Homemade cheese soufflé rising to the occasion
Photo: Chronica Domus
I've been on a bit of a soufflé kick as of late. It all started one evening in New York, during our recent holiday. Sitting down to dinner at Swifty's, I was enticed by the cheese soufflé on the menu. Not only did it sound delicious and appealing, but I realized it had been an age since I had the privilege of ordering one in a restaurant. As anticipated, the soufflé was glorious, making for a tasty and filling dinner alongside the green salad and mustard sauce which accompanied it so perfectly. I managed to down the lofty dome in very short order indeed.
A perfect cheese souffle as served at Swifty's Restaurant in New York
Photo: Chronica Domus
Several evenings later, while ordering dinner at The Carlyle Restaurant, our affable captain inquired as to whether we'd like to sample the soufflé for dessert, so that he could notify the chef with ample time to prepare, if we so desired. "Why, of course", we bleated. Actually, by some misguided choice on my part, I foolishly opted to skip dessert so only two orders of soufflé would be sent up to the chef.
While sipping my after dinner coffee, basking in the enjoyment of dining on a most toothsome meal in such agreeable and elegant surroundings, the two soufflés arrived at our table.
Dessert anyone?
Photo: Chronica Domus
Despite my pretense of resisting the lure of dessert, the inevitable ensued and I quickly succumbed to the tantalizing vision before my eyes (thank you, dear family, for sharing). I really should stop kidding myself that I have even a tendril of willpower within me to resist such culinary (and calorific) treats. I blushed, slightly, when our wise (and experienced) captain discretely slid an extra spoon beside my coffee cup.
Oh, what joy it was to dive into the Grand Marnier soufflé. My husband and I declared it the booziest either of us have sampled, not that that was a bad thing mind you. It was nothing short of ambrosial, especially when drenched in the accompanying orange crème anglaise. My daughter was in raptures over her voluptuous raspberry puff, from which I stole more than a few bites.
I've not stopped thinking of soufflé since returning to California so one night last week I finally indulged my cravings and actually whipped one up for dinner. I believe my last attempt at what most of us would consider an exercise in temperamental culinary gymnastics was about five years past, and I don't exactly know why I've not made another since. It really isn't all that difficult if one is organized and possesses at least a minimum of skill around the kitchen, a soufflé dish, and a pinch of patience. Although I do enjoy the romanticized notion of whipping one's egg whites with a huge balloon whisk and a beautiful copper bowl, an electric mixer is a marvelous modern convenience.
A successful soufflé requires the freshest of eggs
Photo: Chronica Domus
I followed the recipe, found here, and substituted mature Irish cheddar cheese for the suggested Gruyere, which I find imparts a more robust cheese flavor to the soufflé.
The egg whites were whipped up in no time thanks to my trusty electric mixer
Photo: Chronica Domus
A combination of the freshest eggs available and the wonders of a modern oven that heats evenly is imperative to a successful outcome. Oh, and please, no peeking into the oven allowed, at least for the first twenty minutes. We wouldn't want to possibly deflate all of our hard work now would we?
Ready for the hot oven
Photo: Chronica Domus
Voila! A towering billowy vision of deliciousness
Photo: Chronica Domus
Dinner, I am overjoyed to report, was a resounding success, accompanied by a mixed baby greens salad and a bottle of wine shared, of course, with my husband. The cheese soufflé turned out exactly as I had anticipated, light and airy and not a spoonful remained by the end of our meal. We feasted like kings at our very own kitchen table.
Dinner, I am overjoyed to report, was a resounding success, accompanied by a mixed baby greens salad and a bottle of wine shared, of course, with my husband. The cheese soufflé turned out exactly as I had anticipated, light and airy and not a spoonful remained by the end of our meal. We feasted like kings at our very own kitchen table.
Light and fluffy and ready for the table
Photo: Chronica Domus
A few days later, I was itching to try my hand at making a soufflé fit for dessert, something I had not previously attempted having only dabbled in the savory sort. As practically everyone I know enjoys the taste of chocolate, I quickly settled on that and got to work concocting a delicious sauce to accompany my soufflé. Orange, followed closely by raspberry, are my two favorite flavors to pair with chocolate, and as my husband had just completed his annual marmalade tour de force, and a little extra blood orange marmalade was available, I used that as the base for the sauce. Two teaspoons of the marmalade, along with a splash of Grand Marnier liqueur, and lashings of double cream, combined and gently heated until warmed, produced the most sinful of sauces to pour over the decadent chocolate soufflé. What an exquisite combination this was! Instantly, I began to worry for my hip to waist ratio as I sensed this could very easily become my kind of comfort food.
