Secrets of a souffle (ssshhh)

Recipes: Cheddar cheese souffle, Baby greens salad with persimmon and balsamic vinaigrette



Mention making a souffle and some cooks will run for the hills. "Not me," they say. "Too hard, too fussy." And to that I say, "Oh pshaw." It's not true, you know, that it is hard, or that it is finicky and everything has to happen at the last minute. There are a few "secrets", and I'm about to divulge them. I made this cheese souffle (the very one pictured here) in about 45 minutes the other day while my friend Jackie was over visiting. She actually helped whip up the egg whites, but there would have been ample time to do that if I had been in the kitchen alone. Come on, give it a try.

Oh, I didn't mention the real reasons for giving souffle a try. Nothing, I mean nothing!, is more delicious than a good cheese souffle with a salad. And it makes a dinner that's beautiful to look at as well as yummy. Those are the reasons.

 

Cheddar Cheese Souffle

The Secrets: I'll give you the secrets right up front, so you can think on them.

1. Take the eggs out of the fridge 30 minutes or so ahead of time, or even leave them out for a couple of hours, so they come to room temperature. This makes whipping the egg whites easier.

2. Separate the eggs and put the whites and yolks in separate small bowls. Do this before you do anything else. This will also help bring them to room temperature faster. Note: there are 4 egg yolks and 6 egg whites in the recipe. Unless you have an immediate need for the 2 extra yolks, just discard them.

3. A regular souffle dish will work great, but I like to use a shallower gratin dish instead - see the one in the photo above. The shallower dish makes for more crust, which many people like best, and the souffle cooks a little faster. I find it's more fool-proof, and who doesn't love that?

4. Prepare your baking dish, souffle or gratin, right after you separate the eggs. Then it's done and you're not scrambling to do it at the last minute.

5. Get all your ingredients out and ready, as you should always do. Grate your cheese in advance. Remember mise en place? And KISS (Keep It Simple Silly) from an earlier post about organizing? Excellent, you're on your way.

The Recipe

• Butter, plus 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan for preparing the baking dish.
• 1-1/4 cups warmed milk or combo milk and cream (I used 3/4 cup 1% and 1/2 cup half-and-half)
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons flour (or gluten-free flour, if you wish)
• Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon Hungarian paprika or ground red chile (like New Mexico ground chile)
• 4 large egg  yolks
• 1 cup (4 ounces) grated cheddar. I used white extra-sharp New York cheddar; use whatever cheddar you like, white or orange
• 6 egg whites

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Separate the eggs into separate bowls. Butter a 6-cup souffle dish or an 8-cup gratin dish and coat it with the Parmesan. Heat the milk.

Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan. When foamy, whisk in the flour and continue cooking over low heat for a few minutes, whisking. Whisk in the warm milk and stir well for a minute or so while it thickens, then add 3/4 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of black pepper, plus the paprika (or chile). Take it off the heat. Beat the egg yolks into the milk mixture one at a time until well blended, then stir in the cheese. Don't worry if it's not perfectly smooth.

Beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until they form firm peaks. You can use a whisk or an electric mixer with the whisk attachment. Do not do this step in advance; the milk/egg base will be fine for the few minutes it takes. Stir a quarter of the beaten egg whites into the base to lighten it, then carefully fold the rest of the whites in with a spatula.

Pour the souffle batter into the prepared dish, then put it in the center of the oven and lower the heat to 375 F. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden and just a bit wobbly in the center.

Serve immediately with a salad as pictured below, or any steamed vegetable. Piece of cake, right?

Baby Greens Salad with Persimmon and Balsamic Vinaigrette

This is a simple salad, and delicious. The balsamic vinaigrette is versatile too - wonderful on most salad combinations and on cooked green vegetables.

The Vinaigrette

In a small bowl, combine 1/2 teaspoon sea salt with 1/2 teaspoon sugar. Add 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar. Stir with a fork or small whisk. Add 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil and stir vigorously till well combined. Set aside until just before you're ready to serve dinner.

The Salad

• Toast slivered almonds in a small frying pan until they are lightly browned.
• Slice 1 fuyu persimmon (see photo below), removing the small seed.
• Wash and spin dry any combination of baby lettuces, including some arugula if you have it.
• Toss all with the dressing just before serving, reserving some of the almonds to sprinkle on top.

Fuyu persimmon

Both dishes are vegetarian and gluten-free (if you use gluten-free flour in the souffle).