SoufflÉ au Fromage (CHEESE SOUFFLÉ)
Serves 4
Note: You won't be using one of the egg yolks. Adapted from "Mastering the Art of French Cooking," by Julia Child, Louisette Bertholle, Simone Beck.
1 tsp. butter plus 3 tbsp. butter, divided
1 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
3 tbsp. flour
1 c. boiling milk
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Pinch of nutmeg
5 eggs
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
Pinch of salt
3/4 cup (3 oz.) coarsely grated Swiss cheese, or combination of Swiss and Parmesan, divided
Directions
Prepare a 6-cup soufflé mold by buttering inside and sides with 1 teaspoon butter, then sprinkle with the 1 tablespoon Parmesan. Turn upside down to knock out excess. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Melt the 3 tablespoons butter in the saucepan. Stir in the flour with a wooden spoon and cook over moderate heat until butter and flour foam together for 2 minutes without browning. Remove from heat; when mixture has stopped bubbling, pour in all the boiling milk at once.
Beat vigorously with a wire whip until blended. Beat in the salt, pepper, cayenne and nutmeg. Return to moderately high heat and boil, stirring with the wire whip, for 1 minute. Sauce will be very thick.
Remove pan from heat. Immediately separate first of 4 eggs into containers by placing egg white into a separate bowl and yolk into the center of the hot sauce. Immediately beat the yolk into the sauce with the wire whip. Continue in the same manner with the other three eggs. Set yolk mixture aside.
Add an extra egg white (from the fifth egg; you won't use the yolk) to the ones in the bowl. Whip 30 seconds until foamy, add cream of tartar and a pinch of salt. Beat until stiff peaks form. Stir a big spoonful (about one quarter of the egg whites) into the sauce. Stir all but a tablespoon of the cheese into that mixture. Delicately fold in the rest of the egg whites.
Turn the soufflé mixture into the prepared mold, which will be almost three quarters full. Tap the bottom of the mold lightly on the table, and smooth the surface of the soufflé with the flat of a knife. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.
Set on the second lowest level rack of oven and immediately turn the oven down to 375 degrees. Do not open oven door for 20 minutes. In 25 to 30 minutes the soufflé will have puffed about 2 inches over the rim of the mold, and the top will be nicely browned. (If you like a creamy center, it may be served at this point, but it is fragile and will sink rapidly.) It will collapse less readily if you allow it to bake 4 to 5 minutes more to firm it up. Serve at once.
Variation: Try using Gruyère cheese for a savory soufflé.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories322Fat24 gSodium605 mg
Carbohydrates9 gSaturated fat13 gCalcium296 mg
Protein17 gCholesterol1 mgDietary fiber0 g
Diabetic exchanges per serving: ½ milk, 2 medium-fat meat, 3 fat.
Mini Grand Marnier SoufflÉs
Serves 5 to 6.
Adapted from "Mastering the Art of French Cooking."
Softened butter for molds
Sugar for molds
3 tbsp. sifted flour
1/3 c. plus 1 tbsp. sugar, divided
3/4 c. milk
5 eggs
2 tbsp. softened butter
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
Pinch of salt
1 tbsp. granulated sugar
3 tbsp. orange liqueur (such as Grand Marnier or triple sec)
2 tsp. vanilla extract
Zest of 1 orange
Directions
Prepare 5 or 6 mini molds, each with an 8-ounce capacity (or a 6-cup soufflé mold) by buttering inside and sides with butter, then sprinkling with sugar. Turn upside down to knock out excess. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Mix together the flour and 1/3 cup sugar in a saucepan. Add a bit of the milk until well blended. Beat in the rest of the milk. Stir over moderately high heat until mixture thickens and comes to the boil. Boil, stirring, for 30 seconds. Sauce will be very thick. Remove from heat and stir for 2 minutes to cool slightly
Separate 1 egg, dropping the white into a separate bowl and putting the yolk into the center of the sauce. At once beat the yolk into the sauce with a wire whip. Repeat with the rest of the eggs, one by one.
Beat the 2 tablespoons butter into the egg yolk/sauce mixture. Clean sauce off sides of pan with rubber scraper.
Beat the egg whites 30 seconds until foamy, add cream of tartar and pinch of salt. Beat until soft peaks are formed. Sprinkle in the 1 tablespoon sugar and beat until stiff peaks are formed. Do not overbeat. Set aside.
Beat the orange liqueur, vanilla and orange zest into the sauce. Stir in a fourth of the beaten egg whites. Delicately fold in the rest of the egg whites.
Turn the soufflé mixture into the prepared molds leaving a generous space between the top of the soufflé and the rim of the mold. If the mold is too full, the soufflé will spill over as it rises.
Place the molds on a baking sheet (if desired), place on the second-lowest rack of the oven, and immediately turn the oven down to 375 degrees.
For minis, bake 8 to 9 minutes or until tops are puffed and golden (or test with a straw: it should come out clean when plunged into the soufflé through the side of the puff). Remove from oven and sift powdered sugar on top. Serve immediately.
For the 6-cup mold, bake for 20 minutes, then (when the soufflé has begun to puff and brown) open oven and quickly sprinkle the top with powdered sugar. After a total of 30 to 35 minutes of baking, the top of the soufflé should be nicely browned, and a straw plunged into the soufflé through the side of the puff should come out clean.
Serve immediately. Can be served with unsweetened whipped cream.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories212Fat9 gSodium139 mg
Carbohydrates23 gSaturated fat4 gCalcium60 mg
Protein7 gCholesterol0 mgDietary fiber0 g
Diabetic exchanges per serving: 1½ other carb, 1 medium-fat meat, 1 fat.
