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Light and fluffy, but also rich and luscious, what dish could feel more indulgent than a cheese soufflé? Let’s explore this classic of traditional cuisine. Elegant on any brunch, lunch, or dinner table, this recipe is easier than it seems to be, as long as you follow some basic rules. Once you master the basic recipe, you can make infinite variations. Your cheese “leftovers” in the fridge can be used too! So impress your guests (and spoil yourself) with this luxurious cheese soufflé recipe.
Ingredients list for the cheese soufflé
Serves 4:
- 1 1/3 ounce (40g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 1/3 ounce (40g) all-purpose flour
- 4 eggs
- 1 pint (40 cl) of whole milk
- 5 ounces (150g) grated cheese (Emmenthal, cheddar…)
- A little butter for molds
- Salt, pepper, nutmeg
Cooking instructions
1. Preheat your oven to 390°F(200°c).
2. In a saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Add the flour and whisk vigorously, let brown slightly to make a roux (1-2 minutes). Add the milk gradually while stirring constantly. Cook over low heat until thickened. Off the heat add the freshly grated cheese. Stir until melted. Salt lightly (because of the cheese) and add pepper, add a pinch of nutmeg. Let cool.
3. Meanwhile, clarify the eggs (ie separate whites and yolks).
4. keep yolks aside, and beat the egg whites until stiff, with a pinch of salt.
5. Butter your ramekins. To make it easier, butter must be very soft (but not melted) to adhere to the walls of the ramekins. Butter the bottom, then the sides by a movement from bottom to top with the brush. Keep the ramekins ready for later.
6. When your bechamel sauce has warmed, add the egg yolks, stirring quickly. Then fold the egg whites in batches, gently lift the mixture with a spatula. Pour in your ramekins and bake for twenty minutes. When the souffles are puffed, they are done. Serve immediately.
The key points for making successful cheese souffles:
- Let the bechamel cool before incorporating egg yolks.
- Ramekins should be generously buttered, bottom-up and with a brush.
- Do not touch inside the ramekins with your fingers once buttered.
- Do not open the oven door during baking.
- When the souffles are done, serve immediately, otherwise they collapse.
Cheese souffle variants:
- Blue cheese souffle: 50g blue cheese (or other blue) and 100g Swiss cheese.
- Parmesan souffle: 75g Parmesan and 75g Emmenthal.
- Camembert souffle: 1 whole Camembert (100g) and 50g Emmenthal.
- Cumin souffle: 75g mimolette or edam, 75g Emmental and 1 tsp cumin powder.
- 3 Cheese soufflé: 50 g Comte, 50g Mimolette (or Edam) and 50g Emmental.
Tips
- Accompaniments: you can serve cheese souffles with a salad.
- You can also use it to accompany an endive salad with walnuts.
- With a camembert souffle, it will be an apple salad, seasoned with olive oil and apple cider vinegar.
- With parmesan souffle, you should add fresh figs in your salad.
- With Roquefort or blue cheese souffle, you’ll be spoiled by a wide choice for the accompaniment: fresh grapes and toasted hazelnuts make a delicious accompaniment!
If you’ve never tried the cheese soufflé or if it scares you, go ahead and get started, it’s a real treat.
Photo credit: © Eatwell101.com
