GruyÈre SoufflÉs Recipes

Steps:

• Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 400°F. Generously butter one 10-cup soufflé dish or six 1 1/4-cup soufflé dishes; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese to coat. (If using 1 1/4-cup dishes, place all 6 on rimmed baking sheet.) Melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add flour, cayenne pepper and nutmeg. Cook without browning until mixture begins to bubble, whisking constantly, about 1 minute. Gradually whisk in milk, then wine. Cook until smooth, thick and beginning to boil, whisking constantly, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Mix yolks, salt and pepper in small bowl. Add yolk mixture all at once to sauce and whisk quickly to blend. Fold in 1 1/4 cups Gruyère cheese and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese (cheeses do not need to melt). Using electric mixer, beat whites in large bowl until stiff but not dry. Fold 1/4 of whites into lukewarm soufflé base to lighten. Fold in remaining whites. Transfer soufflé mixture to prepared dish. Sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons Gruyère cheese.
• Place soufflé in oven; reduce heat to 375°F. Bake soufflé until puffed, golden and gently set in center, about 40 minutes for large soufflé (or 25 minutes for small soufflés). Using oven mitts, transfer soufflé to platter and serve immediately.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400° and brush seven 1-cup ramekins with butter. Lightly coat the ramekins with 2 tablespoons of the Parmigiano-Reggiano and set them on a sturdy baking sheet. In a medium saucepan, melt the 4 tablespoons of butter. Whisk in the flour and cook over moderate heat for 1 minute. Whisk in the milk and cook over moderately low heat until smooth and very thick, about 2 minutes. Stir in the salt and cayenne. Off the heat, whisk in the egg yolks. Let cool slightly. Transfer to a large bowl and stir in the Gruyère. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar at medium-high speed until frothy. Increase the speed to high and beat until firm peaks form. With a rubber spatula, fold the egg whites into the soufflé base until no streaks of white remain. Spoon the soufflé mixture into the ramekins, filling them to 1/2 inch below the rim. Run your thumb inside the rim of each ramekin to help the soufflés rise evenly. Sprinkle the remaining Parmigiano-Reggiano on top and bake in the bottom third of the oven until the soufflés are puffed and golden brown, about 20 minutes. Serve immediately. MAKE AHEAD The recipe can be prepared through Step 2 and refrigerated overnight. The soufflés can be assembled up to 1 hour ahead. The cooked soufflés can be reheated in the oven.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
• Place four 1/2-cup souffle dishes into the refrigerator to chill.
• Separate the eggs, placing the yolks in one bowl and the whites in larger bowl.
• With one tablespoon of the butter, butter the bottom and sides of each souffle dish, paying special attention to the sides. Place in refrigerator.
• Melt the remaining butter in a saucepan and add the flour, stirring with a wire whisk. Blend well, but do not brown the flour. Add the milk, stirring rapidly with the whisk, add the salt and pepper, nutmeg and cayenne. Bring to a boil and cook for 30 seconds, stirring.
• Blend the cornstarch and water and add to the bubbling sauce. Stir and cook for about two minutes. Add the yolks, stirring vigorously. Cook, stirring, for about a minute.
• Spoon and scrape the mixture into large mixing bowl. Add the cubed Gruyere, blend well with a wire whisk. Set aside.
• Beat the egg whites in a mixing bowl, preferably copper. With a flexible balloon-shaped wire whisk or a hand beater, beat them until stiff and thick. Add half of the whites to the souffle mixture and mix thoroughly. Add the remaining whites, folding them in quickly but gently with a rubber spatula.
• Spoon and scrape even amounts of the mixture into each souffle dish. The mixture should fit inside the dish to about a quarter-inch from the top of the dish. With your thumb, create a channel around the periphery of the dish to allow for expansion. Sprinkle the top with the grated gruyere.
• Place the dish on a baking sheet on the bottom rack of the oven and bake for 12 to 15 minutes. Serve immediately.

Steps:

• Remove wire racks from oven and place a baking sheet directly on oven floor. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Generously butter a 1 1/2-quart soufflé dish. Coat bottom and sides with 3 tablespoons/15 grams Parmesan, tapping out any excess.
• In a small pot, heat milk until steaming. Meanwhile, melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Whisk in flour and cook until the mixture foams, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in warm milk. Return to heat and cook until thickened, whisking constantly, about 3 minutes.
• Remove from heat and whisk in paprika, salt and nutmeg. Whisk in egg yolks one at a time, blending fully after each addition. Transfer flour and yolk mixture to a large bowl.
• Using an electric mixer, beat egg whites and cream of tartar at medium speed until the mixture holds stiff peaks.
• Whisk a quarter of the whites into the lukewarm yolk mixture to lighten. Gently fold in remaining whites in 2 additions while gradually sprinkling in Gruyère cheese, remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan and the chives. Transfer batter to prepared dish. Rub your thumb around the inside edge of the dish to create a 1/4-inch or so space between the dish and the soufflé mixture.
• Transfer dish to baking sheet in the oven and reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees. Bake until soufflé is puffed and golden brown on top and center barely moves when dish is shaken gently, about 30 minutes. (Do not open oven door during first 20 minutes.) Bake it a little less for a runnier soufflé and a little more for a firmer soufflé. Serve immediately.