French
Cheese Souffle
The souffle rises and falls and must be served in the instant between the two. It is the most theatrical dish in classical French cooking — a structure built from the proteins in egg whites, set by the heat of the oven, flavoured with Gruyere and Dijon. The moment it is removed from the oven is the moment the clock starts. It should be at the table within 3 minutes.
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I
The Market List
The benchmark for each ingredient, and who stocks it near you. Tap a stockist to go straight to the product.
200 ml
whole milk
Your own market
40 g
unsalted butter
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40 g
all-purpose flour
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120 g
Gruyère AOP cheese
finely grated
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
5
large eggs
separated, yolks at room temperature
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3 g
fine sea salt
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1 g
white pepper
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1 pinch
freshly grated nutmeg
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II
The Method
1
Prepare béchamel: melt butter in saucepan, whisk in flour, cook 2 minutes; gradually whisk in warm milk; simmer 5 minutes until thick; remove from heat.
From the canon — Béchamel is white roux combined with hot milk — one of Escoffier's five mother sauces and the foundation of gratin preparations, sauce Mornay, croque monsieu… Béchamel →
2
Stir cheese into warm béchamel until melted; season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
3
Whisk egg yolks one at a time into béchamel, stirring vigorously after each addition.
4
In separate bowl, whip egg whites to stiff peaks using electric mixer; fold one-third of whites into béchamel to lighten, then gently fold in remaining whites in two additions.
5
Butter and flour a 1-liter soufflé dish; pour mixture to three-quarters full.
6
Bake in preheated 190°C oven for 30 minutes until risen 5 cm above rim, top is golden, and center jiggles very slightly when shaken.
7
Serve immediately; soufflé will begin to deflate after 2 minutes.
IV
Sensory Tests
◇Where it lives or dies. The moment where the souffle lives or dies is the fold — specifically the final addition of whites. Look at the mixture as you fold: there should still be some white streaks visible when you stop. Stop folding before complete incorporation. The last streaks of white will finish blending in the oven heat. If you fold until completely homogeneous, you have deflated the whites. The streaks are acceptable. The deflation is not.
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VI
What to Pour
The pairing
Charles Joguet Chinon Clos de la Dioterie
Domaine Charles Joguet · Chinon
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
Wine
From British Columbia
Wine
Without alcohol
GT's Synergy Organic Kombucha — Gingerade
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
Non-alcoholic
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The whole pairingPillar VII
Origin and lineage are part of membership.
Where the dish comes from and how it came to be — on every recipe.
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