Hooray for soufflé

Readers: I am proud to present my very first guest post, courtesy of my sister, Kristy.

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Earlier this year, my favorite new friend and co-worker Lydie invited me to dinner at her house in Connecticut. We picked an icy Friday night in February, and hopped on Metro North after work for the hour-long train ride up to the burbs. By the time we got to Greenwich it was already 7:30pm, and I wondered what tricks Lydie might have up her sleeve to serve dinner at a reasonable hour...

As it I was to learn, cheese soufflé is an excellent main course for just such an occasion. Lydie quickly handed me an apron and put me to work as her sous-chef. I had never tried to make a soufflé--although I have eaten many of Sipi's outrageous chocolate soufflés at Etats Unis over the years--and it was much easier than I thought. Soufflés are known for being temperamental since they can literally flop in the oven, but they don't need to be perfect to be tasty. And you don't need to be brave or professional to give it a shot.

I was surprised that Lydie's recipe was straightforward and called for very simple everyday ingredients including eggs, milk, cheese, butter, and flour. The preparation was even easier with a Kitchenaid mixer and two sets of hands. Our dish was in the oven within 20 minutes, and about an hour later…voila! The finished soufflé was fluffy, savory, and delicious - it was a huge hit. Lydie's full dinner included a salad to start, crusty bread, broccolini dressed with lemon juice, brownies for dessert, and several bottles of red wine. All told, it was a perfect menu for a perfectly easy dinner party. I could't wait to serve my very own soufflé the next time I was cooking for guests.

At the beginning of the summer, I invited Loren and Kate over to commemorate the Farewell episode of the Oprah Winfrey Show. A special occasion called for a special dish! I had saved this recipe for a Cheese and Herb soufflé in the Wall Street Journal and bought myself a large porcelain ramekin at Williams-Sonoma for a more dramatic presentation. Note that baking time for one large soufflé is about 60-70 minutes. I served this with an asparagus, prosciutto, and burrata salad and a loaf of pancetta bread from Eataly. We also went through our fair share of wine and kleenex that night...

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Cheese Soufflé with Garlic and Fresh Herbs (adapted from the Wall Street Journal 5/7/11)
Serves 8
Softened butter and grated Parmesan cheese to prepare the molds
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cloves minced garlic
6 tablespoons flour
2 cups boiling milk
1 tsp plus one pinch fine sea salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp nutmeg
6 egg yolks
10 egg whites at room temperature
1 tsp cream of tartar
1/3 cup finely minced chives
1/3 cup minced Italian parsley
6 oz coarsely grated Gruyere or a combination of Gruyere and grated Parmesan

1. Butter 8 individual 1 1/4 cup soufflé molds or ramekins. Dust with Parmesan and place on a baking sheet.
2. For the soufflé base, melt the butter along with the garlic in a medium saucepan. Cook for one minute, stirring. Stir in flour and continue to stir over moderate heat until butter and flour foam together for two minutes without browning. Remove from heat.
3. Off heat, add boiling milk and beat vigorously with a whisk until well blended. Add 1tsp salt, peppers, and nutmeg. Return to heat and boil, stirring, for one minute. Sauce should be very thick. Remove from heat.
4. Off heat, add yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Correct seasoning. Seasoning should be strong as the upcoming addition of the whites will dilute flavor.
5. To finish the soufflés: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
6. Whisk egg whites with a large pinch of salt and cream of tartar. Start beating on a low speed and raise the speed gradually as the egg whites mount. When soft peaks form, stir one quarter of the beaten whites into the soufflé base followed by chives, parsley, and all but three tbsp of the cheese. Then fold the lightened base into the remaining whites.
7. Ladle equal amounts of the soufflé mixture into the eight prepared molds, place them on a baking sheet, and sprinkle the remaining three tbps cheese over the tops. Place on the middle rack of the oven. Lower the heat to 375. Bake 20 minutes or until risen and set. Serve right away.