JB's Cheese Soufflé - Soufflé au Fromage
Recipe video above. Cheese Soufflé is a traditional French dish that combines simple pantry staples into something truly special. It rises beautifully in the oven, with a golden top and soft, airy centre. Don’t be intimidated by the name, it’s easier than you think to make it at home. I promise! I still remember my restaurant days, total chaos every time a soufflé came out of the oven. Someone would shout “Soufflé!!” and hope the wait staff appeared instantly, because one thing’s for sure: Soufflé doesn’t wait.
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 506cal
Ingredients
- 2 cups full fat milk , but works with lite milk too
- 75 g (5 tbsp) unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup plain flour (all-purpose)
- 1/2 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt (halve for table salt, + 50% for flakes)
- 2 pinches ground white pepper (substitute black pepper)
- 150 g (1 1/2 cups) Gruyère cheese , shredded using a standard box grater (tightly packed if using cups) (Note 2 for other cheeses)
- 3 egg yolks from large eggs (55g/2oz each in shell), at room temperature (Note 1)
- 4 egg whites from large eggs, at room temperature (total egg whites ~ 120g/4.2oz, Note1)
- 1/2 tsp cream of tartar , sifted if lumpy (Note 3)
- 15 g (1 tbsp) unsalted butter , melted (to grease the ramekins)
Instructions
ABBREVIATED RECIPE
- Melt butter, cook flour 2 minutes, whisk in warm milk in 3 batches. Add salt and pepper, turn off heat, whisk in yolks one at a time, then melt through gruyere over low heat. Beat egg whites and cream of tartar to firm peaks, starting on medium for 2 minutes, then increasing to high. Whisk 1/4 of the whites into Mornay Sauce, then fold through remainder in 3 batches. Fill butter brushed ramekins to 1cm/0.4” from rim, clean inside of rim. Bake at 200°C/400°F (180°C fan) for 20 minutes. No peeking! Serve immediately.
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 200°C / 400°F (180°C fan-forced). A properly hot oven is crucial, it's what gives the soufflé its famous lift. A cold oven = a sad soufflé.
- Prepare the ramekins (Note 4) – Brush the insides of 4 (325ml / 1 1/3 cups) ramekins generously with melted butter (use all the butter). No need to brush upwards (see post for why). Set on a baking tray.
Make Mornay sauce (cheese sauce)
- Heat the milk - Place the milk in a small saucepan over medium heat. Warm it until it’s steaming but not boiling. Set aside.
- Make the roux - While the milk is heating, let’s start our roux. In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Once melted, add the flour. Whisk it gently, it will be thick and pasty at first like a wet sand. Cook, whisking constantly, for about 2 minutes. It will thin up and become smooth and glossy. Make sure to use the whisk to get into the corners of the pot and don’t let it brown. Reduce heat if you think it’s too high.
- Make Béchamel - Add a third of the hot milk to the roux while whisking vigorously, it will thicken very quickly. Add half of the leftover milk, whisk until smooth and then pour the rest of it along with the salt and pepper. Keep whisking for 30 seconds to a minute until thickened and smooth, lumps will go away. It will be thick enough so you can draw a path with a spatula in the middle, it should hold its shape for a moment before slowly sinking back.
- Turn it into a Mornay sauce - Turn off the heat and whisk in the egg yolks, one at a time, until fully combined (don't worry the egg yolks won't cook). Then, turn the heat back on to medium and whisk in the grated Gruyère until melted through. Scrape down the sides and cover with a lid. Set aside.
Folding in the Egg Whites and Baking
- Beat the egg whites, gently at first - Add egg whites and the cream of tartar in a large bowl. Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on medium speed for 2 minutes then high speed for 30 seconds until you get firm peaks. Starting slowly helps the protein structure to develop properly. Rush it and you risk unstable, foamy whites that collapse when folded in.
- Fold gently - Give the Mornay a quick whisk to make it smooth again then add in a quarter of the egg whites and whisk it in to loosen it. Then gently fold a third of the remaining egg whites in using a rubber spatula until mostly incorporated. Use slow, sweeping motions from the bottom of the pot, you want to keep as much air in as possible. (See video at 2.15 minutes) Rough folding = flat soufflé. Few lumps are ok. Repeat twice more with the rest of the egg whites.
- Fill the ramekins - Pour the mixture evenly into the ramekins using a ladle or a large serving spoon, filling to about 1cm / 0.4" below the rim. Smooth the tops with the back of a teaspoon dipped in water, no need to be 100% meticulous here, just get rid of big bumps. Run your thumb around the inside rim of each ramekin to clean it, this gives the soufflé a clean edge to rise against.
- Bake - Place the ramekins on a baking tray and bake for 20 minutes until tall and golden. Do not open the oven door while it's baking, the sudden drop in heat will make them sink. When it's cooked, the soufflés should jiggle a bit when you shake the ramekin.
- Serve immediately - As soon as they’re out, serve straight away. Soufflés don't wait. So make sure all your family/guest are seated so they can enjoy the show!
Notes
- Eggs - Separate the yolks from the whites when fridge cold, it's easier. Then let them come to room temperature, this will help the yolks to mix in more smoothly and the whites to whip up to more volume and stability.
- Gruyère – The classic choice for cheese soufflé! It melts beautifully and has a rich flavour that’s not overpowering. Comté is the closest match (though pricier in Australia), while Swiss/Emmental are good too. Otherwise, use any mild melting cheese like Cheddar, Monterey Jack, Colby or Tasty.
- Cream of tartar - Helps stabilise the beaten egg whites so they stay fluffy and don’t weep. We use the minimum amount here because more compromises the texture. If you don’t have any, no worries, your soufflé will still rise beautifully, it just won’t stay puffed up quite as long.
- Ramekin size -I use large ramekins for this recipe which are 325ml / 1 1/3 cups, 10 cm / 4" wide and 6.5 cm/ 2.5" tall (main course size). You can also make smaller or larger ones. Check the FAQ for other size options.
Nutrition
Calories: 506cal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 39g | Saturated Fat: 22g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 246mg | Sodium: 642mg | Potassium: 360mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 1330IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 444mg | Iron: 1mg