The present invention relates to a method for producing a frozen preparation for a savory souffle, as well as the frozen preparation thus obtained. The invention also relates to a method for preparing a savory souffle from a frozen preparation, and the savory souffle thus obtained.

Sweet souffles, also called cream dessert souffles, are known as light preparations. Sweet souffles generally include two basic elements, more specifically a custard and stiff peak egg whites. The egg whites are incorporated into the custard, then the mixture is poured into a souffle dish and is then baked at 230°C for 15 to 20 minutes.

Savory souffles also exist that are intended to be served at the beginning of a meal rather than as dessert. Savory souffles generally also include stiff peak egg whites.

Due to the presence of these stiff peak egg whites, the volume of the souffle, whether sweet or savory, increases at moderate heat. Souffles are also known for having to be prepared at the last minute to prevent collapse. In fact, they must be served and consumed immediately after leaving the oven to avoid the problem of fallen souffles, which are no longer presentable, and no longer have the desired gustatory qualities. The souffle is therefore a culinary preparation that has the drawback of not being able to be prepared far in advance.

Souffles also have the drawback of being very difficult to freeze. Different proposals have been made to resolve this technical problem.

Patent FR2744882 proposes culinary compositions for sweet souffles with a base of fruit purees and that do away with liquid, water or milk, egg yolks, and flour. These compositions are presented as being able to be frozen before cooking and being able to be cooked without defrosting. These compositions are essentially made up of meringue and are related to "blancmange."

Patent FR2346987 proposes a freezable culinary preparation for sweet souffles. The invention lies in the incorporation of the custard into an uncooked cream puff paste before adding egg whites, resulting in a souffle preparation that can be frozen. The culinary preparation is therefore made up of a homogenous mixture of a cooked custard, an uncooked cream puff paste, and stiff meringue egg whites. The culinary preparation described according to FR2346987 is made up of ingredients intended for a sweet dish, which can be served at the end of the meal as dessert or as a snack. This preparation is therefore not suitable for preparing a savory souffle.

The present invention proposes a method for manufacturing a frozen preparation for savory souffles, and the frozen preparation thus obtained.

The present invention also proposes a frozen preparation for savory souffles that can be kept in the freezer for a long time, said souffle preparation keeping its lightness properties that characterize the souffle.

Quite often, chefs who wish to obtain egg whites with firmer stiff peaks are forced to allow the egg whites to age in the refrigerator for several days. The method according to the present invention makes it possible to obtain very firm stiff peak egg whites without having to leave the whites in the refrigerator before whipping them. The invention therefore has this other advantage.

The present invention thus proposes a method for making a frozen preparation for a savory souffle, comprising the following steps:

a) a base is prepared for a cream puff paste from least the following four ingredients: water or milk, fat, flour, and egg;

b) a becha mel sa uce is prepared from at least the fol lowi ng th ree ingredients: water or milk, fat, and flour;

c) the bechamel sauce obtained in step b) is incorporated into the cream puff paste base obtained in step a), and the mixture is kept in a double boiler at a temperature not to exceed 70°C;

d) egg whites are whipped to a stiff peaks stage;

e) sugar and melted gelatin are incorporated into the egg whites obtained in step d), said sugar being added in an egg white:sugar ratio comprised betwee n 25 : 1 a nd 1 00 : 1 , a nd sa id g elati n bei ng added i n a n eg g white:gelatin ratio comprised between 20: 1 and 100: 1 ;

f) the mixture obtained in step c) is removed from the double boiler, and the egg whites obtained in step e) are incorporated into said hot mixture;

g) the mixture obtained in step f) is placed in a souffle dish; and

h) the souffle preparation is frozen immediately at a temperature of at least -10°C. The inventor realized that implementing such a method makes it possible to obtain a preparation that has the required characteristics to make a savory souffle. Furthermore, this method makes it possible to keep the savory souffle preparation in the freezer for more than two months. More specifically, the method according to the invention uses sugar and gelatin mixed with the stiff peak egg whites. The inventor realized that this step makes it possible to obtain a preparation that has the lightness characteristics of a souffle. This step is integrated into the preparation of a savory souffle, for example to be served at the beginning of the meal. Lastly, this step also makes it possible to keep the souffle preparation in the freezer without losing the expected properties of a souffle, in particular visual, gustatory, nutritional, and therefore edible properties of savory souffles.

