Ingredients
30 grams of butter
30 grams of flour
25 cl of skimmed milk
4 egg yolks
6 egg whites
150 grams of grated comte, gruyere or emmental(order of preference)
Salt, pepper and nutmeg
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180°C
- Prepare soufflé dishes by buttering very generously the sides and then covering with bread crumbs.
- Bread crumbs work better than flour because this prevents the batter from sticking to the sides, thus allowing it to rise more easily.
- Melt butter in a frying pan on medium heat.
- As soon as it begins to foam, add flour and mix with a wire whisk to obtain a roux that is white and smooth.
- Let this cook for a minute then add milk, little by little, whipping so as to not get lumps.
- Once all the milk is blended, cook a little while, whipping all the time, then remove from heat and season to your taste.
- Separate the egg yolks from the whites being careful not to get any of the yolk in the whites.
- Add the egg yolks to the bechamel one by one, mixing all the time.
- Then add the grated cheese.
- Beat egg whites, with a pinch of salt, until fluffy and firm but not too dry.
- Fold in gently to batter and pour into dishes, filling about 2/3rd high and not more than 3/4.
- Bake for 20 – 30 minutes without opening the oven. You can watch them rise and it should be obvious when they are ready.
- Serve immediately because as they say in French “The guests can wait for the soufflé but the soufflé doesn’t wait for anyone”.
Notes
Important rules:
-Eggs should be room temperature, the whites will be fluffier.
-Do not open the oven while the soufflé is cooking as the air will make them fall.
-Butter and flour very well the sides of the mold so that the batter does not stick. -Preheat oven well in advance. If the temperature is not right the soufflé will not rise well.
Timing: You can keep the batter hot in a bain-marie before you’ve added the whites but the whites must be added at the last minute. The soufflé must be served immediately out of the oven. Count about 45 minutes from the time you begin to beat the egg whites
Making a soufflé can be very intimidating but it is not rocket science. It’s actually quite simple but you just need to follow carefully some very specific steps.
– The soufflé dish must have smooth and straight vertical sides and it should be higher than it is wide. Terra cotta works best for heat repartition.