It may not look pretty but believe me, this was manna from heaven
Photo: Chronica Domus
I think I've
Has a particularly satisfying restaurant meal ever inspired you to embark upon such a kitchen escapade, and if so which memorable food led you there?
We make cheese soufflés from time to time, and usually 4 small ramekins. We eat one each with a salad and then chill the remaining two overnight and have them for lunch. (Although light and airy, they are quite filling).
ReplyDeletehttp://corcol.blogspot.com/2010/11/simple-souffle-supper.html
http://corcol.blogspot.com/2010/11/souffle-salad-on-saturday.html
They really do make for delightful lunches or dinners, although I'm afraid you might think the three of us a little on the greedy side as we wiped out the entire cheese soufflé in one sitting. To be fair, the recipe would feed four for lunch quite adequately. I managed a post-dinner stroll with the dog which was a good digestive and helped to shed a few of those sinful calories.
DeleteI'm now off to read your soufflés posts.
The first thing I ever made when learning cooking was a souffle! Ignorance is brave. The failure stopped my cooking lessons for several years.
ReplyDeleteBut I do love them so. I like blue cheese souffles the most and savoury over sweet. Funny because in the spring I am planning to go to Paris to that famous souffle restaurant where the starters, mains and desserts are all souffles and I can't wait to have souffle for all three! But your souffles look the business too CD. PS I hate it when they cut the souffle on top in a cross and pour the sauce in for some reason...
Heavens! Talk about jumping in at the deep end. If my inaugural kitchen escapade was a lesson in soufflé making, I doubt I'd be back for seconds. Take it from me, if I can manage to get a rise out of a few egg whites, so shall you. I'm sure you'll be a pro in no time.
DeleteYou've inspired me to try my hand at blue cheese soufflé - it sounds divine! Do please spill the beans on which Paris restaurant it is that you plan on diving into for a heavenly soufflé feast. I am most curious. Oh, and yes, I would not like my soufflé drenching to be done by others, thank you.
My mouth is watering, CD! I've a failsafe recipe for passionfruit souffle but you've inspired me to try my hand at this savoury version.
ReplyDeleteI'd love to see a picture of the latest batch of marmalade. Is there a chance your husband would share his recipe and/or tips? Maybe even a guest post!
Spud.
Hello Spud,
DeleteDo please give it your best and see what happens when you beat a few egg whites and add a little cheese. I'll guarantee you will be amazed at the results. I truly believe soufflé making is not as difficult as it might appear at first glance. I'd like a full report of how things turned out.
Now, about that marmalade. I might just have to coax him into a guest post if there is an interest. He just made eighteen jars of Seville orange to add to the eighteen of blood orange from the prior week. The man is a machine!
My Dear CD,
ReplyDeleteI'd eagerly follow you anywhere especially Swifty's and The Carlyle and relish any glimpse into your cozy abode and well remember how beautiful your holiday table was laid. The culinary arts have never held much interest for me and always try to discourage such extravagant exertions on my behalf but am always appreciative of these labors to enhance an evening with a few tasty morsels lovingly prepared by a charming hostess. My dear CD, you keep a good table...and are quite handy with a pen too.
Hello GSL,
DeleteIt is always such a pleasure for me to dabble in the kitchen primarily because I enjoy seeing those around me happy. Breaking bread with family and friends at one's dining table is the very best feeling and creates wonderful memories. As much as I enjoy eating out, there's nothing quite like setting a lovely table for a cozy dinner of good food and lively conversation.
Hello CD, Your soufflés look so perfect and appetizing, that I am starting to wonder whether I could make one here, in my rather small oven. Somehow this is one item I have never experimented with before. I think that like Coulda Shoulda I would prefer the savory kind. By the way, refusing dessert then 'sharing' your family's seems like a brilliant strategy to me.
