Cheese Soufflé
I have a penchant for Provence and its food. I cooked many of my favorite dishes for Julia, including a golden, buttery tarte a l’oignon, but as much as Julia loved Provence, the dishes she seemed to love the most were firmly ensconced in the pantheon of classic French cooking. She mopped up the crème fraîche sauces I made with gusto, and relished the canard a l’ orange. One day, I decided to make her a cheese souffle. It had risen beautifully and I placed it carefully on the table between us. I quickly stepped into the kitchen to get the salad; by the time I returned, less than two minutes later, Julia had spooned out half of the soufflé onto her plate and was tucking in. “I adore soufflés,” she enthused. She was enjoying herself. I was too. Sitting on the terrace with her that day, eating that dish, is a memory I will always treasure.
Cheese Soufflé
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons butter, plus 2 tablespoons for the soufflé mold
- 3 tablespoons unbleached flour
- 1⅓ cups milk
- 2 tablespoons crème fraîche
- 8 ounces Gruyere, or Compté, Cheddar or Emmenthal or a mixture including some goat cheese, grated
- 5 egg yolks
- 8 egg whites
Optional Topping
- Crème fraîche
- Chives, finely chopped
- Parsley, finely chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Use 2 tablespoons of butter to grease the inside of a large soufflé mold.
- Melt the 3 tablespoons of butter in a large saucepan placed over medium heat. When the butter has completely melted, add in the flour and stir until it has completely absorbed the butter and thickens into a paste. Add in the milk and continue stirring until you have a thick, creamy mixture. Remove from the heat.
- Add in the crème fraîche and cheese, stirring well to combine all the ingredients. Making sure that the mixture is not too hot, whisk in the egg yolks until you have a smooth, homogenous mixture. Set aside.
- Beat the egg whites until they are just firm. You don’t want to over-beat them as this will create a dry soufflé. Gently fold the egg whites into the soufflé base until they are completely incorporated—you should have no pockets of just egg white mixture. The texture should be quite firm. Spoon or pour the soufflé mixture into the prepared mold. Bake on middle rack of oven for 40 minutes. Serve immediately.
- This is very good served with some crème fraîche or yogurt that has been mixed with finely chopped chives and parsley.
