THE CHEESE SOUFFLÉ

The elegant and decadent souffle - the most pretentious and intimidating of haute cuisine.  I make this look easy - and now, so will you!

Most dramatically puffed up right out of the oven, and will deflate rather fast - so be prepared to serve immediately. This is why they are rather complicated to make for the masses, or why restaurants insists you let them know exactly when they are to be served, that, and the glorious fact that they are made to order.

This is a rather magnificent way to inspire awe out of your brunch guests! What they wont know is how incredibly easy and stress free this dish actually is to make!

Shown here with Peaches & Bacon Salad

Difficulty - moderate / somewhat hard (Just pay attention & you got this!)

Time -  40-45 minutes TOTAL

Clean up - Easy, you’re eating straight out of the cooking dish!

*Mandatory:  Electric Mixer & 10 oz-Souffle cups / ramekins.

(you can buy for $2 each or the aluminum one time use ones at grocery stores.)

*Preheat Oven to 400*F

Ingredients

• 4 Tbsp unsalted butter, plus more for ramekins
• ¼ cup Parmesan cheese - grated
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup Evaporated Milk (Lactaid, or whole Milk)
• 1 cup grated Gruyere or Swiss cheese
• 2 Tbsp chives - chopped
• Pinch of Cayenne Pepper
• Salt & pepper
• 4 large eggs, room temperature, whites and yolks separated

Procedure

1) Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add flour; stir 1 minute. Add milk, whisking until thickened.    Transfer to a large bowl. Whisk in Gruyere / Swiss cheese, salt & pepper. Then egg yolks & chives. 2) Making the Meringue… *It is very important not to have ANY yolks mixed with the whites, or it simply WILL NOT work. This is a crucial detail. If you think it’s working… wait until you try to get those souffles to rise… nada! Whisk Egg Whites until soft peaks form. Notice how thick you want it to be, before it’s finished. *if you’re using a stand mixer - start at medium until start to foam & thicken, then turn to full speed until finished. This will take a couple of minutes, but don’t go too far. In the meantime... 3)  Smear the butter inside the ramekin entirely. Then coat with the Parmesan.   4) Fold Meringue into cheese mixture in thirds. *Folding literally and gently. You do not want to break the meringue or make runny… you want to incorporate the two with working mixture as little as possible. Divide between ramekins. Bake on a baking sheet 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 375 degrees. *BE GENTLE around the oven space not to jumble stove, or ground… this is where souffles sink, along with your heart to the pit of your stomach… so be careful! Bake until puffed, about 15 minutes. Now remember to have your dishes, silverware, and whatever else ready because they will fall fast! *You can not stick a toothpick in to check doneness, give it time to cook thru, but keep your eye on them because it all happens (or vanishes) fast! You can do happy dance (with out jumping or shaking the ground!) When they look like this...

Beautiful!!! Congratulations!!! You did it!!! Pull them out and gently put on surface, again they are fragile so don't drop them or you're souffle will too.

These are quite rich and filling so I recommend serving with my Peaches & Bacon Salad with Arugula, shown with. Now go and savor the moment! You’ve earned it!  

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Try serving it with my Bloody Mary!