January 4, 2020
Blackberry Souffle
Pg. 226
Addison, Season 4 (Winner)
59 down…40 to go!
I have been afraid of this scary MasterChef Junior dessert since the book first arrived on my doorstep. I’m no baker, but I have seen enough baking TV shows to know that Souffle’s are one of the most challenging desserts to make. You cannot open the oven at all while it’s baking or it will deflate. If you take them out too early or too late, they will deflate. And before you even get them into the oven, you have to be incredibly precise with all of your steps. If you over-mix, over-whip, or use even a few more grams of an ingredient than you were supposed to… it can and will deflate.
Why didn’t I save this dessert for last? I was approached by a dear foodie friend on Instagram to co-host a collaboration with fellow bakers where we all tackled desserts that have been too intimidating to try, called the #scarybakeschallenge. I knew the Souffle was on the top of my list.
To prepare, I read up on techniques, measured everything I could ahead of time, woke up early, purposely did not multitask while baking it, and followed every step meticulously. When they went into the oven, I found myself where every contestant on any baking competition show I’ve ever seen was: on the floor of my kitchen watching the souffles, hoping they would rise. Good news: they did!
One actually got so high it began to touch the top of the next rack in my oven! I was so thrilled as I pulled them out, I’m sure there were some high pitched squeaks coming from my kitchen but I can’t remember. I think I blacked out from excitement. There was very little time to celebrate, however, because I had to start photographing them immediately. Even if everything goes perfectly, they eventually start to deflate.
I’m not going to lie, I was so nervous about getting a shot in time, it rushed the shoot and I wish the pictures came out better. I wish I had the ability to take quality pics the second they got out of the oven, because they were so tall at first, but by the time I got them to my shooting location, the deflating had already began. Nevertheless, I am so pleased with how well they turned out. It was an incredible victory, and I’m feeling unprecedentedly confident as I work through the last half of the MCJ desserts.
All my love,
Dani, a big tid
P.S. What dessert has intimidated you too much to try?
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Can’t believe how amazing these turned out!