Process for the preparation of a composition for frozen or deep-frozen souffles

A successful frozen savory or sweet souffle which rises during baking and only collapses moderately when it is served is prepared from a base mass comprising a baked panada based on fat, flour, water and cream, a flavouring base composed of vegetables, cheese, fish or fruit, egg yolks and texturizing proteins by mixing the different ingredients without whipping of the proteins and incorporating carbon dioxide gas in the mass.

This invention relates to a process for the preparation of a composition 
for frozen or deep-frozen souffles. 
The difficulty of preparing a successful souffle that is, a souffle which 
rises as it should during baking and only collapses moderately when it is 
served, is known. Moreover, a souffle is usually prepared on the spot to 
ensure that it is fresh, and is served and eaten immediately. This is just 
as true for savoury souffles, notably cheese souffles, as it is for second 
course or sweet souffles. 
Thus, attempts have been made to provide preparations for frozen souffles 
in an individual package, which merely have to be put into the oven and 
baked to obtain a souffle which is a success every time and is similar to 
a fresh souffle. Processes for the preparation of frozen or deep-frozen 
sweet souffles are thus described in French Patent Nos. 2,082,138 and 
2,346,987. They involve the use of a considerable quantity of egg white 
which is beaten until stiff and made into a meringue and which, as in the 
conventional recipe, should be carefully mixed with choux pastry which may 
have been mixed with confectioner's custard. Processes of this type are 
difficult to industrialise on a large scale due to the precautions which 
have to be taken during the preparation of the whipped egg whites and 
during their incorporation into the choux pastry dough which is capable of 
maintaining their aerated texture. 
Other developments in relation to frozen or deep-frozen preparations for 
souffle omelettes, for example according to U.S. Pat. No. 3,073,704, or 
for pancakes, for example according to U.S. Pat. No. 4,022,917 specify the 
incorporation of a leavening agent, such as sodium bicarbonate which may 
be encapsulated in a fat and is capable of releasing carbon dioxide when 
heated by a reaction with an acid present in the dough. The addition of 
baking powder to a souffle which is to resemble a fresh souffle as closely 
as possible is undesirable. 
Applicants have found that it is possible to prepare industrially, by a 
simple process, frozen or deep-frozen savoury or sweet souffles which have 
all the characteristics of a fresh souffle, that is, without the 
incorporation of baking powder, and which are capable of rising, without 
collapsing, when they are subsequently baked. 
The process according to the present invention, in which a base mass 
comprising the following is prepared: 
a baked panada based on fat, flour, water and cream, 
a charge composed of vegetables, cheese, fish or fruit, 
egg yolks, and 
texturizing proteins, 
is characterised in that the different ingredients are mixed, without 
whipping of the proteins, and carbon dioxide gas in incorporated in the 
base mass. 
Hereafter, the term "texturizing proteins" will be understood as 
designating proteins which are capable of participating, by baking, in the 
formation of a network which becomes rigid on cooling, allowing, inter 
alia, the light and aerated texture of the product to be maintained for 
some time after the souffle has been removed from the oven. 
The process of the present invention is carried out as follows, in a first 
preparation variant of a savoury product: 
I. A panada of flour in fat, in a proportion of from 0.6 to 1 time the 
weight of the flour is prepared by baking for 3 to 10 minutes at from 
80.degree. to 100.degree. C. Butter, margarine or any other vegetable fat 
may be used as the fat. Seasonings and spices, for example pepper, nutmeg 
etc., are added, as is water and dairy cream to provide a total of 
preferably from 1 to 2 times the weight of the flour. 
II. A cheese souffle will be described thereafter as an example of a 
savoury product, in which the cheese forms the flavouring base. It is 
obvious that it is possible to replace the cheese base by a charge of 
vegetables, for example spinach, or by small pieces of fish. In order to 
prepare this base, the following ingredients are mixed together: hot 
water, sweet buttermilk, i.e., originating from the production of non-acid 
butter or, in a variant, a mixture of skimmed milk and natural lecithins, 
and cooked curd cheese, for example Emmental, parmesan or processed 
cheese, in which case a calcium salt, for example calcium chloride is 
added in order to counteract the influence of the emulsifying salts on the 
functional properties of the texturizing proteins. In order to obtain a 
product having a long storage life, the heat treatment of the mixture is 
preferably effected at a temperature of, for example from 80.degree. to 
100.degree. C., and thereafter the dispersion is crushed to obtain a 
smooth mass. 
III. A protein base is then prepared which consists of powdered egg whites 
and lactic proteins in a weight ratio of proteins to egg white of from 0.3 
to 3, which is rehydrated by adding a suitable quantity of water. Whey 
and/or skimmed milk proteins which have undergone an ultrafiltration 
treatment, having a low content of lactose and a protein concentration of 
at least 50% by weight are preferably used as lactic proteins. 
The base masses I, II and III are mixed while adding egg yolks, for example 
yolks which are fresh or reconstituted by thawing or rehydration. Mixing 
is carried out in a mixer which operates at a slow speed in order to avoid 
whipping and the incorporation of air, in the following weight 
proportions: 
egg yolk: from 3 to 12% 
panada base: from 10 to 50% 
flavouring base: from 25 to 55%, and 
protein base: from 25 to 50%. 
In a variant, it is possible to incorporate the bases II and III all at 
once. 
In a varient, if a sweet souffle is desired, sugar is incorporated into 
bases II and/or III to obtain the desired organoleptic quality. The 
souffle may be flavoured by incorporating pieces of fruit or puree, or by 
incorporating a juice or flavour obtained by concentrating a natural fruit 
juice. A sweet or non-sweet essence, or an alcoholic liqueur may also be 
incorporated into the bases II or III. 
The subsequent operation, whether for the preparation of a savoury or sweet 
product, comprises dissolving carbon dioxide gas in the mixture either at 
a temperature below 30.degree. C. or, in a preferred variant, in the form 
of solid carbon dioxide in a proportion of from 0.5 to 2% by weight, in a 
planetary mixer. 
The souffle preparation is then packed in individual aluminum packages. The 
packages may be of any suitable dimension and shape, depending on the 
thickness of the product, and may be in container suitable for reheating. 
Round containers of a volume of 125 ml may be used, for example. The 
filled packages are deep-frozen in a tunnel or plate freezer, at about 
-35.degree. C.