According to the inventive method, the stiff peak egg whites thus obtained are very firm, which favors the mixing of the three basic components of the freezable culinary preparation according to the invention.

Such a method also makes it possible to obtain a more homogenous souffle preparation, which favors conservation of the product.

The present invention therefore relates to a method for making a frozen savory souffle preparation. The term "freezable" may now be used as an equivalent for the term "frozen." The savory souffle preparation is in fact freezable and frozen.

According to a first step, a cream puff paste mixture is prepared from the following four ingredients: water or milk, fat, flour, and egg. These four ingredients make up the minimum necessary to prepare a cream puff paste.

" Fat" pri marily refers to butter, ma rg a ri ne , and vegeta ble fat. It may nevertheless be an edible oil or any food compositions including triglycerides.

"Flour" primarily refers to wheat flour, for example the white flour used for pastries and cakes. It may for example be type 45 or 55 flour. Other ingredients may potentially be added to the cream puff paste mixture. In particular, these additional ingredients are in particular chosen from among salt, sugar, and flavorings.

It is important to note that the cream puff paste here is not cooked before it is mixed with the custard. As an example, the ingredients for the cream puff paste are the following: 250 g of water or milk, 100 g of butter or margarine, 150 g of flour, and 250 g of eggs.

Another example of the ingredients necessary to prepare 1 liter of cream puff paste mixture according to the invention is the following: 1 liter of water, 15 g of caster sugar, 15 g of salt, 400 g of butter, 600 g of flour, 18 to 20 eggs.

The protocol for preparing the cream puff paste mixture is the following:

i) the liquid mixture, water or milk and fat, is brought to a boil;

ii) once boiling, it is removed from the heat, the flour is added all at once, and it is stirred vigorously;

iii) it is returned to the heat (high heat), and the obtained paste is dried for several minutes, for example 2 to 3 minutes or 3 to 4 minutes; and iv) it is removed from the heat, and the eggs are added one after the other.

The second step of the method according to the invention consists of preparing a bechamel sauce from the following three ingredients: milk (skim, half-cream or whole) or water, fat, and flour. These three ingredients make up the minimum necessary to prepare a bechamel sauce. Other ingredients may potentially be added to the custard . More specifically, these additional ingredients are in particular chosen from grated cheeses (in particular Gruyere, Emmental, and Parmesan), flavorings, and natural juices, for example reduced by cooking.

As an example, a bechamel sauce is prepared from the following ingredients: 100 g of fat, 100 g of flour, 1 I of milk, 100 g of grated Gruyere.

The protocol for preparing the bechamel sauce is the following: i) the fat is melted in a saucepan;

ii) the flour is added, then it is left to cook for 2 to 4 minutes;

iii) the milk is incorporated gradually, for example 20 cl at a time, while stirring;

iv) the grated Gruyere is incorporated, then it is left to cook for 2 to

4 minutes. The third step consists of incorporating the bechamel sauce obtained in the second step of the method into the cream puff paste base obtained in the first step of the method, then keeping the mixture in the double boiler at a temperature below 70°C. For example, the mixture may be kept at a temperature comprised between 40 and 60°C. Advantageously, the mixture is kept at approximately 60°C. According to the invention, the bechamel sauce is incorporated into the cream puff paste, so as to obtain a completely homogenous mixture. It will be noted that alternatively, the cream puff paste can be added to the bechamel sauce.

According to one aspect of the invention, it is possible to add one or more additional ingredients to the mixture obtained in the third step. These ingredients are intended to give the savory souffle a particular flavor. These additional ingredients are in particular chosen from scents, flavorings (e.g. fish stock, veal stock), spices (e.g. curry, cumin), vegetables, concentrates, and vegetable purees (for example tomato, artichoke, asparagus, broccoli, green beans, pumpkin, ambercup, chestnut, tomato paste) , meats (for example, poultry), fish and seafood (for example, lobster), cheeses (for example, cow, goat, sheep cheese), pastas (plain or with parsley), and natural juices (for example, reduced by cooking).

The fourth step of the method according to the invention consists of whipping the egg whites to the stiff peaks stage. A pinch of salt may be added to facilitate the process.

The fifth step of the method consists of incorporating sugar and melted gelatin into the egg whites obtained in the preceding step, i.e. the egg whites whipped to the stiff peaks stage.

