Soufflé au Fromage
A classic French cheese soufflé that rises dramatically in the oven with a creamy center and golden top. Elegant enough for dinner guests, achievable for any home cook with careful technique.
- Total time
- 35 min
- Servings
- 2
- Calories
- 380
- Protein
- 16g
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ½ cup whole milk
- ¾ cup gruyère cheese, finely grated
- 4 whole large eggs, separated
- ¼ teaspoon dijon mustard
- ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated
Instructions
- 1
Set the oven to 400°F and wait until the indicator light or beep tells you it has finished heating, about 10 minutes.
- 2
Take a small ramekin or soufflé dish (about 2-cup capacity) and rub the inside surface completely with the softened butter using your fingertips, coating every part so nothing sticks.
- 3
Place the ramekin on a baking sheet and set both aside near the oven—you will use them in a few minutes.
- 4
Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until it foams and turns pale golden, about 2 minutes.
- 5
Add 2 tablespoons of flour to the melted butter and stir constantly with a wooden spoon for 30 seconds until it looks like wet sand—this mixture is called a roux and will thicken your sauce.
- 6
Pour in 0.5 cup of milk slowly while whisking constantly to break up lumps; the mixture will thicken after 1–2 minutes of whisking.
- 7
Remove the saucepan from heat and stir in 0.75 cup of grated gruyère cheese, 0.25 teaspoon of dijon mustard, and 0.125 teaspoon of freshly grated nutmeg until fully combined and smooth.
- 8
Let the cheese sauce cool for 2 minutes, then crack the 4 egg yolks into the sauce one at a time, stirring after each addition until fully blended.
- 9
Pour the 4 egg whites into a clean, dry bowl (any water or grease will prevent them from whipping properly).
- 10
Using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the egg whites for 3–4 minutes until stiff peaks form—when you lift the beaters, the whites should stand straight up without drooping.
- 11
Pour the beaten egg whites into the cheese sauce bowl.
- 12
Using a rubber spatula, scoop from the bottom of the bowl and lift the cheese mixture up and over the egg whites; rotate the bowl one quarter turn and repeat this folding motion.
- 13
Continue folding for 30–40 seconds until you see no white streaks in the batter—do not overmix or you will deflate the soufflé and it will not rise.
- 14
Pour the soufflé batter into the buttered ramekin, filling it three-quarters full, then smooth the top with a spatula.
- 15
Slide the baking sheet with the ramekin into the 400°F oven and bake for 18–22 minutes, until the top turns deep golden brown and the center still wobbles slightly when you gently jiggle the ramekin—this slight jiggle means the inside is creamy, not overcooked.
- 16
Remove the soufflé from the oven using oven mitts and place the ramekin on a heat-safe plate.
- 17
Serve the soufflé immediately while it is still puffed and warm—it will begin to deflate after a few minutes, which is normal and does not affect the flavor.
Tools you’ll need
- oven
- small saucepan
- wooden spoon
- whisk
- 2-cup ramekin or small soufflé dish
- baking sheet
- oven mitts
- electric mixer
- clean medium bowl
- rubber spatula
- microplane or fine grater
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