Many Formulas

Soufflé bases are made from a broad range of ingredients. Those that contain just egg yolks, sugar, and flavoring are the lightest and most delicate and produce the equivalent of the omelette soufflée, often called soufflé à la minute because it can be made quickly with no advance preparation. A concentrated sugar syrup will make the bubble walls more viscous and stable, as will the various carbohydrates (cellulose, pectin, starch) in pureed fruits and vegetables, and the proteins in a puree of cooked meat, fish, or poultry. If the pureed flesh is raw, then its proteins will coagulate during the cooking along with the egg whites and provide substantial reinforcement to the foam. The starchy brown particles in cocoa and chocolate stiffen the bubble walls by both absorbing moisture and getting sticky and swollen as they do so.