Rising to the occasion

It's been quiet here lately, hence the lack of recent posts.  As many families this winter, we have been struck with one sickness after another - bronchitis, ear infections and never ending colds.  Thomas has started to pretend blow his nose whenever he can get his hand on some tissues.  Cute really - unless you realize they are his sisters used tissues (sigh).  Oh, and to top things off, Jean sprained his ankle playing volleyball last week and is currently hobbling around on crutches.  Needless to say, I am hopeful that spring will be here soon!!

Since I have regained much of my strength, I've tried to occupy some of the time at home by cooking.  Challenge this week?  The classic french soufflé! Nothing I would have really thought about making while in the US but now it seems only fitting that I tackle some of these French classics (hmmm, this sounds like a movie I've seen).  Anyway, to add to the challenge I invite the mother-in-law over for the occasion.  Nothing like upping the ante a bit, eh?  Oh, and to make sure I didn't chicken out, I purposely told her soufflé as on the menu.  No backing out now...

It's funny - it wasn't nearly as difficult as its lofty name implies.  Really, its two steps - first make a what's called a mornay sauce (butter, flour, milk, cheese, egg yolks)...

...and then seperately beat the egg whites - 

Then you carefully incorporate the egg whites in the the mornay sauce and place it in a well buttered and floured dish.  You are supposed to fill it 3/4 full to be able to have the soufflé rise above the rim of the dish for that classic look.  Turns out my dish was a little large so although it rose adequately, I didn't get that effect.

Nevertheless, I was super impressed with the result! Nice rise, lightly browned top and an incredibly smooth texture.  I served it alongside a green salad with homemade vinaigrette and voilà- lunch is served.   

Raves came from the entire table...from the mother-in-law all the way to 13 month old Thomas.  Audrey put away an enormous portion happily adding soufflé to her quickly expanding vocabulary list (luckily it needs no translation between English and French!).  Awesome! One French classic only another couple hundred to go.         


Oh, and in case anyone was interested in trying this themselves, here is the classic Julia Child Cheese soufflé recipe.  Bon appètit!

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This is the classic version of a cheese soufflé, adapted from Julia Child’s recipe in her book, The Way to Cook (Knopf).
SERVES 6

2 tablespoons, finely grated Parmesan cheese (or other hard cheese)
2 1/2 tablespoons, butter
3 tablespoons, flour
1 cup, hot milk
1/2 teaspoon, paprika
1/8 teaspoon, fresh-ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon, salt
1/4 teaspoon, fresh ground pepper (white, if you don’t like to see dark “specs”)
4 egg yolks
5 egg whites
1 cup (about 3 1/2 ounces), coarsely grated Swiss cheese
Prepare the dish: Butter the interior of a straight-sided, 1 quart baking dish (7-8 inches in diameter). Roll the grated Parmesan cheese around the dish to coat the bottom and sides.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Set the oven rack just below the center of the oven.

Make the soufflé base: In a saucepan, melt the butter and stir in the flour. Cook for two minutes over moderate heat – do not allow the mixture to brown. Gradually add the milk, whisking constantly to prevent lumps. Stir and cook slowly (mixture will boil gently) for 3 minutes – it will be very thick. Whisk in the seasonings and remove from heat. One by one, whisk in the egg yolks.

Beat the egg whites: In a clean mixing bowl, using a balloon whisk or an electric beater, beat the (room temperature) egg whites until stiff and shiny. The whites will form peaks when the beater is lifted. Do not overbeat – when the peaks form as described, stop beating.

Finish the soufflé mixture: Scoop about one quarter of the beaten egg whites onto the top of the base mixture, and gently stir the whites into the base. Turn the remaining beaten egg whites onto the sauce and carefully fold them into the base mixture alternating scoops of the spatula with sprinkles of the grated Swiss cheese. Spoon the soufflé mixture gently into the prepared dish.

Bake the soufflé: Set the soufflé in the preheated oven, and immediately turn the heat down to 375 degrees. Bake until the soufflé has puffed 2 to 3 inches over the rim of the baking dish, into the collar, and the top has browned nicely - about 25-30 minutes..