ReplyDelete--Jim
Yes Jim, of course you can make a soufflé no matter the size of your oven. The trick is to bake it on the lower shelf and not open the door until at least 20 or so minutes have elapsed. Please do try it and tell me what happened.
DeleteMy dear family are quite used to my scrounging I'm ashamed to admit. They always warn me that they won't be sharing dessert yet, they must love me terribly as I always manage a few stolen bites.
About 35 years ago, I purchased a souffle dish with the intention of learning how to make a cheese souffle. It has sat in my cupboard, I am embarrassed to admit, all these years. Now you have inspired me to get it out and give it a go!
ReplyDeleteHello slf and welcome!
DeleteYour comment had me chuckling and reminded me of a very heavy enameled pot that I've owned close to ten years and have never used. Every now and then my husband asks me when am I planning on using it, and I always tell him that I'm looking for just the right recipe. I think he's just about to give up on me.
Please do break your 35 year dry spell and attempt the recipe in the link I've included in this posting. It really is not as difficult as one might imagine.
Thank you for your comment and please do come back again.
Tonight was the night I initiated the souffle dish and I must say the result was superb! The recipe you provided was excellent. The resulting souffle was scrumptious! Now I am inspired to try a chocolate souffle! Do you have a good recipe to share for that? I would be most grateful. My husband and I devoured the cheese souffle, along with a kale salad and a bottle of chardonnay. It was devine - food for the gods. Thank you!
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteHello slf,
DeleteNow, this is why I find blogging so rewarding - to learn that after 35 years, a lonely and forgotten soufflé dish has, at last, had its shining moment. I'm tickled pink that dinner was a huge success and that you are now ready to try dessert.
The chocolate soufflé I made was found here:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/chocolate-souffle-106173
Don't forget to make a nice cream sauce just to make the experience even more decadent. Enjoy and thank you again for taking the time out of your busy day to let me know you tried the recipe - bravo!
Thank you for sharing. I plan to try the chocolate souffle very soon, as well as a sauce made per your directions in the post. I don't have my own homemade orange marmalade but purchased some from Frog Hollow Farm when I recently visited San Francisco and went to the Ferry Building Farmers' Market. My father was a huge fan of orange marmalade. Perhaps I should try making my own. You have inspired me!
DeleteIsn't that market marvelous? I should do a blog posting on it soon as I visit it regularly. You must let me know how your sauce and chocolate soufflé turn out (you'll notice this recipe is simpler than the cheese one).
DeleteCD,
ReplyDeleteOhhh, these look delicious. I've never made a cheese souffle but I have a favorite recipe for chocolate souffle with orange creme anglaise and it's pure heaven. I don't make it often due to the temptation to eat most of it myself! Haha. Such a delicious sounding meal, with your souffle, salad and wine, who could ask for more?
Karen
Hello Karen,
DeleteI'm beginning to sound like a broken record but I urge you to try the cheese soufflé and tell me what you think.
Is there any better combination than orange and chocolate? I imagine your recipe, with the orange creme anglaise, might taste similar to the one I made (as seen in the final photograph of this posting). I'm sure there isn't a scrap left when you make it.
Oh well now you make me want a soufflé with all the photos and descriptions! My mother used to make us a cheese soufflé for dinner as children, just as you've described. I should probably make it for my own family… I do remember having an absolutely atrocious soufflé once in a restaurant. It was passionfruit. The waiter really sold it to me as a specialty, absolutely delicious etc etc… but it became apparent when eating it that they'd forgotten to put the sugar in it! It was like eating nothing much at all. Very disappointing, and I was at the time puzzled as to whether it was supposed to be like that or not. It was only on reflection that I thought - the sugar! Key missing ingredient.
ReplyDeleteHello Heidi,
DeleteHow wonderful that your mother indulged you with her culinary skills and whipped up soufflés for family dinners. Although my mother was a dab hand around the kitchen, I don't recall her ever making one for my sisters and I.
Oh, dear, the passion fruit fiasco sounds to have been a huge disappointment, especially as you could not quite pin down what exactly was wrong with it. At least if you were able to verbalize the problem you may have been in with a chance to have your soufflé comped instead of thinking it was just plain dreadful.
