Directions: |
Directions:1. About 1 1/2 hours before serving: preheat oven to 325 F. In heavy, 2 quart saucepan over medium heat, into hot butter or margarine, stir flour, salt and pepper until smooth. Slowly stir in milk; cook, stirring constantly, until sauce is smooth and thickened. Add cheese, heat, stirring just until cheese melts. Remove from heat.
2. In small bowl, with fork, beat egg yolks slightly. Into egg yolks, beat small amount of the hot sauce; slowly pour egg mixture into sauce, stirring rapidly to prevent lumping. Set aside.
3. In large bowl, with mixer at high speed, beat egg whites just until stiff peaks form. With rubber scraper, gently fold cheese mixture into egg whites; pour into 2 quart soufflé dish or casserole. With spoon, make 1 inch deep circle in top of cheese mixture, 1 inch from side of dish. Bake soufflé for 1 hour or until puffy and brown. Serve immediately. Recipe will make 6 servings. |
Personal
Notes: |
Personal
Notes: From Kim, a recipe for sharing, learning and perfecting - taken from Foods & Cookery. Here is some special advice on how to make the perfect soufflé:
Making a hot soufflé dessert or main dish involves important cooking techniques, including how to “beat until stiff peaks form,” prepare white sauce, fold ingredients into egg whites.
To make white sauce: In heavy saucepan, over medium heat, into hot butter or margarine, stir flour until smooth. Flour, which acts as a thickening agent, and butter are cooked together before adding liquid, to prepare flour for absorbing liquid. Gradually add liquid, stirring constantly, until sauce is smooth and thickened; it should come to boiling point and boil one minute, to avoid the raw, pasty taste that uncooked flour can give. When adding a cheese to white sauce – especially a natural cheese – heat just until melted, to prevent separation and stringiness.
To add egg yolks: Into yoks, beat small amount of hot sauce. This warms yolks slightly so that, when beaten into sauce, they won’t curdle (cook quickly into small lumps).
To beat egg whites: Separate eggs when cold. Do not get any yolk into whites, as whites cannot be beaten to their stiffest if any yolk, or other fat, is present. For greatest volume, cover bowl and let whites warm to room temperature before beating. With mixer at high speed, beat whites into stiff peaks. The air cells should be very small, numerous and even in size: foam, very white, moist and glossy. Pointed stiff peaks will form when beaters are raised.
When over beaten, whites collapse.
To fold egg whites: Gently fold ingredients into stiffly beaten egg whites with rubber scraper or whisk by cutting down with scraper through center of whites, across bottom and up side of bowl. Give bowl quarter turn, repeat until whites are broken into size of peas. Stirring causes a loss of air, reduces volume.
To form “crown”: After mixture is poured into prepared soufflé dish, trace inch-deep circle about one inch from edge of dish using spoon or spatula. This allows soufflé to rise higher in center, creating “crown” effect. For higher soufflé, use deep, narrow soufflé dish.
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This recipe for Classic Cheese Soufflé is from