You've already made chocolate soufflé week 13 (and discovered how easy soufflé is!) Now dive headfirst into this (even easier) savory version. For tips and to bake-along live, just follow along with the video.
Prep: 30 minutes
Bake: 35-45 minutes
Dishware: six 10oz ramekins (or go for one large one!)
Cheese Soufflé Ingredients
(6 Servings)
4 T unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 & 1/4 cup whole milk (lower fat milk works great as well)
4 eggs, separated
2 egg whites
3-3.5 oz grated cheese*
1/2 t cream of tartar (optional!)
Mix-ins....garlic, onion, herbs, (cooked) proteins?? (optional)
Measure out all of your ingredients in advance and separate your eggs (all egg whites can go into your mixer bowl). This can move pretty quickly!
Prepare your ramekins** by coating the bottom and sides in butter and grated parmesan. You can see my method at the 12:48 mark.
Make the béchamel: melt the butter in a sauce pan. If you're adding in any veggies that need sautéing, dice them up (rather small is best so as to not add too much weight to the soufflé) and toss them in! You'll want to toss in any dried herbs you are using as well. Make sure you are seasoning well as you go.
Once the butter has melted and your mix-ins have cooked, whisk in the flour.
Cook the flour for about 1 minute until no longer fragrant.
Gradually pour in the milk, whisking between additions.
Once all of the milk is incorporated cook it until it has thickened. For a visual, check out my béchamel at the 22:52 mark.
Pour your béchamel into a large bowl. Set it aside.
Whip your egg whites and cream of tartar (optional) until you have still, glossy peaks, ensuring you do not overwhip (which I relate to stiff bubbles in a bubble bath -- you still want to be able to fold the whites in!). For a visual, check out my whipped egg whites at the 30:34 mark.
Return to our béchamel: now is the time to add in your other mix-ins, for example, fresh herbs, proteins like cooked bacon or ham, etc. Stir to combine and season with salt and pepper.
Take 1/3-1/2 of your whipped egg whites and gently fold into your béchamel base. To hear a description on the folding process, head to the 33:16 mark.
Next, gently mix in your grated cheese.
Gently fold in the remaining whipped egg whites.
Evenly distribute your batter into your ramekins -- you want to fill them between 2/3 and 3/4 full.
Bake for 30-45 minutes (you ramekin size will affect bake-time!) until just set and golden brown. You can increase or decrease bake time depending on how loose you prefer soufflé. I discuss more on bake times at the 40:30 mark.
Serve immediately -- the soufflés will begin to fall right after you pull them out of the oven.
I recommend you break the soufflé with a spoon and add a dollop of sour cream or crème fraîche.
Enjoy you cheesy delight!
Notes:
*Grab a block of your favorite semi-firm to firm cheese: cheddar, gouda, jack, jarlsberg, emmental, gruyere, etc. Go crazy! Just make sure you pick a cheese you truly love.
**If you don't have ramekins, try for any oven-safe dish with vertical walls.
I ended up cooking mine for 33 minutes.
Comments