Sue Flay? No...Souffle!

Wow, yet again, I have taken forever to blog this awesome dinner menu. Monday night I decided to take on one of the most feared of all culinary masterpieces - the souffle. I had honestly been even scared to think about tackling the French creation, let alone attempt to make one. But, I sucked it up, surrendered my pride to my humility and did it. And, it worked! I discovered that souffles are not nearly as difficult as the culinary world makes them out to be. You can even bake them in a completely uncalibrated oven and continuously open the door to check if they are done!

Now, many people have heard of a souffle, but what is it really? The French term "souffle" literally means puffed up, describing a dish risen with beaten egg whites that can be savory, sweet, hot, or cold. The first dessert souffle might have been served at La Grande Taverne de Londres, which opened in Paris in the 1780's. They have since become one of the most iconic French foods, a dish for chefs to master. But what happens to make a souffle rise? The rise is due to Charles's Law, a law discovered by French scientist J.A.C. Charles. He described that all else held equal, the volume occupied by a given weight of gas is proportional to its temperature. More understandably put, the rise and inevitable fall of a souffle is due to temperature. Heat expands the air in the egg whites while it bakes. As they cool, the air contracts and causes the souffles to deflate. Contrary to popular culinary myth, the slam of a door in the room, or opening the oven during cooking will not cause souffles to collapse, as long as they are properly prepared.

Now that you have been properly educated on the topic of souffles, let's get cookin'! Monday night, I made Three Cheese Souffles with Blistered Tomatoes and served them with a Baby Lettuce and Radish Sprout Salad with Lemon Chive Dressing. To go along with the meal, I also made an Herb Shallot Butter and warm ciabatta bread. It was kick-butt! The tangy tomatoes were delicious against the creamy souffle, and the salad provided a nice refreshing bite in what could have been a very heavy-feeling meal. And bread and butter, how could you ever go wrong there?


Three Cheese Souffles with Blistered Tomatoes: Yields 5 Servings
5 Tbsp butter, plus a little extra to grease the ramekins
3 Tbsp bread crumbs or grated Parmesan cheese, to line the ramekins
2 shallots, chopped
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
3/4 cup grated strong cheddar cheese (I actually used smoked cheddar)
1/2 cup grated Gruyere cheese
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 and 1/3 cups milk (might need an extra Tbsp)
1 tsp Dijon mustard
4 eggs, separated
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
salt
1 pint heirloom cherry tomatoes, half of them cut in half
1 Tbsp olive oil
ground black pepper

1. Heat oven to 375. Grease 5 small ramekins with butter and line with bread crumbs (you may only end up making 5 souffles)
2. Melt 5 Tbsp butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in milk and bring to a boil, stirring until thickened and smooth. Try not to over mix though-it will become gummy!
3. Stir in cheeses, mustard, egg yolks, cayenne, and salt. If the mixture seems way thick, add an additional Tbsp of milk. Cover mixture and allow to cool.
4. Beat room temperature egg whites until they form stiff peaks. Stir a small amount of the egg whites into the cheese mixture and gently fold in the remaining.
5. Pour into the ramekins and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until risen and the tops are browned.
6. Meanwhile, toss the cherry tomatoes with the olive oil and salt and pepper, to taste. Roast at 375 until the skins are blistered and the cut tomatoes release some of their juices. It is ideal to cook this in a separate oven, such as a toaster oven, so as to not interfere with the cooking of the souffles. Alternatively, the tomatoes can be blistered on the stove top in a large skillet.
7. Serve the souffles immediately (they will fall within about 10-15 minutes) topped with the blistered tomatoes.


Baby Lettuce and Sprout Salad with Lemon Chive Dressing: Yields 5 Servings
Dressing:
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp minced chives
4 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp mustard
2 tsp honey
salt and pepper, to taste

Salad:
5 oz baby lettuce
4 oz radish or other sprouts (try to find the colorful ones for more visual appeal!)
1/2 carrot, cut into 1/16-inch thin matchsticks
2 radishes, cut into 1/16-in thin matchsticks
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted

Whisk all of the dressing ingredients together in a small bowl. Toss with the lettuce, sprouts, carrots and radishes. Sprinkle with toasted pine nuts before serving.


Herb Shallot Butter: Yields 4-5 Servings
4 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1 small shallot, minced
1 Tbsp minced fresh parsley
1 tsp minced fresh chives
1 tsp minced fresh sage
1 tsp minced fresh thyme
salt, to taste

Mix all ingredients together and refrigerate to allow flavors to meld. Soften slightly before serving. Great with warm bread!
Feel free to change up the herbs in this butter-these are what I had on hand. Also, the recipe can be doubled and half of it frozen. Or you can use it to make awesome scrambled eggs in the morning!


I truly hope you enjoy this meal. I was able to find most all of the ingredients at the farmer's market, keeping it local and seasonal! Don't be intimidated by the souffle. It is not as difficult as it looks. I over mixed my roux, causing it to be glutinous and gummy, and it still turned out fine. You can do it!
Making a new almond cookie tonight, as an alternative cookie to pair with last week's dessert. As long as I can get to a computer, I'll have the recipe to you tomorrow!