The best souffles in New York are at La Grenouille....cheese at lunch, Grand Marnier at dinner for dessert. Richard Olney's Simple French Cooking souffle a la suisesse is a marvel. Genius in all its variations. Do try.
ReplyDeleteHello truth in fashion,
DeleteHow I wished I had a reservation at La G during our short trip to New York last December. I did try hard though, but alas, nothing was available. Next time to be certain.
I shall try your recommendation for Mr. Olney's soufflé, and thank you for stopping by and leaving a comment.
Hello,
ReplyDeleteSwifty's and The Carlyle.......how perfectly fabulous they sound and, from your photographic record, they deliver deliciousness with style. How we should have loved to have been there with you to sample the soufflé. Savoury or sweet, this really is a culinary confection that transports one to Paradise....or Hell depending on the outcome.
Now, dearest CD, do you really think that we possess even 'a minimum of skill around the kitchen'? The eggs would curdle whilst we looked at them and, we know with total certainly, that any soufflé attempted by us would never rise.
We have been tempted by the gourmet delights produced by and eaten in many restaurants to 'try this at home' but, sad to report, our efforts have always ended in disaster. There were tears before bedtime and they were ours.
So, now, we eat. A minute on the lips and a lifetime on the hips are our watchwords. If only we could swiftly speed to Swifty's since we could demolish that glorious cheese soufflé for lunch right now!
Hello Jane and Lance,
DeleteA meal in your stimulating company, whether at Swifty's or The Carlyle, would be as heavenly as their soufflés.
I refuse to believe that your culinary efforts at home are such disastrous escapades. If you approach the subject at hand, a soufflé for example, like a science experiment, I have no doubt you'll succeed, and there is little chance of your eggs curdling and your soufflé deflating. Do try and see. I do so love to egg you on!
Ooh la la, such delectable delights! Your souffles would make Julia Child proud.
ReplyDeleteCaloric? Yes, but eggs are very high quality protein and cheese provides calcium. One can rationalize these indulgences. Thank you for giving me something to think about other than the endless snow we face in Boston. We just got our fourth blizzard in four weeks. It feels like the permanent Narnia of winter.
Best, KL Gaylin
My goodness! I'd rather be thinking of fluffy soufflés than fluffy snow drifts, but I know what you mean about the Narnia-like state of things. A little goes a long way when it comes to snow. I actually miss a good snowfall (we used to get them most years when I lived in England (Kent specifically). To see snow where I live now, I need to travel to the mountains, which is a few hours drive from my house.
DeleteYou make a valid point when you describe eggs as being a very high quality protein. I adore them and often have them for breakfast on a weekend.
I hope the spring-like weather arrives in Boston sooner rather than later for you.
I have never tried a souffle before, nor attempted to cook one. After recent escapades with my flat's oven in Dubbo I am not keen to attempt one here either, but looking at how tasty your cheese one was looked I am keen to initiate myself into the mysteries of the souffle in the new kitchen one day.
ReplyDeleteHello Lord Cowell,
DeleteI'm glad I've inspired you to delve into the world of soufflé eating and making. If your flat's oven is in the least bit temperamental, I'd certainly postpone your inauguration into this delightful food from the gods until your new kitchen is up and running. For years I utilized an oven from 1949 which had lots of character, but no reliably even temperature. As soon as I got my new oven (five years ago), soufflé was the first thing I made in it.
Very good...
ReplyDeleteBye Letychicche
http://letychicche.blogspot.it
Grazie!
DeleteGood for you CD! the more you make them, the easier they get and they don't have as many calories as you would think. Next time you go to NYC, try the cheese souffle at La Grenoille for lunch. They use Gruyere but when they bring it to the table, they part the middle with two spoons and add a hot cheese sauce. To me it is the best in town. I love your idea of the orange sauce on the chocolate souffle. Quite unique!
ReplyDeleteHello Lindaraxa,
DeleteI'm beginning to believe these billowy treats are really not as fattening as I had first perceived them to be. There are rather a lot of egg whites involved, which are less calorific than the few yolks required.
You are the second commenter to point me to La G's cheese soufflé, which I cannot wait to sample if I have the good fortune of securing a table there upon my next trip out east. I attempted to make a reservation for dinner in December, along with the rest of New York it seems, but sadly not one opening was available during the time we were there.
Thank you for popping in for a visit.