By Martha Rose Shulman
- Total Time
- 1 hour 40 minutes
- Rating
- 4(451)
- Notes
- Read community notes
I swoon at a well-made cheese soufflé, a dish that nobody seems to make anymore. When I was learning to cook, that soufflé seemed like the ultimate challenge, and never was I more proud than when I made my first successful one, puffed high and golden brown, its center still a molten sauce. They are actually quite easy. But they do require the best eggs and cheese (and I wouldn’t scoff at a truffle), and attention when you beat the egg whites, because if you overbeat them they’ll break apart when you fold them into the béchamel with the cheese. Instead of Gruyère alone you can also use a mix of nutty-tasting Gruyère style cheeses; for example, use a mix of Comté (French Gruyère), Beaufort or Fribourg and Gruyère, or substitute Comté for all of the Gruyère.
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Ingredients
Yield:5 to 6 servings
- 55grams butter (3 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons)
- 35grams Parmesan (⅓ cup), grated
- 20grams minced shallot (2 tablespoons)
- 45grams flour (4 tablespoons), sifted
- 1½cups milk
- 3grams salt (½ teaspoon), more as needed
- Pinch of freshly ground white pepper
- Pinch of nutmeg
- 6large egg yolks
- 7large egg whites
- 1gram cream of tartar (⅛ teaspoon)
- 100grams Gruyère cheese (1 cup), grated
- 1good-size black or white truffle, grated (optional)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
321 calories; 23 grams fat; 13 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 7 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 9 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 4 grams sugars; 19 grams protein; 383 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
1
Using 10 grams (2 teaspoons) butter, grease a 2-quart soufflé dish. Dust with 12 grams (2 tablespoons) Parmesan. Heat oven to 400 degrees with rack positioned in the lower third.
Step
2
Make the béchamel: Place a strainer over a large bowl and set aside. Heat remaining butter over medium heat in a heavy medium-size saucepan. Add shallot and cook, stirring, until softened (do not brown), 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in flour and cook, stirring, for about 3 minutes, until smooth and bubbling, but not browned. It should have the texture of wet sand. Remove from heat and whisk in milk all at once. Return to heat and bring to a simmer while whisking. Continue to whisk until mixture begins to thicken. Turn heat to very low and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring often with a whisk and scraping bottom and edges of pan with a rubber spatula. The sauce will be quite thick and should have no taste of raw flour. Add 3 grams ( ½ teaspoon) salt, the white pepper and the nutmeg. While it is still hot, strain sauce into the large bowl.
Step
3
Immediately beat egg yolks into sauce, one at a time. Adjust salt and pepper.
Step
4
In a stand mixer or using electric beaters, begin beating egg whites on low speed. When they begin to foam, add cream of tartar and a pinch of salt. Continue to beat until they form stiff but not dry peaks. Be careful not to overbeat or egg whites will fall apart when you fold them into sauce, which will make your soufflé mixture grainy.
Step
5
Using a large rubber spatula, stir a quarter of the egg whites into sauce. Stir in Gruyère, remaining Parmesan and truffle if using. Gently fold remaining whites into mixture, working rapidly but gingerly so whites don’t collapse. Carefully spoon or pour mixture into prepared soufflé dish and place dish on a baking sheet.
Step
6
Place in oven, turning heat down to 375 degrees as soon as you close the oven door. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, until soufflé has puffed above the top of the dish, and soufflé top is golden brown. Turn off oven. If desired, let sit 5 minutes (the sauce in the middle will thicken slightly, but the soufflé will remain puffed) or serve at once. The center of the soufflé should be saucy. When you serve the soufflé, spoon sauce from the middle over each fluffy serving.
Tip
- You can make the béchamel a day ahead. Strain it but do not add the egg yolks, and refrigerate. Bring back to a simmer, stirring, and remove from heat before adding egg yolks.
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out of 5
451
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Cooking Notes
gigi
very upscale w/ gruyere, but sharp cheddar works fine. and onion instead of shallot. have been making a very similar version for many years. i add some of the bechamel to the egg yolks to temper them before adding the yolks into the bechamel.
