Nosh: hay hay, here's my cold lemon soufflé

hay hay, here's my cold lemon soufflé

Hay Hay! Did you say Cold Lemon Soufflé? What, like you let it cool after you baked it? Not exactly.

I like recipes that are a bit different. I like for people to be surprised. I want them to say "Hey, I thought that was a real soufflé!" In which case I would say "Yup. I'm tricky like that." or something equally silly.

This is that type of recipe. You'll be happy to know that you don't have to bake this soufflé ... so no nail-biting vigil in the kitchen doorway, swatting away any walkers-by. You won't have to bribe the neighbors to postpone yardwork, or cordon off your street. In fact, I advise you to jump around and make a lot of noise while waiting for the soufflé to set.

Another happy fact: you can make this soufflé ahead of time. If you're like me, you're always on the lookout for impressive desserts to prepare in advance. I am definitely more of a cook than a baker - I stand in awe of those fantastic, dusted tarts I see on other blogs . I could blame my oven, but the truth is, baking befuddles me. That's why I like this dessert. It's more like cooking than baking, and that is a-ok with me. I'll leave the baking and rising to the people who are good at it.

That being said, this recipe is bowl-and-labor intensive. It is perfect for those of you with a stand-mixer. I managed with my hand-held electric mixer but standing there holding the mixer for 10 minutes straight can be a little tedious. Besides having oodles of spotlessly clean bowls available, it also helps to have someone around to chat with or keep a bowl steady (or grate the whopping 3 tbsp of lemon zest).

I ran into a couple of snags: first, I didn't have a 4-cup soufflé dish so I used a few smaller ones. The sides of my dishes weren't straight so I had a problem tieing the collar round the rim. The collar itself was an issue because my wax paper was too slippery and the string kept sliding off. I ended up using paper and tape. Also, this recipe uses a lot of lemon zest and juice, and you'll need about 4 - 5 organic lemons. So there are a few things to think about before you start.

A few words of advice as well: When you're at the stage where you beat the cream to soft peaks and "set it aside", make sure you use a really chilled bowl or by the time you're ready to fold it into the final mix, it will have gone runny on you. Another thing: when you've got your mixture nested in a bowl of ice water and you're stirring for 6 - 8 minutes, pay close attention ... when the recipe says "as soon as it begins to thicken", they really mean it. Remove it from the ice bath right away or you'll end up with a lumpy mixture when its time to fold in your egg whites and whipped cream.

After all is said and done, though, making this souffle was oh-so worth it. The texture is light and fluffy, like a soufflé...really delicate...and it's delicious and lemony. This will impress.

Thanks to the lovely Tami at Running With Tweezers for hosting this event. Enjoy!

Cold Lemon Soufflé

Ingredients:
4 eggs, separated
1 cup sugar
3 Tbs. finely grated lemon zest
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 Tbs. unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup finely chopped pistachios or almonds

Fit a 4-cup soufflé dish with a collar. (I used 2 2-cup souffle dishes; I guess you could also use 4 1-cup dishes!)

In a stainless-steel or glass bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the egg yolks, sugar and lemon zest until thick, about 2 minutes. In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the lemon juice to a simmer. Slowly add to the egg yolk mixture while stirring constantly. Beat the mixture on medium speed until it falls in a thick ribbon when the beaters are lifted, about 10 minutes.

In another small saucepan, sprinkle the gelatin over the water and let soften for about 5 minutes. Heat over low heat until the gelatin dissolves; do not allow it to boil. Stir into the egg yolk mixture.

Using a balloon whisk or an electric mixer on medium-high speed, lightly whip 1 cup of the cream in a chilled bowl until soft peaks form. Set aside. In a separate, large, spotlessly clean bowl, using a clean balloon whisk or mixer on medium-high speed, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Set aside.

Nest the bowl holding the egg yolk mixture in a larger bowl partially filled with ice cubes and water and stir gently until it begins to thicken, 6 to 8 minutes. Carefully fold in the whipped cream and beaten egg whites. Pour into the prepared soufflé dish. The mixture should come to the top of the collar. Refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours.

When ready to serve, using a balloon whisk or an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the remaining 1⁄2 cup cream in a chilled bowl until stiff peaks form. Carefully remove the collar from the soufflé and spread half of the whipped cream over the top. Spoon the remaining cream into a pastry bag fitted with a small star tip and pipe rosettes of cream around the edge. Gently press the pistachios into the sides of the soufflé and serve. Serves 4 to 6.

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Collection Series, French

Tags: Hay Hay It's Donna Day