The following Examples, in which the quantities and percentages are based 
on weight, unless otherwise indicated, illustrate the present invention. 
EXAMPLE 1 
Cheese souffle (Emmental) 
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Margarine 7 
Wheat flour 11 
Cream 4 panada base 
Spices 0.5 
Water 13 
Grated Emmental 17 
Sweet buttermilk 
15 cheese base 
Water 10 
Egg yolk 10 
Lactic proteins 4 
Powdered egg white 
2 protein base 
Water 20 
100 
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The preparation process is as mentioned on pages 3 and 4, and the carbon 
dioxide gas is dissolved by adding 2% of solid carbon dioxide into a 
planetary mixer at a temperature of 25.degree. C. with slow agitation to 
avoid expansion by air, and this is continued until the gas has completely 
dissolved. Packaging and deep-freezing are carried out as indicated above. 
EXAMPLE 2 
Sweet souffle (pear) 
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Margarine 4 
Wheat flour 6 
Cream 2 panada base 
Water 4.5 
Egg yolk 10 
Pear puree 40 
aromatic base 
Sugar 10 
Lactic proteins 
3 
Egg white 3.5 protein base 
Water 15 
100 
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The panada is prepared as indicated under I above. The egg white is added, 
followed by the mixture of aromatic base and proteins. The carbon dioxide 
gas is dissolved by being brought into contact with the above-prepared 
mass and by continuously bubbling in a tube which is internally provided, 
by way of accessory, with baffles and may be cooled by the circulation of 
a cooling fluid in a jacket. The gas is dissolved under these conditions 
at a temperature of about 20.degree. C. and under a pressure of 1.5 
10.sup.5 pascal at a rate of about 150 liters of gas per 100 kg of mass. 
The products are packed and deep-frozen as indicated above.