Lulu's Cheese Souffle
"The only thing that will make a souffle fall is if it knows you're afraid of it."
James Beard
Lulu's Cheese Souffle
Grate 6 ounces of a cheese with strong character (Gruyere, Comte, Roquefort are all good choices) and set aside.
Scald a cup and a quarter of milk and set aside to gently cool.
Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Whisk in 3 tablespoons of flour and cook for a a couple of minutes, whisking constantly. Whisk in the warm milk, season with a half teaspoon of salt, a sprinkle of pepper and a few gratings of fresh nutmeg, turn the heat to low and cook for 10 minutes or so, whisking every couple of minutes. The sauce will get very thick. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
Meanwhile carefully separate 4 eggs, being careful to put the whites into a clean bowl and not get any of the yolk into the whites.
Butter a 6-cup souffle dish and lightly dust with flour.
Preheat the oven to 425.
Carefully whisk the cheese and egg yolks into the sauce.
Beat the egg whites with clean beaters until they hold soft peaks. Stir about a third of them into the cheese sauce, to lighten it, then carefully fold in the remaining whites.
Spoon the mixture into the prepared souffle dish and put into the oven for about 25 minutes, until set and golden.
Serve at once.
Serves 6.
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