The egg whites.sugar weight ratio is comprised between 25:1 and 100: 1 , advantageously between 30:1 and 70: 1 or between 40: 1 and 60: 1. For example, 5 g of sugar are added to 8 egg whites whipped to the stiff peaks stage. In that case , inasmuch as 8 egg whites weigh 250 g, the egg whites.sugar weight ratio is 50:1.

The egg whites:gelatin ratio is comprised between 20:1 and 100: 1 , advantageously between 25: 1 and 60: 1 or between 33: 1 and 50: 1 . As an example, 6 g of gelatin are added to 8 egg whites whipped to the stiff peaks stage. In that case, inasmuch as 8 egg whites weigh 250 g, the egg whites: gelatin weight ratio is 42:1. The egg whites whipped to the stiff peaks stage according to this process are firmer than the egg whites whipped to stiff peaks using a traditional process. This has the advantage of facilitating their mixing with other components of the souffle.

The inventor also realized that the step of the method made it possible to keep the preparation in the freezer for a longer period of time, while keeping the gustatory and nutritional properties of the product. Such a method therefore makes it possible to consider industrial production of the product obtained using the method and the marketing thereof. This is one significant advantage of the present invention.

Using such a step also makes it possible to obtain a more homogenous preparation for savory souffles.

A sixth step of the method consists of removing the cream puff paste-custard mixture (obtained in the third step of the method according to the invention) from the double boiler and incorporating the egg whites previously prepared into that hot mixture.

According to a seventh step of the method according to the invention, the mixture obtained in the sixth step is placed in a souffle bowl/dish/mold.

According to an eighth step, the souffle preparation is frozen immediately at a temperature of at least -10°C.

According to one aspect of the invention, the preparation is frozen at a temperature comprised between -10°C and -20°C.

"Immediately" means that the preparation must not stay at room temperature for more than a half-hour, advantageously more than a quarter hour after the end of its preparation.

Freezing keeps the temperature at the center of the food at a negative temperature, for example -15°C or -18°C, which makes it possible to preserve it. Some foodstuffs are nevertheless capable of being kept longer than others, in particular depending on their ingredients. The inventor has now observed that adding a specific step to the usual souffle preparation method led to improving the conservation time of the savory souffle preparation in the freezer, while preserving the expected properties of the souffle (in particular taste, consistency and appetence). According to the invention, it is preferable to freeze the savory souffle preparation slowly, rather than quickly (or deep freezing).

Accord i ng to one aspect of the invention , the bech amel ^' sauce.cream puff paste:egg whites ratio is comprised between 1 : 1 :2 and 1.2: 1.5:3, determined from the weight of each ingredient in the finished product.

For information, the proportions of each basic component in the final preparation may be the following:

The present invention also relates to a frozen savory souffle preparation obtained using the manufacturing method according to the invention.

The frozen savory souffle preparation obtained using the method according to the present invention has the advantageous property of being able to be kept in the freezer longer than the preparations of the prior art. This property results directly from the manufacturing method for the freezable preparation.

The savory souffle preparation according to the present invention may potentially comprise food additives and/or preservatives. Food additives in particular include chemical preservatives (E200 to E297), which are used to extend the shelf life of the food. These may for example be mineral preservatives (sodium chloride, sodium and potassium nitrates and nitrites, sulfur dioxide and sulfites, carbon dioxide, hydrogen peroxide or perhydrol) or organic preservatives (saturated fatty acids and sodium salts, potassium or calcium, sorbic acid and calcium, sodium, and potassium sorbates, benzoic acid and its derivatives, the other org an ic acids, alcohols, phenolic antioxidants). According to one aspect of the present invention, the savory souffle preparation according to the present invention has no preservatives.

The present invention also relates to a method for preparing a savory souffle from a frozen preparation according to the invention, consisting of heating said preparation to a temperature comprised between 180 and 250°C, preferably between 200 and 230°C for a length of time that depends on the weight of the frozen preparation. For example, a souffle preparation placed in a souffle dish with a diameter comprised between 6.5 and 8 cm must be baked at approximately 200°C for 15 to 18 min.

According to one aspect of the invention, the frozen souffle preparation is taken out of the freezer approximately 20 minutes before it is baked in the oven. This means that the frozen preparation remains at room temperature for a certain period of time before being placed in the oven.

