Sensitive, pretentious, and full of hot air, your average Frenchman
The classic cheese soufflé: tall, golden, wobbly and gone in minutes. It's mostly confidence and a good whisk. Get your guests seated, preheat properly, and whatever you do, keep that oven door shut.
The challenge
- Folding without deflating
- Oven temperature precision
- Timing for immediate serving
- Preventing collapse after baking
French egg dish that's 90% technique and 10% prayer. Egg yolks get mixed with your base (cheese for savory, chocolate or fruit for sweet), while egg whites whip to stiff peaks that need perfect consistency: overbeat and they're dry, underbeat and they won't rise.
The soufflé bakes in a preheated oven that absolutely cannot be opened mid-bake or the temperature drop causes instant collapse. The whole thing deflates within minutes of leaving the oven, so serving must be immediate and your guests better be sitting down already.
Prep: 30 minutes · Cook: 25 minutes
Ingredients
For the dish
- 15 g (1 tbsp) soft butter, for greasing
- 25 g (1/4 cup) finely grated Parmesan, for coating
For the soufflé
- 40 g (3 tbsp) butter
- 35 g (1/4 cup) plain (all-purpose) flour
- 300 ml (1 1/4 cups) whole milk, warmed
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- Pinch of cayenne pepper
- Good grating of nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp fine salt
- 4 large egg yolks
- 120 g (1 1/4 cups) Gruyère or Comté, finely grated
- 5 large egg whites, at room temperature
- 1/4 tsp cream of tartar (or a few drops of lemon juice)
Method
- Preheat and prep the dishPut a baking tray on the lowest-middle shelf and heat the oven to 200°C / 400°F (180°C fan) for a full 20 minutes so it's stable. Brush a 1.5 litre (6 cup) soufflé dish with soft butter in upward strokes, then coat with Parmesan and tip out the excess. Chill the dish.
- Make the baseMelt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat, stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute without browning. Gradually whisk in the warm milk and cook, whisking, for 2-3 minutes until thick and smooth like custard. Take off the heat.
- Season and add yolksWhisk in the mustard, cayenne, nutmeg and salt. Let it cool for 5 minutes, then beat in the yolks one at a time, followed by the Gruyère. It should taste slightly over-seasoned; the whites will mellow it. Transfer to a large bowl.
- Whip the whitesIn a spotlessly clean bowl, whisk the whites with the cream of tartar on medium until foamy, then on high until they hold firm, glossy peaks that stand up but still look moist, about 3-4 minutes. Stop before they look grainy or dry.
- Loosen the baseStir about a quarter of the whites vigorously into the cheese base. Don't be gentle here; this lightens it so the rest folds in easily.
- Fold, don't stirAdd the remaining whites. With a large spatula, cut down through the middle, sweep along the bottom and lift up the side, turning the bowl a quarter each time. Stop as soon as there are no big white streaks. A few small streaks are fine.
- Fill and top hatPour into the chilled dish, level the top, and run your thumb around the inside rim to make a shallow groove about 1 cm (1/2 in) deep. This helps it rise straight with a classic top hat.
- Bake with the door shutPlace on the hot tray and immediately turn the oven down to 190°C / 375°F (170°C fan). Bake for 22-25 minutes without opening the door, until well risen, deep golden and with just a slight wobble when you gently nudge the tray at the end.
- Serve nowCarry it straight to the table and serve with two spoons, breaking into the centre so everyone gets some crust and some creamy middle. You have about two minutes of glory.
- Serve before it sulksRun it to the table immediately. Don't stop to talk, don't stop to post. Your soufflé has a short attention span and a very fragile ego. If it collapses, just say it's a 'rustic' soufflé. Very fashionable in Paris right now.
Tips from the trenches
- Any trace of yolk or grease in the whites will stop them whipping, so separate eggs one at a time into a small bowl first.
- Stop whipping at firm, glossy peaks; dry, clumpy whites are hard to fold and crack in the oven.
- An oven thermometer is your best friend; many ovens run 10-20°C off what the dial says.
- You can make the base up to 2 hours ahead, then whip and fold the whites just before baking.
“The only thing that will make a soufflé fall is if it knows you're afraid of it.”— James Beard
