{recipe} Three Cheese Souffles

“Souffle” is one of those culinary terms that often has people running for the hills – they have been led to believe that making souffles is hard or even impossible. But here is a secret: many souffles are simple to make and essentially foolproof. These delicious three cheese souffles have a light parmesan crust, a healthy amount of gruyere in the souffle mix, and a slice of crusty goat cheese on top. And they only take about 15 minutes to prep and 20 minutes to bake.

Serve these with a simple green salad and you have a fantastic lunch or light dinner. And everyone will be impressed that you pulled off souffles so effortlessly… it can be our little secret.

P.S. When making roux, white sauce, gravy, or anything else that involves whisking liquid and flour and may result in lumps, I favor using a flat spiral whisk. In my opinion, this is a very underused tool that is extremely helpful for this kind of task. My grandmother made the best gravy and she always used something similar to this – which may be why I favor it. It is great at breaking up lumps and getting into corners.

P.P.S. Sorry for the slightly janky photo – I only had an iPhone, not my camera!

RECIPE: Three Cheese Souffles
Serves 4-6. Makes 8-12 small souffles depending on size of ramekins. Plan on serving 2 small souffles per person. You can also make this in a large souffle dish but then you miss out on the crusty edges.

INGREDIENTS:

  • 4 Tblsp butter, plus extra for greasing the ramekins
  • 1-2 oz. finely grated parmesan
  • 1 1/3 cup milk
  • 5 Tblsp white flour
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard
  • pinch of cayenne pepper
  • 6 oz Gruyere cheese, grated
  • 3 eggs, separated
  • 2 Tblsp chopped chives
  • 1 log goat cheese, cut into 1/4 inch slices

METHOD:

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
  • Put a piece of parchment or foil on a baking sheet with sides (this is to catch any potential drips.) Liberally grease ramekins with butter. Sprinkle with parmesan and turn the ramekins, until all sides are covered. Place on prepared pan and set aside.
  • Put 4 Tblsp butter, milk, flour, salt and pepper in a saucepan and heat over medium low heat, whisking constantly with a small, spiral, or flat whisk to break up flour lumps. Continue cooking about 5 minutes, until mixture is thick and smooth and doesn’t taste of flour. Be sure to continuously whisk and get into all the corners so you don’t scorch the sauce.
  • Pour white sauce into a medium-sized bowl. Add mustard, cayenne, Gruyere, and egg yolks. Stir well with a wooden spoon or spatula. Add chives and stir. Set aside.
  • Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Fold the egg white and Gruyere mixtures together gently. (If you are unsure about the best way to fold, check out this tutorial from The Kitchn.)
  • Scrape souffle mixture into prepared ramekins, filling almost all the way to the top. Top each souffle with a slice of goat cheese.
  • Bake at 400 degrees F for about 20 minutes, until souffles are cooked through and browned on top. Serve immediately.

If you want to explore more simple souffles, you can check out:

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