Cheese Souffle

When one mentions soufflé, many times people feel intimidated and scared to even attempt to make one. But what if I said that it is one of the easier dishes you can make? Not only is it aesthetically pleasing, but its also a cloud of yummy flavors in one dish. Feel free to change the ingredients up: cheese and chives, leek and garlic or maybe a savory soufflé with an accommodating sauce! And did I mention that this would be an awesome dish to whip up for Valentines Day!

This recipe is for 1 large 10 oz ramekin. Double recipe for two large souffles or keep recipe for 2 6oz small soufflé ramekins.

Ingredients

1 tbsp unsalted butter + 1 tsp for ramekins

1 tbsp ap flour + 1 tsp for ramekin

pinch of salt

pinch of cayenne pepper

1/3 cup grated cheese (I used pepper jack)

1 tbsp finely grated parmesan cheese

pinch of nutmeg (or even better - freshly grated)

1 egg yolk

2 egg whites

pinch of cream of tartar

1/4 cup + 3 tbsp whole milk

1 tbsp of chives finely chopped

Turn on oven to 375F. Brush ramekin with 1 teaspoon of melted butter. Use 1 teaspoon of flour to coat inside of ramekin, tap out excess and set aside. In a skillet, melt butter over medium heat, add in 1 tablespoon of flour. Whisk well to cook flour, let flour cook 1 minute, then add in cold milk. Make sure you whisk right away, quickly and continuously. Let béchamel thicken, then take off heat and whisk in egg yolk - be careful to not let egg cook. Add in seasoning, all of grated cheese, half of parmesan and chives. Mix well and set aside.

In a stand mixer whisk the two egg whites with the cream of tarter to stiff peaks. Slowly build speed to ensure that egg whites are stable. You also could use a hand mixer. Once egg whites hold their shape, incorporate into cheese sauce.

Take 1/3 of egg whites and mix well into cheese sauce - don’t worry about deflating the eggs. Then add in two more increments of the egg whites. Be very careful to not flatten the egg whites, I would use a rubber spatula. Once incorporated, pour into buttered ramekin, sprinkle remaining parmesan on top and bake for 20-22 minutes or until soufflé rises higher that ramekin. DO NOT OPEN OVEN DOOR UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES.

Serve hot alone, with chilled white wine or with a prepared sauce. Bon degustation!!