IMBB 20: Has my blog fallen?

Shhh...!  Don't slam the door.  And don't let that cold draft in.  Quick, now, to your places at the table because the Is My Blog Burning #20 theme for October 2005 is soufflés, and a soufflé never waits for the guests.

These puffed up prima donnas have a life span as brief as a breath.  Okay, a long breath.  But their fall is inevitable.  Some cookbooks grant soufflés the lengthy lifespan of 20-30 minutes before they deflate, but others give them a scant few minutes at best.  Soufflés date back to 18th century France, and their reputation for being complex and easy to ruin is almost as old.  It's really an undeserved reputation.  Soufflés are actually quite easy.  The complexity, as one chef puts it, lies in the perfection of it.

Or, as James Beard put it, The only thing that will make a soufflé fall is if it knows you are afraid of it.

The word soufflé comes from the French verb "souffler" which means, among several things, "to blow air."  A soufflé gets its magnificent but unstable height from bubbles of hot air trapped in its delicate structure.  When the soufflé cools, the hot air contracts and the soufflé deflates.  Simple physics.  There are a number of tips for keeping your soufflé all puffed up and enjoying it at its peak, but the most important one is "serve immediately."

There is a soufflé out there for everyone.  Savory or sweet.  Vegetable or fruit.  Meat or vegetarian.  I've even seen vegan recipes.  (A soufflé without eggs!  Can it be true?)  So bring your high-hat masterpiece to the communal food blog table, and if it falls call it a "mousse" and serve it anyway.  We won't mind a bit, and it'll taste just as good.

The world of food blogging has grown tremendously since I booked my IMBB slot nearly a year ago, and I am looking forward to being "à bout de souffle" by the many wonderful soufflés you all will create.

How to join the fun
Step 1: Make a Soufflé.  Any kind of soufflé. Take some photos (quick! before it deflates!) and then write and publish a blog post about your breathless soufflé-baking experience on any day between Friday, October 21 and Sunday, October 23 2005.

Step 2: Email me at kitchenchick@gmail.com by October 23 with a link to your blog (preferably the permalink to your IMBB #20 entry) and the word IMBB in your subject line, and I will do my best to complete a round-up before Halloween.

Step 3 (optional): I'm also going to follow Becks & Posh's example and attempt to do an auto-round up using a Technorati Tag.  Add this bit of code to your post and ping technorati:

Tagged with: <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/IMBB20" rel="tag">IMBB # 20</a> + <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Souffle" rel="tag">Souffle</a>

If what I just said makes no sense, check out the Technorati Tag instructions at Food Blogs S'cool.

Questions about IMBB #20?  Email me or post them here, and I'll do my best to answer them in a timely fashion.

Thank you and Bon Appétit!

Is My Blog Burning was started by Alberto at Il Forno.  You can read more about this grande dame of food blogging events at www.ismyblogburning.com/imbb.

Tagged with IMBB # 20 + Souffle

Comments

[babe_kl]

gosh i never make any before!!! hmm i wonder if i could try it

[Andrew]

You might find the technorati tag works better if you put a www in the url.

Then again it might make no difference at all! ;0)

[kevin]

Woo hoo!!!!

[Nic]

I love to make souffles! Great choice of theme.

[Melissa]

Fantastic theme! this time I will participate :)

[Stephane]

Oh, thank you! I now have an excellent excuse to buy a new (and properly-sized) baking dish! And the husband can't stop me...haha haha.

[Anne]

A.. soufflé? Oh my god. Yes, that is quite a challenge. I'm.. excited or scared beyond my wildest imagination, I can't really tell. This will be.. different.

[sam]

what a great theme. Very focused! I have never made a souffle but have always wanted to try and although I am working really rediculous hours and weekends for the month of october I hope to be able to give this a try. Even if I am late with my entry.

Despite what andrew says, I don't think the www makes a difference, and Technorati themselves, in their example of how to add a tag, suggest the code does not need to include the www

[Nupur]

A souffle?! I am feeling nervous already...I'm a souffle virgin...but this will be really exciting :)

[sam]

ha!
I was so inspired yesterday after reading this post, and realising I had everything I would need to make them at home, I made souffles last night.
My first ever.
Scrumptious!

[sam]

PS - bet you cant make a vegan souffle!

[Kitchen Chick]

I'm happy to see so many people excited about souffles.

Sam -- A souffle already? Wow! As for vegan souffles... Time permitting (it's an insanely busy work month for me too), I'm hoping to test several different souffles. I really don't know yet what I'll make for IMBB 20, so vegan is certainly a possibility.

Re: technorati
I think you're right. The www isn't needed. I checked technorati, and it's found the IMBB20 tag. I hope you don't mind that I borrowed from your IMBB "How to Join in" format. I thought it a very organized way to present the IMBB rules.

[shauna]

Oh goodness, Molly (of Orangette fame) and I made a gluten-free souffle this past Sunday, and I just did a post about it. Is it okay if I'm early? I'll put the technorati tag on it now.

http://glutenfreegirl.blogspot.com/2005/10/souffle-slowly-sunday-afternoon-with.html

Oh, I do so hope I can be included, even if i can't follow directions properly! The pictures are mighty find, and I guarantee you no one else will be doing a gluten-free version!

[anthony]

A great excuse to bite the bullet.

[stef]

yes! yes! yes! i had bought a souffle dish 2 weeks ago wanting to try a recipe -- what perfect timing! i haven't made a souffle in YEARS and the last one was a non-falling souffle (there was an explanation at the beginning of the recipe as to why it was so but i can't remember now -- just that it had broccoli and the requisite eggwhites in it). great choice:D!

[Marc]

Is the San Francisco Chronicle participating in IMBB #20? The October 21 "Critics Choice" on the Restaurant Page is Dazzling Souffles. It includes very short reviews of 11 places in the SF Bay Area that have souffles of note.

[Melissa]

I am working on it---will be out later today or tomorrow morning :)

[stephen]

Hi...my entry is up at Fiery, Dark, Dangerous Chocolate Soufflé! Thanks for hosting this wonderful event!

[rosemary]

Years ago at La Vie En Rose in St Martin, FWI, I had a tomato souffle that was light but with a tomato essence that I can recall even today. Delicious. We went back every year--just for the tomato souffle. Does anyone out there make one? I hoping that one surfaces in the course of your challlenge.

R

[Alice H]

If you have a chance to catch the Good Eats episode on souffles, Alton Brown provides a really good lesson on the mechanics of making a souffle. His recipe is a favorite of mine. The episode provides a lot of handy tips on making a souffle (i.e. run your finger around the edge of the souffle before putting it in the oven, don't open the oven door, etc.) that aren't covered in the recipe.