cheese souffle

 

Let’s cook something different tonight. How about a nice and easy cheese souffle? This light and airy cheese soufflé recipe features Parmigiano-Reggiano and Gruyère, as well as Dijon and dry mustard for a little sharp complexity.

 

Ingredients

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more to grease the dish

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, divided

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 1/4 cups heavy cream

4 large eggs, separated, plus 3 large egg whites

3 tablespoons dry sherry

6 ounces Gruyère cheese, shredded

2 tablespoons sour cream

1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

 

Set the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter and coat a 1 1/2-quart soufflé dish with two tablespoons of Parmigiano-Reggiano. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Make a paste with the flour. Combine the cream slowly and bring to a boil over medium heat, mixing constantly. Lower the heat to low and whisk till very thick, approximately three minutes. Switch the base to a large mixing bowl and set aside to cool. Combine the egg yolks, sherry, Gruyère, sour cream, salt, Dijon mustard, dry mustard, cayenne pepper, and the remainder of the 1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano in a mixing bowl. In a large stainless steel mixing bowl, combine the egg whites. Pour in the cream of tartar. Beat egg whites with an electric mixer till stiff peaks form. Gently fold in one-third of the whites to lighten the soufflé base, then fold in the remaining whites until no streaks remain. Scrape the contents into the prepared baking dish. Clean away any crumbs with your index finger or a towel around the interior rim of the dish. Cook for thirty-five minutes, till the soufflé is golden brown and puffy. Serve immediately.