The Greatest Cheese Souffle Recipe in the WORLD! (Probably) (Cheese Recipes)

Member Name: luigi0778

Product:	Cheese Recipes
Date:	14/07/09 (127 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Easy to follow, tastes great!

Disadvantages: Expensive ingredients, Can't be made in advance!

--The Best Cheese Souffle--
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OK im Italian, and obviously in my opinion, Italian food is the best in the world. However putting aside patriotism. I have to confess to having a soft spot for French inspired Souffles, and especially Cheese Souffles.

I know French food can be pretentious, appear to be overly complicated, and sometimes beyond the palate or tastes of most people. I however love Souffles, and as is, most French food in reality (when you get past cheffy subterfuge) quite simple to make.

So anyway. Why this Cheese Souffle recipe? Well I know there are many varieties, but the recipe below is for a Cheese Souffle which is incredibly powerful tasting, dense and rich, but at the same time tastes incredibly feather light and airy (yes an impossible contradiction, but it is).

The addition of melted ripe Brie in the bottom, packs quite a punch at the end. An just leaves a nice solid reminder, that cheese can be powerful stuff.

Feel free to vary the ingredients, and so long as you stick to the same total weights and use judicial sense on what your using, you will be fine.

--Note for Sceptics--
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There is an awful lot of nonsense surrounding Soufles, they really are pretty easy. Most peoples problems arise from being to vigorous when combining the ingredients, or from being too impatient and continually opening the oven, or serving them too early.

Patience is key, and allowing them to cook for the full term, will ensure the Souffle does not collapse the moment it encounters cooler air.

If you follow the below steps, your Souffles will rise, and will tase delicious, and will impress just about anyone.

The below will serve four!


--Ingredients--
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Whole Milk 500ml
Plain Flour approx 60g
60g Unsalted butter
2g of any butter melted, to brush rammekins.
1 small white onion sliced thinly,
1 small garlic clove crushed,
2 bay leaves.
5 peppercorns (whole and black)
5 large eggs seperated into whites and yolks
1 teaspoon of salt, to season to taste,

50g Emmental, grated
50g Gruyere, grated
100g Mature English Cheddar, grated
50g Parmigiano Reggiano, grated
50g French Brie (a ripe one) sliced into thin pieces.

Total of 300g of cheese, you can alter these ratios/ingredients to achieve the taste you prefer! However, do not exceed 300g. Use the best possible cheese you can, and make sure the Brie is ripe and gooey.


-Step 1-
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Add the milk to a suitably sized pan, and add the bay leaves, onion, peppercorns and crushed garlic. Heat the milk to a gentle simmer for 5 minutes. Then strain the milk to remove the above additions, season with salt, and put to one side.

-Step 2-
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In the above (but now clean) pan, heat the butter until it almost foams, now add the flour and mix until you have a nice smooth paste. Cook this paste for a minute or two. Now slowly add the (still warm) milk from Step 1, slowly, until you get a nice glossy white sauce. Add the cheeses, and the egg yolks, keep stirring until all nicely melted. Allow this to cool completely to room temperature.

-Step 3-
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Brush some melted butter around the sides of the Rammekins, and drop the slices of Brie into the bottom. This will provide a delicious goo at the bottom of the Soufle when you dig into it. Put these to one side.

-Step 4-
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Briskly beat the egg white to stiff peaks! NOW this is very important. You are now to add the previously made sauce from Step 2, BUT do it VERY slowly. Also do not mix it in vigorously, you have to gently fold it into the mixture. The less air you lose from this combined mixture, the more fluffy and light the Soufle will be.

-Step 5-
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Preheat Oven to 160C/ Gas Mark 4, and prepare a baking tray. In this baking tray pour approximately 4-5 tablespoons of water. Set the Rammekins into this tray BEFORE you add the mixture in the next step.

-Step 6-
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Carefully, and slowly pour the mixture from Step 4 into the Rammekins, and immediately transfer the baking tray into the middle of the pre-heated oven, waste no time and CLOSE the oven door. DO NOT touch the over for 15 minutes, after which time your Souffles will be ready, risen, perfect and delicious. Serve immediately!!!!!

Summary: If you like cheese, this is a treat.