Cooking Lesson #915: Wonderful Cheese Soufflé

…from the Perspectives’ Kitchen

How you doin’? Julia Child was one of our favorite guests on The Food Show. She could always put a smile on our faces. She loved Joan and had missed her on a couple of segments when Joan was traveling though you’d never know as we used the magic of editing to loop in Joan’s voice before a show aired. Julia loved food and she deeply respected people who made a career in the food industry—that was one of the reasons we could always book Julia when she was in Los Angeles.  
 
Even in her later years she had a wild effervescent passion for food. And she was a fan of cooking with eggs—from the simple fried egg for breakfast or a finely finished éclair filled with egg custard. But most of all she loved soufflés.  In Julia’s own words, “The soufflé is undoubtedly the egg at its most magnificent, the egg in all its puffing power. How impressive is the chocolate or cheese soufflé, its head rising dramatically out of its dish, and swaying ever so slightly as it is borne to the table.”

With this recipe I give you the gift of the perfect soufflés—just like Julia may have made. It’s really quite easy—if you can read and follow instructions this is a wonderful foolproof recipe that will impress your family and friends. Before taking this on for an important dinner party, practice making one of these a couple of days before your party. 
 
Prep time:  15 minutes
Bake time:  20 minutes
Yield:  2 servings
 
Ingredients 
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup grated Gruyère or Cheddar cheese
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 egg large eggs, separated
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
 
Directions

1. Heat an oven to 375°F.
2. Grease two 8-ounce ramekins with 1 tablespoon of butter.
3. Coat the inside of the ramekins with the Parmesan cheese; tap out the excess cheese and set aside.
4. In a small saucepan, over medium heat, melt the remaining butter. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute.
5. Whisk in the milk and cook, stirring constantly, until the sauce boils, about 1 minute.
6. Remove from heat and stir in the cheese until melted.
7. Mix in the cayenne and nutmeg.
8. After the mix cools a bit so as not to scramble the eggs, whisk in the yolks one at a time and set aside.
9. In a clean bowl, beat the egg whites with the salt until stiff (but not dry) peaks form.
10. Stir 1/4 of the egg whites into the cheese sauce to loosen it. Gently fold in the remaining egg whites.
11. Spoon into the ramekins.
12. Bake until puffed and browned on the top about 20 minutes
13. Serve immediately.

ChefSecret:  You can make one large 16-ounce soufflé by using a larger ramekin and baking it 40 minutes. The soufflé should be well puffed and lightly golden brown on the top before taking it out.  If you like your cheese soufflé with a bit of a bite (and I do), add 2 teaspoons of bleu cheese when mixing in your ingredients. 

Quip of the Day: “Reading can seriously damage your ignorance!”
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Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to [email protected]. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide.
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