Dave and Linda from Monkeyshines in the Kitchen chose Soufflés as our November 2010 Daring Cooks’ Challenge! Dave and Linda provided two of their own delicious recipes plus a sinfully decadent chocolate soufflé recipe adapted from Gordon Ramsay’s recipe found at the BBC Good Food website.
Oh, Daring Cooks challenge, you have inspired me again!
Until yesterday, I had never made a soufflé. Now that I have made a rich, gooey, divine cheese soufflé, and it was easy (!), I am totally hooked. I keep thinking about what flavour my next soufflé will be: Passionfruit? Hot chocolate? Or another cheese one because it’s just that good?
Gruyère is my favourite stinky Swiss cheese. I first discovered it when I made mini-quiches for my French class in grade ten. Mmmm, they were an instant hit, and I’ve been making them ever since. I’ve also been using Gruyère anytime I need something stinky and melty with a lovely strong flavour. There’s no room for wimpy cheese in my savoury baked treats!
Give these a try – you will adore them. I even declared to the boyfriend (who declared this recipe “a really great soufflé!”) that I will make them for our next dinner party. They’re that easy and delicious. Seriously. You can do it!
Warning!!! This soufflé is seriously rich. I recommend serving a whole bunch of leafy greens alongside. I served a gingery watercress salad (blog post tomorrow), which I was quite grateful for as it cut through the richness just perfectly! I think it would also be great with a Lemony Kale Salad or the ever-scrumptious Best Kale Ever.
Thanks to Dave & Linda at Monkeyshines in the Kitchen for a great Daring Cooks’ Challenge! I will definitely be making soufflés again soon!
Gruyère Cheese & Tarragon Soufflé
Recipe from Nigel Slater’s Cheese & Tarragon Soufflé at the Guardian,
Serves 2-3
- 1 Tbsp. butter
- 3 Tbsp. Parmigiano-Reggiano (Parmesan cheese), finely grated
- 300 mL (1 1/4c.) milk
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 small red onion, diced
- 55g (4 Tbsp.) butter
- 50g (4 Tbsp.) whole wheat flour
- 4 eggs, separated
- 100g Gruyère cheese, grated
- 1 Tbsp. dried tarragon
Butter 2 large or 3 medium ramekins (about 2-3″ diameter), and dust them with 2 Tbsp. of grated Parmesan.
Preheat the oven to 390F, and place a baking sheet in the oven to preheat.
In a small pan, combine the milk, bay leaf, and onion. Over medium heat, bring the milk to a boil, then turn the heat off but leave the pan on the warm element to sit for 5 minutes so the flavours can infuse. Remove the onion and bay leaf by straining and reserving the flavoured milk. Discard the onion and bay leaf.
In a small pot, create a roux by melting the butter, then adding the flour and stirring until smooth. Keep stirring over medium heat for 3 minutes. Then add in the warm milk little by little, and stir until you have a thick sauce. Bring the sauce to a bubble, then turn the heat down to low and simmer for 5 more minutes. Attack the sauce with a whisk to get rid of any lumps. Remove the pot from the heat, add the egg yolks, and quickly whisk to incorporate the egg yolks into the sauce. Add the Gruyère and tarragon, and stir well to combine.
Using a stand or hand mixer, or a whisk, beat the egg whites until they become frothy and stiff. Gently fold half of the egg whites into the cheese sauce, then fold in the remaining egg whites, and spoon the mixture immediately into the prepared ramekins, filling them to the rims.
Sprinkle the remaining tablespoon of Parmesan over the top of the batters, then pop the ramekins into the oven, directly onto the preheated baking sheet.
Bake at 390F for 20 minutes. Once the soufflés are done, the outsides should be golden brown, while the insides will still be pale and soft.
Serve immediately, and wow your guests with the gorgeous soufflés. They will sink as they come out of the oven, so make sure everyone is ready to eat!
Kitchen Operas 
OMG, do I love the richness of a gruyere and your souffle looks absolutely delectable. Puffy, gorgeous, crusty, cheesy goodness. Amazing job and good idea to serve it with lemon kale..acid helps us all indulge in in the richness 🙂
I think it’s necessary to serve it with something green — I wouldn’t be able to get through half of the rich gooey cheesiness otherwise!!!
Wow!! Your souffles honestly look fantastic!! I can’t believe that this was your first – you’re a natural. The gruyere and tarragon combination is stright after a monkey’s heart too. Bravo!
Thank you!!! And thank you so much for a wonderful challenge — I can’t wait to try some dessert souffles!
Wow, look how much your souffles rose! You rock! And they sound divine! I love cheese, yumyumyum!
Thanks, Jenni! I’m so pleased with them — beginner’s luck, I guess!
Gruyere became one of my favorites after I used it in some baked mac and cheese. Great choice for a souffle.
Oooooh gruyere in mac and cheese. You have just revolutionized my kitchen! I can’t wait to give that a try, good thing I have extra gruyere!
I adapted Nigel Slater’s recipe for my savoury souffle too. I’m actually quite interested to see that you had a bit more than 2 servings (which was what the recipe said it was for), since I had 3 servings, and I spent quite a bit of time wondering if it might have been because I hadn’t let the sauce reduce for as long as he advised in the recipe. Your souffles look gorgeous, like golden puffy pillows. Lovely job!
I think mine could have been 2 or 3 servings, depending on the ramekins… I had two biggish ones and 1 medium one…
It would have definitely been 3 servings for me, but 2 for the boyfriend who has a larger appetite!
Thanks for the kind words, I’m very pleased — off to check yours out too!
You made soufflé!!!!! I’m impressed.
Me too!!!! I hope they don’t tempt your vegan raw saintliness too much, Katey!!
You souffles all look perfect! and the recipe you used sounds delicious. This was also the first souffle I had ever made and I did find it easier than I thought it would be. Now on to the dessert souffle!