Wider Horizons

Your last soufflé resembled something from the kids’ menu at IHOP? Chef Heng Ng (Culinary Careers ’94), chef heng ngnow a Culinary Careers instructor and dessert soufflé maestro, is here to dry your tears.

Beaten egg whites cause soufflés to rise like cakes, but they are far less stable and fall soon after removed from the oven. They should be served immediately.

A soufflé consists of three elements, a base (mostly heavy and starch-thickened); flavouring (added to the base and mixed in well; popular flavours include chocolate, lemon and liqueurs); and egg whites. A frozen soufflé is a mousse frozen in a soufflé dish inside a collar of heavy paper or foil extending five cm (two inches) above the rim.

Tips:

Whip the whites with some of the sugar to increase stability.

Ensure soufflé dishes are buttered well and coated with sugar.

Fill dishes to one centimetre (½-inch) below the rim (one centimetre below the top of the collar in a frozen soufflé); the soufflé should rise two to three cm above the rim.

Chocolate soufflé (10 to 12 portions)

Ingredients:


  • 90 grams (1/3 cup) flour

  • 90 g (1/3 cup) butter

  • 500 ml (2 cups) milk

  • 180 g (6 oz) sugar

  • 8 egg yolks

  • 10 ml2 tsp vanilla extract

  • 10 egg whites

  • 90 g (3 oz) unsweetened chocolate

  • 30 g (1 oz) sweet chocolate


Directions:

Work the flour and butter together to form a paste.

Dissolve 120 g (4 oz) of sugar in the milk and bring to a boil. Remove from heat.

Beat flour paste into milk with wire whip to remove lumps. Return mixture to heat and bring to a boil, beating constantly.

Simmer until mixture is thick and no starchy taste remains.

Transfer to a mixing bowl, cover, and allow to cool.

Melt all chocolate and add to soufflé base.

Beat in yolks and vanilla.

Butter insides of soufflé dishes and coat with granulated sugar.

Use either 10-12 soufflé dishes or two 18cm dishes.

Whip egg whites into soft peaks. Add 60 g (2 oz) of sugar and whip into firm, moist peaks.

Fold egg whites into soufflé base.

Pour mixture into dishes and smooth the tops.

Bake at 190C (375F) for 15 minutes (small dishes) or 30 minutes (large dishes).

Optional step: 3-4 minutes before soufflés are done, dust generously with confectioner’s sugar.

Serve as soon as removed from oven.


So, you got a video camera for Christmas to plumb your inner Scorcese, but so far, the results have been more of a Blair Witch Project. Elio Girardi (Electronics Technician ’71,) now one of Lethbridge College’s audio/visual experts, suggests three areas for improvement on your next blockbuster.

Camera movement:

Invest in a tripod when filming long performances such as Lethbridge College’s Convocation; your arm and your audience will thank you. Avoid overusing the zoom feature. When you do use it, stop the camera, adjust the zoom, and restart. If you keep the camera running, zoom slowly. Same with panning: take your time working from side to side. Remember: your audience won’t have had the experience of seeing the scenery live, so don’t rush them through it.

Audio:

Today’s sophisticated microphones are sensitive to noise from all directions. Noise directly behind you will be louder than, say, a speaker you’re recording at an event, so get in as close as you can. And remember, anything you say will be picked up, such as comments about Aunt Ethel’s dress. Even noise made while handling the camera will be recorded (see “tripod” above).

Lighting:

When filming indoors, utilize as much light as you can. But move subjects from in front of picture windows and bright lamps, or they’ll wind up as silhouettes.

Storage is also important. Gone are the days when you could store VHS tapes in a box in the closet. Most cameras store material on an SD card or a built-in harddrive. You’ll want to store your movies on DVDs. If you decide to keep them on your computer, you might consider an external hard drive, as video takes up considerable room. To add titles, graphics and special effects, use software generally bundled with your computer, such as Moviemaker or iMovie.

Wider Horizons
Lethbridge College
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