Cheese souffle

Souffles have always been a bit of an intimidation factor for me. The technique behind making a perfect souffle must be precise in order to yield an airy, high souffle. I've only made souffles twice but I was convinced to try this recipe after seeing that it was a savory version: cheese!

Cheese souffle

Recipe from foodnetwork.com

Cooking time: 1 hour

Yield: 5 servings

Ingredients

Butter, room temperature, for greasing the souffle

2 tbsp grated parmesan

1 1/2 ounces (3 tbsp) butter

3 tbsp flour

1 tsp dry mustard

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/8 tsp kosher salt

1 1/3 cups milk, hot

4 large egg yolks

6 ounces sharp Cheddar

5 egg whites plus 1 tbsp water

1/2 tsp cream of tartar

Directions

1. Grease an 8 inch souffle mold with the softened butter, making sure to grease all the sides. Sprinkle the Parmesan in the mold, rolling the cheese around to cover the sides. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for 5 minutes to set the cheese.
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
3. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Heat until the water has cooked out. Meanwhile, combine the dry ingredients from the flour to the salt. Whisk the dry ingredients into the melted butter, making a roux. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
4. Add the milk to the roux and increase the heat to high. Whisk the mixture and bring to a boil. Remove from heat.
5. Whisk the egg yolks until it has a creamy consistency. Temper the yolk with the heated milk, slowly adding the milk mixture while constantly whisking. Add the cheese and mix until the cheese has melted.
6. Whip the egg whites with the water and cream of tartar until stiff peaks form. Fold in 1/4 of the whites into the cheese mixture, continuing to add the whites by thirds. Pour the souffle into the prepared molds, leaving 1/2 inch from the top. Bake on a baking sheet for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Serve immediately.

Nutritional Analysis:
per serving: 296 calories, 21g fat (12g saturated, 1.3g polyunsaturated, 6.5g monounsaturated),  9.9g carbohydrates, 0.3g fiber, 16.5g protein

**Helpful tips and common mistakes

Normally for sweet souffles, you butter the molds and sprinkle sugar, but since we're doing a savory souffle, cheese it is! 

I didn't have an 8 inch souffle mold so I used 3 inch and 5 inch ramekins.

When you are cooking the butter with the flour you are essentially making a roux, a thickener. Add milk and you made one of the 5 main Mother sauces, bechamel!

After adding the cheese, the base needs like nacho cheese dip, no?

You want to whip the egg whites until they are firm and glossy. When the whites form stiff peaks, they are ready. Adding the cream of tartar helps stabilize the whites. 

Folding the whites is the most important part of making a souffle. You want to be gentle in incorporating the whites so not to deflate them. Be sure not to mix! An easy way of thinking about it is to move the spatula in the figure of an 8.

Souffle is ready to be baked!

My souffles only took 30 minutes but this can differ according to how strong your oven is. 

Poke a hole in the souffle and look at the steam escape! These souffles came out beautifully! They rose and browned to a perfect golden color. The souffles had a light, airy texture and tasted like a lighter version of cheese bread. Pair with a salad and you have a healthy meal for lunch! Try different variations with different cheeses or even adding chopped green onions!