Jacques Pépin began his culinary training at the age of 13 in his hometown of Lyon, known as the culinary capital of France. He cooked at the renowned Plaza Athénée in Paris and served as the personal chef to Charles de Gaulle. These achievements led him to the United States, where he turned down an opportunity to work at the White House for the Kennedys, and instead became the director of research at Howard Johnson’s restaurants to spread the love of food to everyday Americans. His beloved recipe for his mother’s soufflé reflects his philosophy that good food should be accessible to everyone.
Cooking at Home with Jacques Pépin.
Instead of carefully separating the egg yolks from the whites and whipping them to the right consistency to gently fold into the mixture, she cracked the eggs directly into the sauce made of béchamel and cheese and whipped them in one by one. “It worked out,” Pépin stated in his video. “Not in a conventional way, but it’s an infinitely easier method.”
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Essential French Cooking Techniques You Should Master
I don’t see the original text to paraphrase.
This recipe is still leaving people baffled as to how it works. Theoretically, a soufflé’s fluffiness comes from air pockets in the whipped egg whites, but the fat in the egg yolks would prevent that. However, this recipe somehow pulls it off by not separating the eggs in the first place. It’s all thanks to the expertise of the writer, who’s familiar with French technique, and a man who studied mass production and food chemistry at Howard Johnson, who recognized a winning recipe that bypasses a key step.
It’s slightly more similar to a popover than a classic soufflé. There is still air and rise, just not as much as a soufflé. The whipping of the eggs creates air bubbles and the heat of the oven applied to the eggs, which are 75% water, produces steam that fills those bubbles. This means it’s not as light as a regular soufflé, but it’s still very tasty.
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