{"id":144028,"date":"2026-01-30T12:19:12","date_gmt":"2026-01-30T12:19:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/144028\/"},"modified":"2026-01-30T12:19:12","modified_gmt":"2026-01-30T12:19:12","slug":"the-secret-and-technique-behind-dallas-famous-souffles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/144028\/","title":{"rendered":"The secret, and technique, behind Dallas\u2019 famous souffl\u00e9s"},"content":{"rendered":"

All things considered, Hedda Dowd\u2019s restaurant never should have worked. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Michael Hogue<\/p>\n

For starters, it opened in Dallas in 2008 \u2014 not necessarily the best year for business. On top of that, Dowd, a Francophile who had never owned a restaurant, was determined to open one centered entirely around one of the most notoriously finicky and technical dishes in French cuisine: the souffl\u00e9.<\/p>\n

Luckily for her, and for Dallas, Dowd convinced French chef Cherif Brahmi to take a risk and open Rise No. 1 with her in a corner of Inwood Village. Together, with a clear vision and just the right amount of naivete, they created a haven for cozy French cooking while figuring out how to make hundreds of perfect souffl\u00e9s a day \u2013 something they\u2019ve pulled off for nearly two decades across seven locations. <\/p>\n

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\u201cWhat you don\u2019t know sometimes is a blessing,\u201d Dowd said over a cup of coffee on the restaurant\u2019s sunny patio earlier this month on what happened to be the restaurant\u2019s 18th anniversary. \u201cBut I knew the culture, and I knew what I had grown up with.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"(From<\/p>\n

(From left) Cherif Brahmi, executive chef and co-owner, poses with Hedda Gioia Dowd, founder and CEO of Rise No. 1 in Dallas’ Inwood Village. <\/p>\n

Juan Figueroa \/ Staff Photographer<\/p>\n

Born to a French mother and having spent formative time in her grandmother\u2019s kitchen in France, Dowd\u2019s childhood, and consequently her philosophy of food, was defined by good home cooking and warm souffl\u00e9s.<\/p>\n

She knew, with conviction, a souffl\u00e9 restaurant would be a success, but she just needed the right person in the kitchen to execute it. It took Brahmi a while to come around to the idea, three years to be exact, but Dowd\u2019s unflinching passion persuaded him. <\/p>\n

\u201cI thought it was a crazy idea,\u201d he said. \u201cIt took time for me to think maybe it could work.\u201d <\/p>\n

It also took a while for the chef to figure out how to make it work. <\/p>\n

Take a peek behind the scenes at Rise and you\u2019ll find the trick to its souffl\u00e9s, which have found fans in the likes of Martha Stewart<\/a> and George W. Bush<\/a>, is fear, or rather the absence of it.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A quote by Julia Childs seen on the bar at Riseas staff prepared for lunch service.<\/p>\n

Juan Figueroa \/ Staff Photographer<\/p>\n

It\u2019s reasonable to fear the souffl\u00e9. It is a delicate egg dish whose form and texture are reliant on tiny air bubbles suspended within its batter. It must bake just long enough to dramatically puff up, but even a minute too long in the oven can render it flat and dense.<\/p>\n

Anyone who has ever made a souffl\u00e9 knows there are said to be two strict rules that must never be broken \u2014 overwhipping the egg batter, and opening the oven door during baking. At Rise, both are completely and fearlessly ignored. <\/p>\n

\u201cEverybody says to gently fold it in,\u201d Brahmi said while watching the restaurant\u2019s executive chef Alberto Solis vigorously beat a bowl of souffl\u00e9 batter. \u201cBut the more you whip it the better, actually.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Executvie<\/p>\n

Executvie chef Alberto Solis makes the batter for the restaurant’s signature Frito Chili Souffl\u00e9. <\/p>\n

Juan Figueroa \/ Staff Photographer<\/p>\n

Before opening Rise, Brahmi spent countless hours studying souffl\u00e9s to learn how to pull off making dozens of them at a time. His first realization was that they don\u2019t need to be treated with the gentle hand many think they require. The other realization was that with the right equipment, he could turn out perfect souffles in an oven that is constantly opened as new orders come in. <\/p>\n

