Cheese Souffle, Quarantine Cooks’ Edition

See, I’ll be honest. This quarantine season is weighing heavily on almost all of us. When Nirmal and I set out for Modena in late February this year, we didn’t have the slightest idea of the weeks we both would spend indoors hoping the world healed soon. It would be so easy for me to point out a single highlight and go at length about it but Italy, is such a bountifully blessed land, my heart goes out to everyone there, especially during this tumultuous time. I hope we can all go back to living normal mundane lives, and maybe make a silent promise to take care of ourselves, people around us and also our beautiful planet, while we are at it.

Path of the Gods, Amalfi Coast

We snagged a fair bit of aged Parmigiano Reggiano on this trip and wanted to put it to good use. We made a couple of cheese boards and paired them with some dry reds and enjoyed it a lot but how would I justify my obsession as a cook if I continued to consume the crafty block just as is! Hence, the Souffle.

I saw a few recipes online and decided to follow Gary Mehigan’s from one of Masterchef Australia’s earlier seasons. I changed around a few things in the recipe but stuck to his measurements for the béchamel and yolky mornay that precedes the batter for the pies.

Ingredients

Flour – 40 gms
Unsalted Butter – 60 gms
Milk – 350 ml
Egg Yolks – 4
Egg Whites – 6
Parmesan (or any hard cheese of your choice) – 150 gms
Shallot – 1
Parma Ham – if you please

The souffle, if you come to think of it is a fluffy, decadent omelette or a finer and fairly unloaded version of a quiche. Its quite simply a béchamel at first, then transformed into a mornay, with some yolks for stabilization and finally some whites for volume and fluff. It is delicate, so it needs some attention and care. Any flavor you add will subtly make its presence felt with each bite.

Directions

Butter 4-5 medium-sized ramekins and let them rest in a fridge until the butter sets.
Set your oven to a swift 180 deg Celsius.
In two separate pans, bring 350 ml of full-fat milk to a boil and melt 60 gms of butter.
Add 40 gms of sifted all-purpose flour to the melted butter and whisk it continuously so it doesn’t catch the bottom of the pan. (Attention)

Once the milk comes up to a slight boil and the flour + butter mixture cooks for a couple of minutes on medium flame, while being whisked continuously, add the milk while still constantly stirring the mixture. This is our Béchamel. (Some more attention)

Let the béchamel cook for a couple of minutes and then take it off the heat. At this stage, add 4 egg yolks and whisk some more (of course). Egg Yolks contain lipoproteins which act as great emulsifiers. It holds your mixture together and keeps it homogenous.

You can now add almost all your grated cheese and coat your buttered ramekins with the rest.

Once your cheese + béchamel + egg yolks mixture is homogenous, set it aside and work on your egg whites. Whisk them to form a stiff peak.

Meanwhile, you may compound your cheese mixture with a few additional flavors. I chose a shallots and parma ham confit. Gary chose anchovies and lemon zest. You can do whatever you please!
The egg whites can now be gently folded in parts into the cheese mix. (Love)

Place your ramekins in a baking tray and pour the mixture in 80% of the height.

Tap gently to eliminate any air gaps and slide them in the oven for a good 16-17 min.

We served the pies with a pear + arugula salad, topped it with some candied walnuts and dressed it with Giuseppe Giusti’s aged Balsamico from Modena.

The sight of the puffed-up Souffles, when they come out of the oven, is nothing short of a victory. I strongly recommend you try making this for you and the ones quarantining with you – You’re sure to earn some fringe benefits in the days to come!

Eet Smakelijk!

Tags: #french, #frenchfood, #quarantine, #souffle, balsamic, bechamel, cheese, cheesesouffle, desi, desiumami, eatingin, homecook, Nammal, NomNom, parmesan, umami