolcetto and Barbera grapes in Piedmont, shaking almonds from trees in Andalucia, and making charcuterie in southwestern France. Before F&W, I was the restaurant and bars staff writer at Time Out New York. What I Do at Food & Wine: I edit recipes to ensure they make sense, and walk down the corridor to the test kitchen so many times each day that I often find myself wishing I could fly there head first, nose leading the way. Strangest Food Memory: I was once sitting at a bonfire on a remote Pacific beach in Colombia when a wild rat scurried past. Not missing a beat, the local guys there chased it down and whacked it on the head with a stick. We skinned it, gutted it, dipped it in the sea (for salt) and roasted it over the fire. I ate a hind leg. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on May 23, 2017 Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: © Christina Holmes Which ambitious dish do F&W readers wish they could master? Our poll came up with one resounding answer: soufflé. Jacques Pépin shows how to create both a sweet and a savory version. A perfectly puffy soufflé can seem like a small miracle. To learn the basics of making one, I headed to The International Culinary Center in New York City for a lesson from the legendary master of French technique, F&W contributing editor Jacques Pépin. Pépin pulled out a copper bowl, explaining that the metal interacts with the egg whites to make them more stable as they take on air. Then he proceeded to whip up soufflé after soufflé, all the while describing in more detail than I thought possible the finer points of beating egg whites by hand. "Start fast to make them more liquid, then slow down—lifting them with the whisk, and not touching the bowl too much," he told me. But for Pépin, the most important thing when working with beaten egg whites is the timing: Use them right away, he warns, or they'll deflate. "It is relatively easy when you're serving two to four people; a party for 20, though, would be more difficult." Here, his recipes and tips. Main-Course Soufflé: Gruyère Cheese Soufflé To get the most crust with the cheesiest flavor, Pépin uses a wide, shallow gratin dish, then creates a lattice on top with thin slices of American cheese. A soufflé ramekin would work too. Dessert Soufflé: Rothschild Soufflé This soufflé features preserved fruits and kirsch (cherry brandy). "The base for a sweet soufflé is traditionally pastry cream," says Pépin. He substitutes béchamel here — it's "basically the same thing, but easier." Egg Tip: Egg whites can yield different volumes when beaten. "Sometimes there's extra that won't fit in the dish — that's OK," says Jacques Pépin. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit