A Cheese Souffle

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Did you know I am a closet cook? Yep, sometimes when I am all by myself I practice stuff that I'm not good at, like souffles.  About a month ago my friend The Corinthian Column, an art collector, put me to shame with a gorgeous blue cheese souffle that he posted on his site.  Well!  Little did he know that souffles have always been my Achilles heel and just the thought of having to make one makes me weak at the knees.

When I was learning to cook, souffles were the domain of the great French chefs.  When my mother came back from her lessons at the Cordon Bleu, she could make two things that I know of...French Onion soup and a cheese souffle.  To watch her set up for tackling a souffle was like watching a general plan strategy for an important battle.  That kind of put a damper for me but I knew that if I ever wanted to be a real cook, sooner or later I would have to make a decent souffle.  Not spectacular...just decent.

Throughtout my cooking career, every time I tackled a new recipe it was never good enough in my eyes.  The more I tried, the more disappointed I became, so I stopped.  That is, until a couple of days ago.  Going through one of the French cookbooks at Barnes & Noble,  this recipe caught my eye mainly beause it was for a small souffle;  secondly, because it was so simple...well, even a caveman could do it; and third because it was by none other than Francoise Bernard the grande dame of French popular cuisine.

I quickly jotted down the ingredients in a piece of paper, together with the oven temperature and the time and off I went to conquer the beast.  The result...well I don't need to tell you, just look for yourself.  As for the taste...as good as any souffle I've had in France or at La Grenouille where they serve it with a cheese sauce on the side (we'll tackle this later).

The recipe is really for two and was made in two 5 inch souffle dishes, buttered and coated with grated Gruyere cheese.

Oven Temperature 350 degrees for 25 minutes

First make a cup of bechamel with 2 TB. butter, 2TB flour and 1 cup of milk.  Melt the butter, add the flour cook for a minute and add 1 cup of hot whole milk.  Cook until it almost comes to a boil.  The sauce will be nice and thick.

Add 3/4 cups grated Gruyere cheese to the sauce, salt and pepper.  I added a little cayenne pepper also.

Separate 3 eggs and add the yolks to the bechamel sauce. Mix well.

With a portable mixer*, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks.  Make sure you beat well or souffle won't rise.  With a wooden spoon take some of the whites and incorporate into the sauce and then fold the rest carefully so as not to deflate.  Don't do this too much, it's okay if you have some patches of white "clouds".  

Fill the two souffle molds leaving about 1/2 inch at the top. I inserted a finger in one and went around the rim.  I didn't do it with the second and it really didn't make a difference.  Place in the preheated oven.

Pour yourself a glass of rose and mix a simple green salad.  By the time you are finished, your souffle will be done.

The moral of the story...When making a souffle, don't over think it!

 Note:  Do not open that door! turn the light on and watch to your heart's content.  When you see that it looks like mine, you have conquered the beast!

*It is better to beat this small quantity of egg whites with a portable mixer, if you have one.

Guest Post...The Corinthian Column Makes A Souffle!

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I was delighted to wake up one morning last week and see a post on what looked like a very professional souffle.  I had to do a double take to make sure where it was coming from.  Now, we are not talking about any of the food blogs I follow.  No, it was posted on one of my favorite art blogs, The Corinthian Column, better known to most of us as the Columnist.  I know very little about him, personally, but I like his style, his taste in art, his knowledge and the fact he is a true gentleman.  He lives in Bangkok, summers in Scotland, and was born in Singapore to British parents.  Sometimes when things get crazy in Thailand, as they have recently, we follow him to undisclosed locations until things get better and it is safe for him return back home.


His blog is a treasure trove of information on art, antiques, interior design, architecture and as of now, souffles!    I urge you to take a peak and if you are interested in learning about beautiful thing from a very knowledgeable source, follow him.


But now, back to his souffle...


I have asked him if we would be so kind as to share his recipe with my readers and he has graciously agreed.  I am also dying to ask him some questions as I am always interested in knowing what makes people tick in the kitchen.  Does he cook everyday? Where and when did he learn? What are his favorite dishes? Cuisine? Where does he get his recipes? Favorite cooks?  Cookbooks? Did he really beat those egg whites BY HAND? and finally what is it like living surrounded by all that wonderful Thai food!

My partner and I both enjoy cooking and sometimes work together, disproving the proverb "too many cooks spoil the broth". We seem to have perfected the art of ignoring each others' foibles, so it's usually a harmonious experience, as was the case with making these souffles. He made the white sauce, separated the eggs and beat the yolks and whites, (by hand). I prepared the broccoli and the ramekins. When we cook together it is not preordained who does what, but when tasks are agreed, we tend stick to them.

We cook or prepare one or all meals everyday, quite often taking turns. We are both fastidious about a tidy kitchen, so once pans and boards are used, they are washed straight away. As much as anything in a hot climate it is important to remove any food residue that might attract insects. In addition the kitchen counters, hob and oven are thoroughly cleaned by the maid everyday.

In particular response to your piece, we are both self-taught, although my mother showed me some basics when I was young. I have no particular favourite dish, although I enjoy "comfort food", but everything in moderation. Cuisines I favour include Japanese, (my partner is Japanese), Chinese, (I lived in Hong Kong for many years) and Thai, (I have lived in Bangkok since 2003), but the latter not all the time, as it can be very rich.

The recipe is as follows:


Broccoli Souffle

Serves 4


Ingredients

45g (1 1/2 oz) butter

3 tbsp plain flour

250 ml (8 fl oz) milk

pinch of grated nutmeg

salt and cayenne pepper

375g (12 oz) broccoli florets

3-4 shallots, finely chopped

2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

4 egg yolks

175g (6 oz) blue cheese, crumbled

6 egg whites

4 x 250 ml (8 fl oz) souffle dishes/ramekins


Method

Melt the 30g (1 oz) butter in a large pan, add the flour, and cook, stirring for 1 minute.

Remove from the heat, gradually blend in the milk, then bring to a boil, stirring until thickened.

Add the nutmeg, and salt and cayenne pepper to taste.

Leave to cool for 10 minutes.

Steam the broccoli for 2-3 minutes until just tender.  Rinse in cold water, then chop coarsely.

Heat the remaining butter in the pan, add the shallots, and cook gently for 3 minutes, or until soft.

Prepare the souffle dishes; butter the bottoms and sides and sprinkle with a thin layer of the grated Parmesan, rolling it around until it adheres to the surface inside.

Beat the egg yolks, add to the cooled sauce with the broccoli, shallots and blue cheese.

Whisk the egg whites until they form a firm but not dry peaks. Fold 1-2 tbsp of the egg whites into the broccoli mixture, then fold in the remaining egg whites.

Pour the mixture into the souffle dishes. Bake the souffles in the top half of a preheated oven at 180C, (350F, Gas 4) for 30minutes. Serve at once.


This recipe is from Mary Berry's Complete Cook Book.



For more pictures and a post on the next day's lunch click here and here.

Lemon, Orange or Grand Marnier Souffle

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Tonight, looking through some of my earlier unpublished post, I realized I had never posted this recipe.  It is for variations of Mark Bittman's fool proof chocolate souffle which I posted last year. Now, I pride myself on being willing and able to tackle almost anything in the kitchen, but when it comes to bread and souffles, I have to admit I'm a little skittish.  Luckly, I have a mother and a daughter who love me enough to act as guinea pigs and on those occasions, I have been mostly successful.  BUT, when it comes to making them for company I turn into a jellyfish.

I made the chocolate souffle last year for a dear friend from Geneva who was very impressed, or so he told me.  He used to work for me and is a darling man, and maybe he was just been gracious for old times sakes. But I don't think so,  I was kind of proud of it myself too!  I haven't had another willing young man over for another go at it, but I am sharing this with you because it is the exact same recipe except with different flavorings.  I am partial to the lemon souffle, particularly at this time of the year, so that is the one I would tackle next...maybe with meyer lemons??? I have in mind to try an apricot souffle next, as soon as they are in season.

If you want to make individual soufflés, use a little more butter and grease four 1 1/2- to 2-cup ramekins.

Yield 4 to 6 servings

Time About 45 minutes


Ingredients

About 1 teaspoon unsalted butter for the dish

1 cup sugar, plus some for the dish

6 eggs, separated

1 tablespoon minced or grated lemon or orange zest

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon or orange juice or Grand Marnier or other orange-flavored liqueur*

Pinch salt

Powdered sugar (optional)

Method

1. Butter a 2-quart soufflé or other deep baking dish. Sprinkle the dish with sugar, invert it, and tap to remove excess sugar. Set aside and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Whisk the egg yolks with 3/4 cup of the sugar until light and very thick; the mixture will fall in a ribbon from the ends of the beaters when it is ready. Beat in the flavorings and set aside.

2. Beat the egg whites with the salt until they hold soft peaks; continue to beat, gradually adding the remaining 1/4 cup sugar,* until they are very stiff but still glossy. Stir a good spoonful of them thoroughly into the egg yolk mixture to lighten it, then fold in the remaining whites, using a rubber spatula or your hand. Transfer to the prepared soufflé dish(es) and bake until the center is nearly set, 25 to 35 minutes (15 to 25 minutes for individual soufflés). Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve immediately.


*add 1 TB zest to egg whites