Soufflés are one of the stereotypical fancy foods–a harried chef attempting to keep one from falling due to its delicate, temperamental nature used to be a common comedy trope.
The two most common variations are the dessert version (like a chocolate one) and the savory version (like this recipe, 5-6: Cheese Soufflé). I’ve covered one savory soufflé dish already from this book: 4-11: Potato Soufflé with Onions.
This would be a good recipe to add some green onions or chives to–I think it would add some nice color to the soufflé without weighing it down. Simply Delicious shows this recipe in individual ramekins, but I’m going to make it all in one big soufflé dish–I have to justify its existence in my cabinet.
I’m not sure if my mom ever made this particular version, but I do remember her making soufflés–she always enjoyed egg dishes like soufflés and quiches. She’s always had big soufflé dishes because of it, which led me to believe that I needed to have one in my kitchen as well.
Ingredients. I went with a Cheddar/Jack blend of shredded cheese, but I think a Swiss or Jarlsberg would work well too. I think a Mozzarella might be too bland, but something more potent like a Gouda or Gruyere could be interesting as well. These simple recipes are the best recipes for funky cheese–let the funkiness be the star rather than melding strangely with other flavors.
Mixing the flour and milk in a saucepan.
Separating the eggs and mixing the yolks into the milk/flour/butter blend.
Looking consistent and creamy after being whisked.
Incorporating the cheese–you can see the egg whites and shells in bowls in the background.
Whipped my egg whites into stiff peaks with a chilled bowl and the stand mixer.
Folding the egg whites into the cheese mixture–this keeps the egg whites from breaking too much.
Filled my soufflé dish perfectly. I put the dish on a quarter-sized sheet pan just in case there’s any spillage, plus it makes it easier to get in and out of the oven.
After rising in the oven. I had the top a bit too close to the top (even though I did lower the racks–just not enough evidently), so it got a little too dark. I might have been able to get more height without it burning so much if it hadn’t been so close.
Spoonful on a plate shot. It’s essentially really fancy cheesy scrambled eggs. But if you want to impress someone, here’s a pretty easy recipe to do it with.
Grade: A
