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Cheese Soufflé
April 01, 2007
For the sake of brevity, this recipe assumes a basic understanding of the steps. If you need a bit more guidance or if this is your first soufflé, James Beard's Theory & Practice of Good Cooking (Knopf 1981), from which this recipe is adapted, has an excellent primer.
Tim’s hot tips
- The eggs must be a room temperature. Don’t even think about using a cold egg.
- If you don’t have a copper bowl, add ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar to the whites before you begin beating.
- Don’t over-beat the egg whites. We are not making meringue! They should be shiny and moist—just thick enough to hold a soft peak.
- Resist the temptation to open and close the oven –its not the slamming of the oven door that causes the soufflé to fall, but the cool air rushing in will do you no favors. If your oven heats accurately, rely on the cooking time (and experience) to tell you when the soufflé is done.
- Don’t use a collar.
Ingredients
1 teaspoon butter
4 eggs
1 extra egg white
3 tablespoon butter
3 tablespoons flour
1 cup hot milk
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Pinch of grated nutmeg
Your choice of cheese…
½ cup grated sharp Cheddar: Fiscalini Bandaged Wrap (CA) or Montgomery’s (England)
OR
¾ cup grated Comte or Gruyere
OR
¾ cup grated Rogue River Blue
Grease a 1 ½ quart soufflé dish with 1 teaspoon butter.
Separate the eggs.
Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat. Stir in the flour and cook until the roux is frothy. Wisk in the hot milk, cook and stir until it just comes to a boil and the sauce is thick. Remove from heat and add the salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Quickly stir a few tablespoons of sauce into the yolks before adding the warmed yolks back in to the sauce. Wisk the béchamel until thoroughly mixed. Stir in the cheese. Transfer the base to a large mixing bowl.
Remove the top racks of the oven, leaving one rack in the center of the oven.
Pre-heat the oven to 375º. For God’s sake, if you are using an old electric oven turn it to bake once it reaches temperature.
Beat the egg whites until they just hold soft peaks.
Immediately fold the egg whites into the béchamel. Turning the bowl a quarter turn at a time, gently fold the sauce from the bottom of the bowl up and over the whites. Your basic turn and fold technique. Do not over mix, it’s okay if there are a few little bits of egg whites still visible.
Gently transfer the soufflé into the prepared dish and smooth the top with a spatula. Place the dish in the oven and bake 30-35 minutes. If, like me, you prefer your soufflé a bit creamy at the center, remove the dish at 30 minutes. If you like a firmer center, bake for 35 minutes. Serve immediately with a green salad and a good baguette. Pair with a Riesling or Sauvignon Blanc (match your wine selection to the cheese you used). Bon Appétit!
