Recipe du Jour

Cheese Soufflé

 
 
My LAUSD classes are in full swing now. Each week I am hitting 9-10 classrooms, urging kids to lay off the Funyuns, and introducing them to the food pyramid, veggies, and grains, including new and weird ones. (Unfortunately, spinach is new and weird to some of them.) The vegetable curry dish I have been making for them has been a hit, and I am proud that so many are willing to try something new. Last week, I was told that "it looks nasty, but tastes great." Ummm, thanks?  Personally, I think it looks beautiful, but I also like head cheese, haggis, and sweetbreads.
 
One of the 5th graders at Weemes Elementary School asked me about soufflés, and I promised I would post my best recipe. This one is classic French, based on a roux, which holds everything together and gives the soufflé structure. If you can't find Gruyère, try another Swiss-style cheese. Take your soufflé dish directly from the oven to the table and set on a napkin-lined saucer, just like the big boys do.
 
INGREDIENTS
 
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
¼ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/3 cup milk, boiling
½ teaspoon salt
pinch of white pepper
¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
4 eggs, separated
1 cup grated Gruyère cheese
 
METHOD
 
1. Preheat oven to 400˚F. Lightly coat the inside of six 8-ounce soufflé cups with melted butter. Next, sprinkle Parmesan cheese into the cups on top of the butter and swirl it around to coat, tapping out excess.
 
2. In a large saucepan, melt 4 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Add flour and stir until all is absorbed. Cook for 2 minutes, and do not allow to brown. This is a roux. 
 
3. Remove from heat and slowly add boiling milk, whisking vigorously. Add salt, pepper and nutmeg, and return to heat, whisking for another minute until thick. Cool slightly, then whisk in yolks.
 
4. With a hand-held or standing electric mixer (or a whisk and sturdy forearm), whip the egg whites and pinch of salt to stiff peaks. Fold a spoonful of stiff whites into the roux mixture. Stir in cheese, then fold in remaining whites. Fill soufflé cups to the rim with batter, and set them on a baking sheet. Place the sheet in the center of the oven, and bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until puffed and golden brown. Serve immediately.
 
Once you've mastered the cheese soufflé, try adding a tablespoon of chopped herbs or ¼ cup of chopped ham.  You can also replace the cheese with melted dark chocolate. For chocolate soufflé, use sugar instead of parmesan cheese to coat the soufflé dish, and add 2 tablespoons of sugar to the whipping whites. 


 

 

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Techniques

Techniques

Techniques

Roux

This must-know technique is the basis for many sauces, soups, stews, and is a classic method of thickening. 

The ingredients are butter and flour in equal parts. In a heavy sauce or sauté pan, butter is melted. Flour is added and stirred in rapidly, until the fat as been completely absorbed. Roux can be used immediately, by adding liquid ingredients right away, or it can be stored in the refrigerator for later use. 

There are varying degrees of roux, and certain recipes may specify dark (noisette), or light (blonde).  The longer a roux is stirred over heat, the darker it becomes. This is because both the flour and the butter solids are cooking and carbonizing. The darker a roux is, the more delicious and toasty-nutty the flavor will be. *** However, the longer it is cooked, the more the starch degrades, and therefore the less thickening power the roux will have.***

 

Some chefs use clarified butter, but I prefer the flavor that the butter solids impart. Some also insist on using high-protein flour, such as bread flour. I find all-purpose adequate for most roux, but I use bread flour when I need extra stability, such as in a soufflé recipe. 
 
In case you are wondering, yes, the same technique can be done using any fat or oil. The flavors, of course, will vary. Some examples of alternative fats are bacon drippings, as are often found in the early stages of stews, or olive oil, used in vegetarian renditions of classic recipes. 

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