Making a soufflé isn’t as hard as you might think.  In fact, if you get organized and prep your ingredients from the start, the adventure of soufflé-making is actually quite straight-forward!  

Prepping everything in advance really is the key as once you begin to make the cheese sauce and whip the eggs whites the process is rather quick.  If you are juggling cracking eggs, measuring milk, and trying to prepare the dish, you will drive yourself crazy trying to keep up.

My Gruyère & Chive Soufflé is light, airy, and almost cloud-like.  People are always so impressed when I make and serve a souffle for dinner (of course, it makes a fabulous lunch dish, too) as they think I have been in the kitchen glued to my oven and making sure it doesn’t collapse.  When in fact, once it goes into the oven, I set a timer, pour a glass of wine, and get on with whatever tasks I have left to do before we sit down.  Besides a French omelette, I can’t think of a more earthy or elegant vegetarian main course to serve to show people how much you love them!

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Gruyère & Chive Soufflé

Ingredients (serves 4)

• Butter – 4 tablespoons, unsalted at room temperature

• Parmesan Cheese – ½ cup, finely grated, Parmigiano Reggiano recommended 

• Flour – 3 tablespoons, all-purpose   

• Milk – 1 cup, whole milk

• Sea Salt – ½ teaspoon

• Black Pepper – ½ teaspoon, freshly cracked

• Nutmeg – large pinch

• Eggs – 5 extra-large, separated, at room temperature

• Gruyère Cheese – 3 ounces, freshly grated

• Chives – 4 tablespoons, minced

• Cream of Tartar – large pinch 

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.  Butter the inside of an 8­-­cup soufflé dish with 1 tablespoon of butter and sprinkle evenly with ¼ cup of parmesan cheese.  Set aside.

2.  In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, add the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter.  Once melted, add the flour.  Using a wooden spoon, stir constantly for 2 minutes.  

3. Next, add the milk, salt, pepper, and nutmeg.  Reduce the heat to low and whisk constantly for 1 minute, until it is smooth and thick.

4. Off the heat, and while the mixture is still hot, whisk in the egg yolks.  Add the Gruyère cheese, remaining parmesan cheese, and chives and whisk until smooth.  Transfer the mixture to a large mixing ­bowl.  Set aside.

5. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, add the egg whites and cream of tartar.  Turn the mixer to high and beat for 90 seconds, or until they form firm and glossy peaks.

6. Whisk one quarter of the egg whites into the cheese sauce to lighten and then gently fold in the rest using a rubber spatula.  Pour into the prepared soufflé dish, then smooth the top. Next, with the edge of the spatula, draw a large circle into the top of the mixture about 2-inches inward from the rim of the dish. This will help the soufflé rise evenly. Place the dish in the middle of the oven. Turn the temperature down to 375 degrees F.

7. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes (and don’t peek!) until puffed and golden brown.  Serve ­immediately.

Kitchen Tip

Don’t worry if the top of the soufflé is deeply golden brown.  This creates a delicious “crust” on top and adds really good flavor and texture.  Underbaking the souffle will result in a wet and runny interior—not good!

Bakeware: Soufflés are one of the few recipes I love that do require a specific kind of baking dish. In this case a deep dish that has just the right proportion to its width. Really good porcelain also makes a world of difference for a good soufflé to bake and show off a spectacular rise. I use the Pillivuyt Deep Pleated Soufflé dish. Pillivuyt’s porcelain and finish is flawless which means less resistance for the souffle mixture to rise unimpeded.

Serving Tip: Use two serving spoons and serve from the center.  The souffle is less likely to fall if you serve from the center rather than from around the edges.

Entertaining Tip: Turn a soufflé into a soirée with a big green salad dressed in my French Bistro Vinaigrette, my No-Cook Heirloom Tomato & Fresh Herb Salad, a baguette, and good French wine.  If you have time and want to make dessert, my Lemon Pound cake is a perfect way to end the meal (and you can make it days ahead of time!).