Kristen
The straining is to remove the shallot pieces so that the texture of the souffle is completely smooth. I took a french cooking class once, and the teacher was always straining the onions and shallots and other chopped veggies out of sauces and souffles. It's not absolutely necessary, but it makes it a bit more, well, french and fancy :)
NotPennyAnne
Made this twice.1) Use whatever cheese you've got in the fridge. I used cheddar and Havarti and god knows what else. Worked fabulously.2) The straining is to get a perfectly smooth soufflé. If you want to be rustic, bag the straining -which is like pushing library paste thru the eye of a needle. But it works ok. Next time I'm not sure I'll do that part.3) If your eggs are small, don't be afraid to add one.4) I put a collar on this and it rose really really well.
Vivian
Many thanks for the metric weights.
Katie
This is an excellent recipe and works well as a framework for additions and variations - I added some cheddar that I had on hand, a teaspoon of Dijon, a dollop of creme fraiche and truffle salt. I used the extra yolk because who really wants an extra yolk in the fridge?
Very rich. I served it with a green salad.
I will definitely make this again.
Amanda
I love a good fancy cheese but didn't have any in the house when I decided to make this, on a whim one weekend morning. I used shredded Colby jack (I'm almost embarrassed to admit), but it turned out beautifully. Was delicate, saucy in the middle and a total hit with them family.
Patricia Garcia
straining is just in case your sauce is not smooth, or has scorched a bit on the bottom. A 'super caution'; but not necessary for most of us.
SBC
I didn't strain either because I love shallots. Also mixed in some small bits of serrano ham which was a good addition. Between the cheeses and the ham, it was just on the verge of too salty but still delicious.
Lauren
I use 6 eggs separated, instead of 7 whites and 6 yolks, and that seems to work just fine. Having an extra yolk sitting around just doesn't make sense to me, and the resulting souffle is plenty fluffy.
Getting to stiff peaks with the eggs whites is important for the souffle not to fall (as much, it always deflates at least a little).
I know it's meant to be eaten immediately, but I've had it for breakfast a day or two after baking, and it's still delicious.
Barbara McCarthy
Great recipe, classic, and never fails to get ooohs and ahhs!Leftover egg yolk...1-Give it a quick scramble for your pup. Healthy treat and they love it.2-Mix with olive oil for a moisturizing hair mask.3-Traditional Caesar Salad dressing.My dog wins out most times!Woof!
Occupy Government
Seems to me Julia Child said you can let the souffle sit a while before putting in the oven. co*cktails and late arriving guests. Just make sure everybody is seated before you take it out and present it. it won't wait.
K A Tate
I'm a fan of shortcuts that don't matter so I skip the shallot, add onion powder instead and a healthy shake of Parisien bonnes herbes. It's an outstanding, delicately herbed souffle and it does not last long in this house. We prefer gruyere or sharp cheddar and recommend grating your own (pre-grated shreds are coated in cornstarch which may alter the texture), but any melty cheese will work in this. I'm making it for dinner tonight in fact with the NYTs french silk pie for dessert.
Taylor
This was really fun to make for a weeknight meal of soufflés (cheese and chocolate). My soufflé was drier than I'd like but overall a decent flavor.
NEA
Perhaps my béchamel was thicker than it should have been but I was more extruding the mixture through the colander than straining it to get the shallots out. I’d either leave them in next time or strain them out of the melted butter before the flour is added.
Stephen
Second time souffle making and fairly pleased with the result! It was a tad salty for me, when making your béchamel keep in mind all the cheese that will be added later and adjust your salting accordingly. I made a batch of mayonnaise with my extra yolk :)
Newlywed KM
This came out so well--distractions and all! I used all Comte w/a sprinkling of parm. I couldn't find my cream of tartar and apparently a squeeze of lemon juice works as a sub! Did not strain, and added a bit more than a pinch of nutmeg and dry mustard.
Stacy H.
