Cheese Soufflé

A thick cheese base lightened with whipped whites, where the dish is buttered in upward strokes so the mixture can climb.

Egg. Not vegetarian — contains gruyère whose rennet the source does not name, parmesan whose rennet the source does not name.

Ingredients

• 50 g butter, plus more for the dish
• 50 g plain flour
• 350 ml whole milk
• 150 g gruyère, finely grated
• 5 egg yolks
• 7 egg whites
• 2 tablespoons finely grated parmesan, for the dish
• a grating of nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• salt and cayenne

Method

1. THE DISH IS BUTTERED IN UPWARD STROKES AND THEN DUSTED. Vertical strokes with a pastry brush, from the base to the rim, then grated parmesan turned round the dish to coat it. The mixture climbs those ridges; buttered in circles it slides back down the sides as it rises, which is why one soufflé rises straight and another leans.
2. THE BASE IS MUCH THICKER THAN A SAUCE AND IS MEANT TO BE. It should be stiff enough to hold the spoon upright. The whites are mostly air and water; a loose base cannot carry them and the whole thing collapses in the oven.
3. A THIRD OF THE WHITES IS BEATEN IN HARD AND SACRIFICED, then the rest FOLDED. Trying to fold stiff whites into a stiff base knocks all the air out; the first third slackens the base so the remaining two thirds survive. This is the step that decides the rise.
4. AND THE OVEN DOOR IS NOT OPENED. Not once, not quickly. The rush of cold air drops it and it will not come back.
5. Oven to 190C with a baking tray in it -- the base needs heat from below immediately.
6. The dish buttered in upward strokes, dusted with parmesan, and chilled while the base is made.
7. Butter melted, flour cooked in it 2 minutes without colouring, milk added gradually and whisked to a very thick sauce. Simmered 5 minutes.
8. Off the heat, gruyère, nutmeg, salt and cayenne stirred in until melted, then the yolks one at a time.
9. Tasted and OVER-SEASONED slightly: the whites to come are bland and will dilute it.
10. Whites whipped with the cream of tartar to FIRM BUT NOT DRY peaks -- they should hold a peak that curls at the tip. Over-whipped whites are grainy and will not fold in.
11. A third beaten into the base vigorously to slacken it.
12. The rest folded in with a large metal spoon in two lots, cutting down and turning over, stopping while a few streaks of white still show. Folded to uniformity, it is already half deflated.
13. Into the dish, the surface levelled, and a thumb run round the inside of the rim to make a shallow channel -- it helps it rise straight.
14. Onto the hot tray, 25 to 30 minutes, until risen, deep brown and with the faintest wobble. Carried straight to the table.

Our own recipe. This one was written for this site rather than taken from anywhere, so there is no source to point you at. The quantities and the order of the steps are choices, not the only way to do it.

Filed under France · All recipes