There's always a cooking obsession1 around here. Currently, it happens to be egg foams. Which, given that we're genuinely in love with eggs in just about all of their various forms - still have to see what we think of pidan, the so-called "thousand-year-old" eggs - makes perfect sense.
It started when I baked a genoise cake for my mom's birthday, which consists of whole eggs warmed and whipped with sugar until more than tripled in volume, then folded with flour and such. I'd still like to fiddle about with it - a savory version, for example - but there are only so many cakes one person can eat. The transformation from delicate, airy foam to a sliceable cake that's both light and firm is pretty neat. Even neater are the foams you can make with just whites or just yolks, given a stout arm and the right amount of heat.
Sure, you can do this stuff with an electric mixer, but the KitchenAid doesn't handle small2 quantities well. A balloon whisk works wonders.
Perhaps most impressive is the soufflé, which isn't much more than an egg white foam folded into a flavorful base and heated in the oven until it browns and rises dramatically from its container. They then proceed to fall back down, but they sure look spectacular right out of the heat. (That said, I can see the soufflés falling over the course of a few seconds in the several photgraphs I took of them, right out of the oven.) A few points I've noticed so far:
- A soufflé is certainly enriched by the addition of yolks to the base, but it's not necessary. The yolks do, however, help thicken the base and give the soufflé a golden appearance. When all you've got are whites, though, you can still make a fine soufflé.
- A lighter base rises better, but falls faster. Likewise with a higher cooking temperature.
- Running a thumb around the rim of the uncooked soufflé makes for a sharp appearance, as the center rises much more than the exterior (and keeps it from spilling over the sides). I've been using small ramekins for my soufflés, and haven't needed to make paper collars for the batter to climb.
- As a general rule of thumb, a quarter cup of roux-thickened base plus a quarter cup of flavoring (cheese, mushrooms, etc.) per egg white seems to work pretty well.
The traditional zabaglione is made from Marsala, sugar and egg yolks, whipped together over simmering water until the proteins begin to coagulate. And only begin; it's perfect at that point where it's barely solid, just enough to mound gently on a spoon. Sabayons, dessert sauces derived from the same technique, utilize all sorts of different flavorings, and may be served warm or cold.
Wine is traditional, but we didn't have a bottle open the other night. I had bunch of extra yolks, though, so I tried it with orange juice, which I happened to have on hand. The following works for an amazingly simple dessert - either on its own or as an accompaniment to something richer.
Orange sabayon* * * * *
IngredientsDirections
- 4 large egg yolks
- ¼ cup sugar
- ½ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
- Whisk together the yolks and sugar in a stainless steel bowl until the mixture has lightened in color and forms ribbons off the whisk.
- Set the bowl over - not in - a saucepan of simmering water, whisking constantly. Slowly pour in the orange juice, and whisk until the mixture begins to set solid, at about 160°F. This should take five to ten minutes. If it appears to be cooking faster, remove from the heat and whisk for a few moments to allow it to cool slightly. Gentle cooking will provide the most delicate, airiest foam.
- Serve immediately, spooned into glasses or atop a rich dessert, like whipped cream.
1Eating obsessions - we're just past morels and ramps, and into full swing with asparagus and pea shoots - tend to cycle with the seasons. The specific cooking techniques that pique my interest seem to come and go at random.
2I.e., two-person sized amounts.
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