Tips for souffle

I made souffle for the first time recently and I found it is not really too difficult so long as you follow the instructions carefully. However, what I didn't know was how quickly it would deflate; not ideal when you are trying to take pictures. My first ones rose beautifully, but by the time I had all the sides and props ready they looked like sad little omelettes. I learned my lesson, set everything up and had everything ready to go for the second round. 

Here are some tips to help you get your souffle right:

• You can make the béchamel and egg yolk base in advance, but the egg whites must be whisked and added to the mix just before cooking
• Be very gentle when folding in the egg whites – you want as much air in them as possible. Use a spatula and a figure of eight motion.
• When buttering the dish, use a pastry baster and brush the sides from the base to the edge, in the same direction as the soufflé rises – this is said to aid the rise. Parmesan is also said to aid the rise. 
• You can run a palette knife around the edge of the soufflé before cooking to help it rise. If you want a flat top then fill the mould to the brim and use a palette knife to flatten it.

Sterilising jars for preserves

There are lots of different tips and techniques for how best to sterilise jars for preserves. My two preferred techniques are below.

Foolproof

Probably the best and most widely used method is to put the jars and lids in a low oven - approximately 130°C - for 20 minutes. 

Some people say to put them on a baking sheet or to line the shelves with newspaper, but I've never had a breakage yet without doing this.

If you are following this method and using kilner jars, please note that the rubber seal should be removed before you put the jar in the oven and sterilised in boiling water instead.

Cheat

Most of the time I just cheat and fill the jar and lids with boiling water just before I am ready to use them. This isn't foolproof, but I have only once had one jar of chutney go bad and I make a lot of preserves.

Caution

Don't put cold preserves into warm jars or visa versa, or the glass might crack. It's generally better for both to be warm, in terms of keeping out the bacteria.

Aubergine, fruit or vegetable?

If I asked you whether a tomato was a fruit or vegetable what would you say? Fruit, right?

What about an aubergine?

A few months ago in my food anthropology seminar we were debating the difference between fruits and vegetables. I said that I thought that the difference was that fruits contain seeds, whereas vegetables don’t; this is what my Mum told me when I was younger. “What about aubergines, they have seeds?” someone asked, which seemed a good point – surely an aubergine can't be a fruit too, or a cucumber, or a pepper? I didn’t have full confidence in what my Mum had told me all those years ago so I didn’t fight my corner. However, I have since read a bit about it and it seems that, at least botanically speaking, Mum was right. 

In botany, fruit is defined as “the ripened ovary of a flowering plant, containing one or more seeds”. This definition is taken from Dictionary.com, but is supported by various science and botanical websites, for example, Science Daily, Biology Reference and Biology Online.

Vegetable, on the other hand, is not a botanical term and it is harder to pinpoint a definition. Some say it is any edible plant, which is the most inclusive and far reaching definition. Some narrow this slightly, saying it is any edible part of a plant. Others, such as Dr Jim Bidlack of the University of Central Oklahoma, define it as any edible part of a plant, excluding the fruit, which is in line with my Mum’s definition.

Science Daily and the Botany Professor draw attention to the difficulty that arises when we start talking about nuts, tubers and fungi. Mushrooms, botanically speaking, are neither fruit nor vegetable, though we generally think of them as vegetables. 

However, perhaps what is most important here is that we accept the cultural subjectivity of the term and the importance of context. Monica Wachman points out that in a culinary context we generally tend to classify fruits as those which are sweet or used in sweet dishes and vegetables as those which we use in savoury dishes. In this context a tomato would be considered a vegetable. Science Daily also highlights that vegetable is a culinary term and somewhat arbitrary and subjective. “Since "vegetable" is not a botanical term, there is no contradiction in referring to a plant part as a fruit while also being considered a vegetable.”

So, I ask you again: aubergine – fruit or vegetable? 

Photos courtesy of Trevor Hyett.

Chargrilling an aubergine

Aubergines are chargrilled for use in recipes, such as baba ganoush, where a smoky flavour is desirable. The process is much the sames the process for roasting a pepper.

Rub the aubergine in a small amount of olive oil and prick with a fork. Put it directly over a gas flame, turning it as it blackens until it is charred all over. I usually put a thick grill or grate over the flame so that it cooks more evenly.

When it is ready put it in a covered receptacle, e.g. a saucepan with a lid or a tupperware container; the steam makes it easier to peel. After 10 minutes remove it, cut it in half and scrape out the soft flesh. Don't worry if a few bits of the charred skin end up in the flesh, it adds to the smoky flavour in moderation.

If you prefer not to do it over a gas flame, you can do it under a grill, though you won't get the same degree of smokiness. 

The best way to roast a pepper

My Dad taught me the best way to roast a pepper. It is also the quickest. 

Rub the pepper in a small amount of olive oil and put it directly over a gas flame, turning it as it blackens until it is charred all over. I usually put a thick grill or grate over the flame so that it cooks more evenly.

When it is ready put it in a covered receptacle, e.g. a saucepan with a lid or a tupperware container; the steam makes it easier to peel. After 5 to 10 minutes remove it and peel it. Don't worry if there are a few bits you can't get off, the black charred skin adds a nice, smoky flavour in moderation.

Pull the stalk out, cut the flesh in half and remove any leftover seeds. 

If you are not using it straight away, you can store it in the fridge for a few days. If you cover it in olive oil it should keep a bit longer.

You can, of course, roast it in the oven, but it is harder to get a charred skin, which gives it that lovely smokiness. In fact, I should really have called this post 'chargrilling a pepper' but the point is that I would use this method when a recipe calls for a roasted pepper, hence the misleading title.