Many years ago, my dear friend, Charles (now, sadly, gone), met me at his apartment door one evening when he'd invited me for dinner. He'd just seen a cooking show on television with a new cook named Julia Child (so you know how long ago this was!). She'd made this wonderful souffle and he wanted to try it. It was a triumph and seemed easy enough to make. Charles gave me this recipe, which remained in my recipe box for many years. It was written in a kind of cook's shorthand on yellow ruled paper and was spalttered with dried drops of souffle ingredients.
When I had perfected the recipe - anyone can; it's a lot easier than it sounds - I served it often with a green salad, some crusty bread and a white wine. Once, when I had a hot date, I put the souffle in the oven and made the fatal mistake of re-joining my seduction dinner guest in the living room. We became amorous and when the buzzer rang, signaling that the souffle was ready, I had to choose between stopping our activity to get dinner, or ruining the souffle. I'll leave my choice to your imagination.
When I had perfected the recipe - anyone can; it's a lot easier than it sounds - I served it often with a green salad, some crusty bread and a white wine. Once, when I had a hot date, I put the souffle in the oven and made the fatal mistake of re-joining my seduction dinner guest in the living room. We became amorous and when the buzzer rang, signaling that the souffle was ready, I had to choose between stopping our activity to get dinner, or ruining the souffle. I'll leave my choice to your imagination.
JULIA CHILD'S CHEESE SOUFFLE
serves 4, or maybe 5
3 T butter
3 T flour
1 1/2 C whole milk
tabasco
nutmeg
6 egg yolks, at room temperature
6 egg whites, at room temperature
pinch of cream of tartar (insurance against failure)
salt
1 C shredded Swiss cheese
1. Make a white sauce by first melting the butter in a saucepan and adding the flour. Whisk constantly to cook the flour without letting the mixture burn. After a few minutes, add the milk all in one stream and continue whisking until the milk is incorporated into the mixture and it thickens. Flavor with tabasco, nutmeg, salt and pepper.
2. While still whisking, add egg yolks, one at a time, mixing thoroughly. Remove the mixture from the heat.
3. Beat egg whites until they form high peaks (but not until they are dry). Add cream of tartar and a pinch of salt. Make a well on one side of the white sauce pan by tilting the pan in one direction or the other. Pour the egg whites into the well and fold them gently but thoroughly into the mixture, preferably with a rubber spatula.
4. Save enough of the cheese to sprinkle on the bottom and sides of a well-buttered souffle dish. (The cheese on the sides helps the souffle "climb" up the wall of the dish.) Add the rest of the cheese to the white sauce at the same time as you are folding in the egg whites.
5. Pour the mixture into the prepared dish and insert into the middle of a preheated 400 degree oven, reducing the heat immediately to 375. Cook about 40 minutes or until the souffle has risen to fill the dish and is slightly brown on top. Serve at once.
Note: a souffle is held up by the heat of the air inside, so as that cools, the souffle falls. Therefore, if you want your souffle to taste its best and to receive those well-deserved kudos at your triumph, it's best to have your guests already seated at the table when you serve the souffle. The easiest way to serve it is to plunge two spoons down through the middle of the souffle, separateint it into two, or four, or six portions. No need to be gentle; the souffle can handle it.
Also: if you warm the milk before adding it to the flour/butter mixture, the white sauce will thicken faster and you won't have to whisk so long. If you want the souffle to rise above the top of the souffle dish, you can tie a "hat" of parchment paper around the top, elongating the dish. Be sure to butter this as well.
No comments:
Post a Comment