Gruyere Cheese Souffle

October 21st, 2009

The Barefoot Blogger recipe for this Thursday is Ina Garten’s Blue Cheese Souffle. It was chosen by Summer of Sexy Apartment. You may want to visit her blog. She was just at an Ina book signing and I am happy to report that the Barefoot Contessa is aware of our little group. Yea! I made one change to the recipe. I am not a fan of blue cheese, so I just substituted an equal amount of gruyere cheese and the souffle was perfect. I served it in my favorite charlotte mold.

I remember the first time I made a souffle. My husband and I were spending the summer in Allentown, Pennsylvania because of his job. We had a second floor apartment in an old building with an antiquated kitchen. I had just taken cooking classes back home in Greensboro and was anxious to put all of my new found knowledge to the test. I cooked many things that summer in my less than stellar kitchen, but it is the souffle that stands out in my memory. I had no Kitchen Aid stand mixer to whip my egg whites and no beautiful souffle dish in which to display my triumphant billowy custard, but it was a beauty nonetheless. We sat at our 1950’s era chrome table in our vinyl chairs and dined on the most elegant dish I had ever prepared. The jug wine wasn’t bad either.

BLUE ( OR GRUYERE ) CHEESE SOUFFLE

3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing the dish
1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan, plus extra for sprinkling
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup scalded milk
Kosher sat and freshly ground black pepper
Pinch cayenne pepper
Pinch nutmeg
4 extra-large egg yolks, at room temperature
3 ounces good Roquefort cheese, chopped ( Or Gruyere )
5 extra-large egg whites, at room temperature
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar

Preheat oven to 40 degrees F.

Butter the insides of an 8-cup souffle dish (7 1/2 inches in diameter and 3 1/4 inches deep ) and sprinkle evenly with Parmesan.

Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. With a wooden spoon, stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly for 2 minutes. Off the heat, whisk in the hot milk, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, the cayenne and nutmeg. Cook over low heat, whisking constantly, for 1 minute, until smooth and thick.

Off the heat, while still hot whisk in the egg yolks, one at a time. Stir in the Roquefort or Gruyere and the 1/4 cup of Parmesan and transfer to a large mixing bowl.

Put the egg whites, cream of tartar, and a pinch of salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on low speed for 1 minute, on medium speed for 1 minute, then finally on high speed until they form firm, glossy peaks.

Whisk 1/4 of the egg whites into the cheese sauce to lighten and then fold in the rest. Pour into the souffle dish, then smooth the top. Draw a large circle on top with the spatula to help the souffle rise evenly, and place in the middle of the oven. Turn the temperature down to 375 degrees F. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes (don’t peek!) until puffed and brown. Serve immediately.

23 responses to “Gruyere Cheese Souffle”

  1. Susan says:

    I will try this. Enjoyed reading your remembrance.

  2. I love that pan. It’s looks to be the perfect size. I LOVE that you used gruyere instead of blue cheese. Also, thanks for the reminder that I need to make my BFB recipe.

  3. TKW says:

    Cute story!

    I’ve never made a souffle before and am a little apprehensive about tonight!!

    Yours looks delish!

  4. Mary says:

    It’s amazing how good the food that came out of those impossible kitchens actually was. This looks wonderful.

  5. ARLENE says:

    Gruyere cheese is a favorite of mine, too. This looks superb…and I’m sure tastes every bit as good.

  6. Velva says:

    Nice blog post! I really like the Gruyere cheese souffle. I have never made an Ina Garten recipe that I did not devour. This looks really fabulous!

  7. Gorgeous! I think I might have to try my hand at a souffle now!

  8. Penny, I really enjoyed your story of your first souffle.

    So Ina knows does she. I hope she likes the idea (because it’s fabulous). The movie said Julia didn’t like the idea of the Julie blog. Sad.
    Sam

  9. Kate says:

    Penny, this sounds great. I love gruyere cheese so it is nice to know that substituting another type of cheese still yields success! Your souffle is beautiful…mine was lopsided but the taste was great!

  10. I thought about using gruyere cheese, but settled on an interesting cheese I discovered. This was my first souffle, but your story was a lot more interesting! I’m glad that I conquered my fear of making a souffle’. Yours turned out lovely.

  11. Man that looks good. I’m not even sure I’ve ever made a souffle Must be getting on to time!!

  12. Gorgeous! I have never made a souffle before, yours is a work of art.
    I met Ina a couple of years ago at a book signing, she is lovely.

  13. MarciaSmith says:

    Love your blog- glad you visited mine- We do have good taste in layout!! Have spent the last couple of hours pouring over your posts… Fun Fun Fun!!

  14. Kate says:

    Your photos are gorgeous, just like I’m looking at Julia Child cookbook!

  15. Kathleen says:

    Great post!! I love Blue cheese but my hubby does NOT. I’m excited to hear your results with Gruyere. Now I need to find my souffle dish….

  16. Nina says:

    Your souffle looks amazing! I bet the gruyere was delicious. Love the pan you used and especially the story of your souffle in Allentown with no kitchen aid! What a special memory!

  17. Grace says:

    i don’t quite understand why the notion of making a souffle strikes fear in the heart of so many people. you’ve done it wonderfully, and i couldn’t agree more with your substitution of gruyere. nicely done, penny!

  18. toni says:

    Your memory of that chrome table and those vinyl chairs was so vividly painted that for a moment I found myself sitting there with you. And isn’t this a part of what makes food so enticing – the memories that are associated with it?

  19. great stories… food is always best with those memories

    I am in love with this recipe. Gonna see what I can do… But I really love blue cheese.

  20. Robin Sue says:

    Oh my your souffle got so high! When I do anything like this is goes flat so fast. Yours is perfect!

  21. Lisa says:

    Your souffle looks perfect! And I love the dish you baked it in too.

  22. BMK says:

    Beautiful. I wish I had subbed the gruyere in mine. The blue cheese was much to strong for me and I like blue cheese.

  23. sutros says:

    A good story

    GK Chesterton: “The poets have been mysteriously silent on the subject of cheese.”

    Voila: http://www.tastingtoeternity.com. This book is a poetic view of 30 of the best loved French cheeses with an additional two odes to cheese. Recipes, wine pairing, three short stories and an educational section complete the book.

    From a hectic life in New York City to the peace and glories of the French countryside lead me to be the co-founder of http://www.fromages.com. Ten years later with the words of Pierre Androuet hammering on my brain:

    “Cheese is the soul of the soil. It is the purest and most romantic link between humans and the earth.”

    I took pen and paper; many reams later with the midnight oil burning Tasting to Eternity was born and self published.

    I believe cheese and wine lovers should be told about this publication.

    Enjoy

© Penny Klett, Lake Lure Cottage Kitchen. All rights reserved.