15.6 Foams: meringue, soufflé, puffy omelet

Egg whites recipes →

A foam is air beaten into egg white. As you beat, the white passes through five clear stages, in this order:

• foamy;
• soft peak;
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• upper soft peak;
• stiff peak;
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• dry.
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Each stage has its own stability and its own uses, and a recipe tells you which one to stop at. Soufflés and puffy omelets are beaten to the upper limit of the soft peak stage.

Meringue

A soft meringue is egg white beaten with sugar. Sift a little cream of tartar over one egg white and beat the white to the start of the soft peak stage. Then add 2 tablespoons plus 1½ teaspoons of sugar gradually while you keep beating, and watch how the meringue at each stage differs from plain beaten white.

The same meringue is the base of an angel cake.

• Beat the whites and cream of tartar to the start of soft peak, and add the flavorings.
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• Add the rest of the sugar 2 teaspoons at a time until the meringue reaches the upper limit of soft peak.
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• Fold in a sifted flour-and-sugar mix a quarter at a time, just until the flour disappears.
• Bake the batter in an ungreased loaf pan at 375°F, about 25 minutes, until it springs back when touched.
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• Turn the pan upside down and leave the cake hanging until cool, then cut it with a serrated knife.
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Soufflé

A soufflé is a thick white sauce, enriched with yolks and flavored, then lightened with beaten whites and baked until it puffs. Savory soufflés use cheese, broccoli or tuna; sweet ones use chocolate or lemon.

• Set a water bath with a rack and a 1-pint baking dish in the oven to heat. Use 350°F for cheese, broccoli or tuna, and 375°F for chocolate or lemon. Separate the eggs.
• Make a thick white sauce: melt the butter, stir in the flour and salt off the heat, add the milk, then bring it quickly to a full boil while stirring gently.
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• Stir in the flavoring, such as cheese, or lemon juice and zest. Blend the sauce into the yolks a little at a time.
• Beat the whites with cream of tartar to the upper limit of soft peak. For a sweet soufflé, start adding the sugar gradually at the beginning of soft peak.
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• Fold the whites into the base as described above, and pour into the hot dish standing in hot water.
• Bake uncovered for about 30 to 45 minutes, until a clean metal knife pushed into the center comes out with nothing on it.

A good soufflé has a puffed, slightly rounded, browned top. Inside it is one even color and texture: an even foam, a little moist but set all the way through. It eats light, fluffy and tender, well seasoned and tasting of its main ingredient.

Puffy omelet

A puffy omelet is also built on beaten whites, but has no white sauce. The yolks are beaten thick instead, and the omelet starts on the stove and finishes in the oven.

• Heat the oven to 350°F. Separate 2 eggs.
• Add a little salt and 2 tablespoons of water or milk to the yolks, and beat on the mixer's top speed until very thick, about 5 to 7 minutes.
• Melt 1 teaspoon of butter in a 6-inch heavy aluminum pan and coat the inside with it.
• Beat the whites with ¼ teaspoon of cream of tartar to the upper limit of soft peak, and fold the yolk mixture into them.
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• Pour at once into the hot pan and cook over medium heat until the side is lightly browned, about 2 to 4 minutes.
• Bake until a knife in the center comes out clean, about 10 to 15 minutes. Turn out onto a warm plate and serve right away.

A sweet version adds 2 tablespoons of sugar and uses orange juice as the liquid.

A good puffy omelet:

• is well risen, with a delicate brown outside;
• does not fall when it leaves the oven;
• is even in structure and color;
• tastes light, fluffy, tender and delicate.

When a foam goes wrong

Common faults in egg foams and their likely causes.