On Food and Cooking

soufflée in restaurants. The great 19th century
chef Antonin Carême called the reinforced
soufflé “the queen of hot pastries,” but also
saw its success as the triumph of convenience
and stability over the omelette soufflée’s
incomparable delicacy of texture and flavor.
Carême wrote, “The omelette soufflée must be
free of the concoction that goes into the
soufflé, whether it be rice flour or starch. The
gourmet must have the patience to wait if he
wishes to eat the omelette soufflée in all its
perfection.”
Convenience is certainly one reason for the
soufflé’s popularity among cooks. It can be
largely prepared in advance, even precooked
and reheated. Versatility is another. Soufflés
can be made from practically every sort of
food — pureed fruits and vegetables and fish;
cheese, chocolate, liqueurs — and in a broad
range of textures, from the puddinglike to the
meltingly fragile soufflé à la minute, which is
Carême’s starch-free omelette soufflée barely