Brahmi found a Canadian company that built a custom electric bread oven for Rise that distributes even heat inside a taller-than-normal interior chamber, which prevents the tops of the souffl\u00e9s from burning. <\/p>\n

Once Brahmi hammered out his technique, he started experimenting with flavor. He and Dowd wanted to push the souffl\u00e9 creatively while bringing a little Texas charm to the dish. That\u2019s where the Frito Chili Souffl\u00e9 \u2014 one of the most popular on Rise\u2019s menu and one of its seasonal specials \u2014 comes in.<\/p>\n

\"Chef<\/p>\n

Chef Alberto Solis takes a Frito Chili Souffl\u00e9 out of the oven using a hook.<\/p>\n

Juan Figueroa \/ Staff Photographer<\/p>\n

The idea to put chili in souffl\u00e9 came years ago from a regular who waxed poetic about his love for chili, Brahmi said. Brahmi dusted off his chili recipe that won him first place in a chili cook off against other Dallas chefs years prior, and the Frito Chili Souffl\u00e9 was born.<\/p>\n

The souffl\u00e9 begins like all savory souffl\u00e9s with a base of Mornay, which is essentially a b\u00e9chamel made with Parmesan and Gruy\u00e8re. The Mornay is mixed with shredded cheddar cheese and beef chili. Meanwhile, egg whites are beaten in a stand mixture until cloud-like and thick.<\/p>\n

The Mornay and chili mixture is heated until the cheese is molten, then it is mixed by hand in a large bowl with the egg whites. The batter is poured into butter- and Parmesan-coated ramekins until halfway full. A scoop of chili is nestled inside before more batter is poured on top.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The base for the Frito Chili Souffl\u00e9 is made with Mornay, cheddar cheese and beef chili. <\/p>\n

Juan Figueroa \/ Staff Photographer<\/p>\n

The souffl\u00e9 is baked for around 10 minutes until it towers over the edge of the ramekin. Once out of the oven, a cheddar sauce is drizzled over the souffl\u00e9 until it cascades down the sides. Fritos and pico de gallo are piled on top.<\/p>\n

Like all souffl\u00e9s, this chili version is served quickly and must be eaten promptly, as souffl\u00e9s require a level of presence few other foods demand. In a matter of minutes, they retreat back into themselves as the hot air that gives them their shape dissipates. <\/p>\n

\"Frito<\/p>\n

Frito Chili Souffl\u00e9s rise as they bake in the oven that was custom made for the souffl\u00e9 restaurant. <\/p>\n

Juan Figueroa \/ Staff Photographer<\/p>\n

It may be blasphemous to some French chefs to put chili and Fritos in a souffl\u00e9, but Brahmi is unbothered. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve spent more of my life in Texas than in France now,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd I feel like I\u2019m more open-minded than most chefs.\u201d <\/p>\n

One bite of the souffl\u00e9 is enough to shatter any notion chili has no place in a French restaurant. <\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The Frito Chili Souffl\u00e9 is topped with a cheddar sauce, Frito’s and pico de gallo. <\/p>\n

Juan Figueroa \/ Staff Photographer<\/p>\n

As it is one of the restaurant\u2019s rotating seasonal specials, the chili souffl\u00e9 is only offered for a few months during the fall and winter, which undoubtedly contributes to its popularity. Distance makes the heart grow fonder, as they say. <\/p>\n

It will be on the menu until March, just as fleeting as a souffl\u00e9\u2019s rise. <\/p>\n

The Frito Chili Souffl\u00e9 ($32) can be found at Rise No. 1, which has 6 locations in Texas and one in Oklahoma. The original location is at 5360 W Lovers Ln. #220, Dallas. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"All things considered, Hedda Dowd\u2019s restaurant never should have worked. Michael Hogue For starters, it opened in Dallas…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":144029,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[17527,2808,4621,102,104,103,1551,49,320,18279,60374,354,60373],"class_list":["post-144028","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-dallas","tag-bluffview","tag-chefs","tag-culture","tag-dallas","tag-dallas-headlines","tag-dallas-news","tag-feature","tag-food","tag-food-and-drink","tag-french-food","tag-greenway-parks","tag-restaurants","tag-the-dish-series"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/144028","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=144028"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/144028\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/144029"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=144028"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=144028"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=144028"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}