Morelle Cherry Soufflé, Raspberry Sorbet, Tulip Paste

Chef's Vacherin, Grand Marnier Soufflé Glacée

Raspberry Sorbet, Morelle Cherry Soufflé

I'd like to think I did my best today, but I couldn't and I didn't: might have been the cold and wet skies, my cold and wet snuffly nose and aching throat, or given the nature of today's deflatable, fast melting desserts, not much available for us to take home, which is usually a key motivational tool.

So when the kitchen freezer decided to break down and melt our ice-creams away, I figured: oh well, no point fighting the heavens, let's just take it real easy today.

Layering Meringue With Ice-Cream & Sorbet, Covering With Cream

For those of you whose day isn't going so bad, here's how to correctly make a Vacherin. Assuming your freezer hasn't decided to rebel, you'd have some beautifully creamy ice-cream and soft sorbet to layer your meringue discs with. Covered with cream and topped with fruits and nuts, and you'll have yourself a bygone era favorite, the Vacherin.

Blanched Pistachios & Tuilip Biscuit For Garnish

 

Oh Cold Hard Beauty

Cooking Soufflé Base, Flavoring With Chocolate & Raspberry

Moving on to the soufflés, the dessert that makes grown chefs cry. But in all honesty, it isn't that tricksy to get right once you have the basics taken care of. 

Start by cooking butter, flour and milk to make a white sauce, then cool the mixture down considerably before gradually adding egg yolks and sugar to form the base. At this point the likes of cocoa powder or fruit puree may be added for color and flavor variation,

Lightening Up With Egg White, Spooning Into Ramekins

Once flavored as desired, softly whipped egg white is folded into the base; air bubbles in the frothy whites is what gives the soufflé its remarkable lift when baked in the oven.

Going, Going, Gone

A soufflé's rise, like our fleeting youth and the American Idol fame, is short-lived; its magnificence passing us by faster than Schumacher in a red hot Ferrari. Hence it's usually served straight from the oven, for the customer to strike his spoon into and deflate with glee. 

 

Ho Ho Ho!

 

Do My Eyebrows Look Bushy To You? 

You may notice I have no Soufflé Glacée to present, for mine never stood a chance in the Fridge. You see, guys, Frozen desserts like the soufflé glacée belong in the Freezer so they can Freeze into Ice-cream. Any twit would've known that, but not me. I didn't know where my head was yesterday. Chef Gert took one look at my souffle "soup" and tipped the sorry mess down the sink, and my heart sank with it.

Deflated Chocolate Soufflé

Saving grace was my baked soufflé, though I'd only started decorating my plate after the soufflé hwas out the oven, by which time it had already lost half its glorious height. Bummer.

Vacherin Catastrophe 

Oh this is disgraceful, my meringue and ice-cream gateau was melting into a sticky, revolting goo while I was searching high and low for pistachios. Couldn't find any so I tossed on some rainbow sprinkles and turned away in shame.

Some days just aren't meant to be, and this is one of them. I think I'm gonna lay my weary head down now and live to fight another day.