Cheese Soufflé

Name: Cheese Soufflé
Yield: serves 4 to 6
Ingredients: 5 tablespoons unsalted butter; 1/4 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (about 1 ounce), plus more for the soufflé dish; 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour; 1 1/2 cups whole milk, warmed; Pinch of cayenne pepper; Pinch of freshly ground nutmeg; Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper; 4 large egg yolks; 3/4 cup grated Gruyère cheese (about 2 1/2 ounces); 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh herbs (such as chervil, chives, or parsley); 6 large egg whites

December 9, 2011

Southerners have a bad habit of calling any dish with whipped egg white in it a soufflé—hence all those recipes for cheese grits soufflé and sweet potato soufflé. Believe me, there is way too much butter in both of those concoctions for them to ever rise, especially the latter, which is typically topped with marshmallows. This classic French soufflé is the real thing, and uses the béchamel method (see page 67). It is very important to use low-moisture cheese when making soufflés. Gruyère and Parmigiano-Reggiano are perfect because they are very flavorful, but dry and not overly fatty. Rich, fatty cheeses like blue or Brie are too heavy and your soufflé won’t rise as tall.

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