According to another aspect of the invention , the souffle preparation is taken out of the freezer at the last minute, then placed in a microwave oven (in particular, defrost mode) for a very short period of time (for example, less than 2 minutes) before being baked in the traditional oven. This has an obvious advantage relative to the service time, in particular in a fast food setting, in situations where customers wish to be served very quickly, or in situations where customers do not wish to order their desert far enough in advance to use the traditional method (20 minutes at ambient temperature).

According to still another aspect of the present invention, the frozen preparation is placed in a souffle dish measuring 6 to 10 cm in diameter, and is baked until the souffle reaches a height of 1 to 6 cm.

The invention also relates to a savory souffle obtained using the method described above.

Examples

Example 1

A frozen savory souffle preparation is made from the following mixture of ingredients:

- 100 g of bechamel sauce - 100 g of cream puff paste

- 250 g of stiff peak egg whites with 5 g of sugar and 6 g of gelatin

- 10 g of tomato paste

The bechamel sauce.cream puff paste:egg whites weight ratio is 1 : 1 :2.5, determined from the weight of each ingredient in the finished product.

Example 2

A frozen savory souffle preparation is made from the following mixture of ingredients:

- 100 g of bechamel sauce

- 00 g of cream puff paste

- 250 g of stiff peak egg whites with 5 g of sugar and 6 g of gelatin

- 50 g of asparagus puree

The bechamel sauce ream puff paste.egg whites weight ratio is 1 : 1 :2.5, determined from the weight of each ingredient in the finished product.

Example 3

A frozen savory souffle preparation is made from the following mixture of ingredients:

- 100 g of cream puff paste

- 00 g of bechamel sauce

- 250 g of stiff peak egg whites with 5 g of sugar and 6 g of gelatin

- 50 g of grated cheese

The bechamel sauce:cream puff paste:egg whites weight ratio is 1 : 1 :2.5, determined from the weight of each ingredient in the finished product.

Protocol for making the souffle preparation

1. Preparation of one liter of mixture for cream puff paste

i) bring 1 liter of water and 400 g of butter to a boil;

ii) once boiling, remove from heat, add 600 g of flour all at once, and stir vigorously;

iii) return to high heat and dry the obtained paste for 2 to 3 minutes; and iv) remove from heat and add 18 eggs one after the other (2 by 2).

2. Preparation of one liter of bechamel sauce

i) melt 100 g of butter in a saucepan;

ii) add 00 g of flour, then let cook for 2 to 4 minutes; iii) incorporate 1 liter of milk, in 5 additions, i.e. 20 cl at a time, while stirring; iv) incorporate 10 g of salt and 2 or 3 g of pepper (white or black), and v) incorporate 100 g of grated Gruyere, then let cook for 2 to 4 minutes.

3. Cream puff paste and bechamel sauce mixture

The third step consists of incorporating the predetermined quantity (for example, 100 g) of hot bechamel sauce into the predetermined quantity (for example, 100 g) of cream puff paste base, then keeping the mixture in a double boiler at a temperature of 60°C.

4. Preparation of one and a half liters of stiff peak egg whites, or approximately 48 egg whites.

The egg whites are whipped to firm peaks using a whisk, after adding a pinch of salt.

5. Addition of sugar and gelatin

The necessary quantity (for example, 6 g) of gelatin sheets is softened in a container including cold water. The gelatin sheets are then placed in an empty saucepan and melted.

The necessary quantity (for example, 5 g) of sugar is then added to the predetermined quantity of stiff peak egg whites (for example, 250 g, which corresponds to 8 egg whites), then the melted gelatin. The egg whites:sugar weight ratio and egg whites.gelatin weight ratio are respectively 50: 1 and 42: 1.

6. Finishing the freezable preparation

The cream puff paste-bechamel sauce mixture is removed from the double boiler, and the vegetable purees, tomato paste and/or other flavor ingredients are incorporated into the hot mixture, then the previously prepared egg whites. The mixture thus obtained is placed in a souffle bowl/mold/dish with a diameter of 8 cm and an approximate capacity of 135 cm ³ . The inside of the souffle bowl is greased (using butter or margarine) and floured beforehand.

The souffle bowl containing the souffle preparation is then immediately placed in the freezer (-15°C).

The dish is then kept at a temperature of -18°C for 8 months.

Protocol for preparing the souffle from a frozen preparation

The souffle preparation is taken out of the freezer at the last minute (before being served), then placed in the microwave oven (defrost setting) for 1 minute and 20 seconds before being baked in the traditional oven for 16 min.

The souffle thus obtained preserves its visual and gustatory properties.