Do You Dare Soufflé?
Ingredients
- 4 large eggs at room temperature
- 6 Tbsp butter
- 3/4 cup grated Parmesan
- 1 cup grated cheddar
- 6 Tbsp butter
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
Instructions
- Butter a 6-inch diameter x 3 1/2 inches deep soufflé dish. Cut a 6-inch-wide strip of parchment paper, butter it, wrap it around the soufflé dish and tie it tight with a string.
- Separate the eggs and yolks into two bowls, a small one for the yolks, a medium-sized one for the whites. Set aside.
- Melt the butter in a medium-sized pot over medium heat. Stir in the flour and cook for 2 minutes.
- Whisk in the milk until no lumps remain, turn the heat to medium low and cook until the mixture just comes to a slow boil.
- Add in the cheese, stirring until it’s thoroughly melted. Beat the yolks with a fork and add them to the mixture, stirring constantly. Add the Dijon mustard, cayenne pepper, and salt, whisk it all together, and remove from heat. The mixture will be the consistency of a thick custard. Allow it to cool to room temperature, whisking occasionally to help it cool. While it’s cooling, preheat the oven to 375F.
- With a clean whisk, beat the egg whites to stiff peaks. Add a couple of tablespoons to the cooled sauce and stir to loosen it up. Fold in the remaining egg whites with a spatula until no streaks remain.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the soufflé has puffed up above the rim and the top is browned. Turn the oven light on so you can see and be sure to arrange the soufflé dish with the little window in the collar towards you.
- Remove the soufflé from the oven, snip the string, remove the collar and bring the soufflé to the table, slowly, calmly. Serve with green salad and sauteed potatoes. Bacon and onion in the potatoes would not be overdoing it.
Notes
A few weeks ago, my roommate and I had the conversation common to people in their 60s and 70s: it’s time to divest. We must pare down our stuff. His eyes roved over the shelves of cookbooks in our living room and kitchen, a look filled with meaning. I resisted, but soon realized he’s right – I have far too many, and many of them I simply don’t use.
I’ve started the process of culling, studying the titles, considering. It’s hard, because even though I might not often open Charcuterie by Michael Ruhlman and Brian Polcyn, or Fermented Foods by Kirsten and Christopher Shockey, or Shrubs, by Michael Dietsch, I like the recipes, I like the authors’ voices, I love their passion. Each cookbook is a shining example of hard work and creativity.
But I must divest.
Joy of Cooking stays. So do Julia Child, Paula Wolfert, early Jamie Oliver. Ottolenghi, Jennifer McLagan, Gabrielle Hamilton, they all stay. Ditto Escoffier and Larousse Gastronomique. Farewell, Amy Sedaris, Elizabeth David, Mark Bittman, I love you, but another cook will love you too. I will find you that cook.
In the meantime, here is my pledge: I’m going to make one recipe from each cookbook before I let it go. That means I must read each book and really get to know it again to find that one recipe. It feels like a fitting tribute.
My first choice, because we have so many delicious, farm fresh eggs right now, is Soufflés, Sweet and Savoury by Sara Lewis. I bought it for my roommate several years ago when he expressed an interest in learning how to make this somewhat intimidating and yet everyday delicacy. He has made two soufflés in the 8 years we’ve owned the book.
He made notes on each. One of them follows – a good, basic, cheese soufflé within most of our reach, complete with my roommate’s tweaks, found on a scrap of paper tucked into the pages.
There are recipes for soufflés in Joy of Cooking, in Mastering the Art of French Cooking. I’m okay with moving this book along.
But I’m keeping the soufflé dish.