For half: I followed the recipe but cut in half. I used a 6” cake pan with 2” sides (i filled half way up) and cooked for 20 min. Delicious and gorgeous, but a bit overdone. I had some additional batter so next time would do an 8” cake pan and do 20 min again and I think would be perfect. I used a small saucepan for the béchamel and held pan up over/off the heat for the final low heat step (I’m using electric stove) to be sure not to burn. Lovely recipe for less intimidating soufflé.
Liz
Did not bother with straining and used all the eggs. Used good cheddar and a little black pepper and it all worked great- at an altitude of 7000 ft.
John Kahrs
When I added the milk, the roux locked up into a thick paste. I ended up adding more like 2 cups of milk, perhaps more. (This always seems to happen when I make a béchamel). Another detail: if you're not straining (which I didn't do and I think would be rather difficult for such a thick sauce) it will too hot to mix those yolks in without flash cooking them, so let it cool a bit before that step. I also left it in the oven and additional 10-15 minutes beyond the recommended cooking time.
K A Tate
I'm a fan of shortcuts that don't matter so I skip the shallot, add onion powder instead and a healthy shake of Parisien bonnes herbes. It's an outstanding, delicately herbed souffle and it does not last long in this house. We prefer gruyere or sharp cheddar and recommend grating your own (pre-grated shreds are coated in cornstarch which may alter the texture), but any melty cheese will work in this. I'm making it for dinner tonight in fact with the NYTs french silk pie for dessert.
Stephen
Second time souffle making and fairly pleased with the result! It was a tad salty for me, when making your béchamel keep in mind all the cheese that will be added later and adjust your salting accordingly. I made a batch of mayonnaise with my extra yolk :)
RMJ
This is a nice foundational recipe and worked the first time, and i cut it by a third more-or-less to make a single ramakin (inside 4 inch diameter and 3 inch high) in a countertop electric oven. 2 egg yolks and whites. 1 heaping tbsp flour, but 2/3 C milk. And so on. No cream-tartar or truffles; used 1/2tsp tapioca starch. Ramikin filled to half full to start, poofed up nicely in 25 minutes. Started at 400F bottom rack, then turned on convection (which sets temp down by 25F)
JA
My first souffle! I halved the recipe since I only had a smaller pan and two people to feed - still came out well. It wasn't saucy in the middle, but still moist, fluffy and delicious. Like many others, I didn't strain the shallots out. Great flavor with a simple green salad and good bread.
noracooks
...made an improv version of this and it was FANTASTIC. 1to 1 gf flour to reg flour, 1 less egg, minced fennel bulb in place of the shallots and was completely out of milk so used unsweetened coconut milk. didn’t strain as the fennel was so sweet and soft so kept it a bit rustic. It rose like CRAZY and served it immediately as the best part was the sauce in the middle, spooned on top of the puff.
NEA
Perhaps my béchamel was thicker than it should have been but I was more extruding the mixture through the colander than straining it to get the shallots out. I’d either leave them in next time or strain them out of the melted butter before the flour is added.
RB
I made this tonight exactly as written but used 6 10oz ramekins. Measured everything with a kitchen scale. Cooked for 25 min. No sauce in the center at the end but absolutely delicious. My kids ate with real enthusiasm. Definitely one to repeat.
Christina
Made this at altitude 5280 (Boulder Colorado) and it turned out beautifully! Used extra flour, one extra pat of butter, lots of cheese. Smells great, looks great. . .my husband could learn from this recipe!
Sebastian
This was absolutely delicious and shockingly easy to make for someone who had never made a soufflé before. We didn’t have a soufflé dish, but used a Dutch oven and it didn’t seem to matter at all. It didn’t rise above the lip of the Dutch oven, but so what. I agree that straining the béchamel is a chore that can easily be skipped or needs better direction. My girlfriend, 8 year daughter, and I crushed this completely. It’s going in the holiday/special meal rotation.
Cythera
Make without straining. Add a little (1t) Dijon?Keep or add extra yolk?
Wendy
The parmesan on the edge of the dish is inspired...as is the whole recipe.
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