Barefoot Bloggers: Blue Cheese Souffle

Yay!  I think I’m officially on track with my Barefoot Blogging. Hopefully this means that my hiatus is over.

This week’s pick comes courtesy of Summer of Sexy Apartment. I was a bit hesitant at first when I saw that she chose souffle.  I mean who choses souffle??  I was annoyed initially because it meant that I had to acquire a souffle dish.  This was a particularly sore point since I had bought one when I lived in NYC to make a souffle (once) and then gave it away before moving to Toronto.  Plus, I have issues with eggs and a souffle is basically baked egg.  BARF.

But I soldiered on.  I went to Dollarama and bought a 4-cup souffle dish (so I could halve the recipe) and decided to temporarily put my egg issues to the side.  This was not an easy task considering that the third egg I cracked had a double yolk. DOUBLE BARF.  But somehow I managed to make it through.

The end product was good.  I had read comments that this dish lacked flavour but I guess I used a flavourful blue chese because I did not have those issues.  It wasn’t terribly egg-y which worked for me.  The souffle didn’t reach great heights but it did rise enough.

Would I make this again? I probably not but I would pass along the recipe to souffle loving friends.  I’m not the best judge in how this stacks up to other souffle recipes but given that this is Barefoot Contessa/Ina Garten approved I’m sure it’s probably good.

Be sure to head over to Barefoot Bloggers to see what others had to say about this one.

BLUE CHEESE SOUFFLE

Ingredients

nocoupons

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing the dish
• 1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan, plus extra for sprinkling
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup scalded milk
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Pinch cayenne pepper
• Pinch nutmeg
• 4 extra-large egg yolks, at room temperature
• 3 ounces good Roquefort cheese, chopped
• 5 extra-large egg whites, at room temperature
• 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Butter the inside of an 8-cup souffle dish (7 1/2 inches in diameter and 3 1/4 inches deep) and sprinkle evenly with Parmesan.

Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. With a wooden spoon, stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Off the heat, whisk in the hot milk, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, the cayenne, and nutmeg. Cook over low heat, whisking constantly, for 1 minute, until smooth and thick.

Off the heat, while still hot, whisk in the egg yolks, one at a time. Stir in the Roquefort and the 1/4 cup of Parmesan and transfer to a large mixing bowl.

Put the egg whites, cream of tartar, and a pinch of salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on low speed for 1 minute, on medium speed for 1 minute, then finally on high speed until they form firm, glossy peaks.

Whisk 1/4 of the egg whites into the cheese sauce to lighten and then fold in the rest. Pour into the souffle dish, then smooth the top. Draw a large circle on top with the spatula to help the souffle rise evenly, and place in the middle of the oven. Turn the temperature down to 375 degrees F. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes (don’t peek!) until puffed and brown. Serve immediately.