R E C I P E S

Cheese Soufflé with Tomato Sauce

By Edward Behr

I use flavorful Gruyère or strong Cheddar in this soufflé, though other cheeses can also be good. I’ve always found soufflés easy to make, which makes me suspect the feared collapse is more a part of lore than common experience. A slower oven (about 350° F or 175° C) produces a lower, sturdier soufflé; a faster oven (400° F or 200° C) produces a lighter, more vulnerable one. Too much cooking dries a soufflé, but there’s no one right degree of doneness. For me and many others, the ideal is a slightly flowing center that, as you break into and serve it, is still cooking from the residual heat. You can beat the egg whites in any clean bowl (fat gets in the way of foam), but the classic and best bowl is, at least for sensual reasons, made of unlined copper. A trace of the metal, Harold McGee explains in On Food and Cooking, bonds with elements in the whites to keep the foam strong once it has formed and prevent it from turning grainy and losing volume as you incorporate it. Just before each use, the copper must be cleaned with salt and either half a lemon or a vinegar-drenched paper towel; rubbing removes tarnish (actual verdigris is toxic), and the fresh shiny surface ensures the chemical reaction. Adding a little acid to the whites, through a different chemical effect, accomplishes the same thing. Still, you can create a useful if weaker egg-white foam without adding either copper or acid. The tomato sauce that accompanies the soufflé is very easily made and extremely good.

 

for the tomato sauce

1 shallot, finely chopped

2 teaspoons excellent, fresh-tasting olive oil or unsalted butter

3 large ripe, red tomatoes (together weighing at least 2 pounds or 1 kg), peeled, seeded, and chopped

salt

 

 for the soufflé

3 tablespoons (40 gr) unsalted butter plus more for the mold

¼ cup (35 gr) all-purpose flour plus more for the mold

1¼ cups (300 ml) cold milk

6 eggs, separated

¼ pound (110 gr) grated aged Cheddar or Gruyère

salt

ground hot red pepper or pepper sauce

ground black pepper

nutmeg

¾ teaspoon cream of tartar, if you use a noncopper bowl

 

To make the sauce: Cook the shallot gently in the oil until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook the combination gently until the vegetables are completely tender. Pass the sauce through a coarse strainer or the fine holes of a food mill and season with salt.

To make the soufflé: Butter and flour a 2-quart (2-liter) soufflé mold. Over medium heat, melt the 3 tablespoons (40 gr) of butter in a saucepan and cook the flour in the melted butter for 1 minute (to diminish the raw taste of the flour, it’s always said). To this roux, add the milk all at once, and immediately whisk the combination smooth. Stirring continuously, bring the sauce to a bubble over medium heat. Take the pan from the stove. Stir in the egg yolks, then add the grated cheese and stir only enough to mix. Season well with salt and red and black peppers, remembering that, once the dish is baked, the taste will be diluted by air; add a trace of grated nutmeg. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl.

Heat the oven to 400° F (200° C). If you have a large unlined copper bowl, rub it with vinegar and salt, rinse and dry it with a clean towel, and beat the egg whites in it until they just form stiff peaks. For a noncopper bowl, add the cream of tartar to the whites and beat them. When the foam is stiff enough, it will cling to the bowl; before and after, it will slip, and it’s better to beat too little than too much. Fold the beaten whites by thirds into the cheese mixture, and fill the mold. Bake for about 30 minutes until, if you jostle the soufflé slightly, it quivers in a way that suggests the outside is set but not yet the center (this becomes clearer with experience).

Wait a few more minutes only if you prefer the soufflé fully set. Bring it immediately to the table and pass the sauce. Serves 3 or 4 as a main course.


From The Art of Eating Cookbook

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