3.16.2012

Why You Shouldn't Be Scared of Souffles (French Fridays with Dorie)

Souffles seem scary, don't they? First, there's the French name. It sounds so mysterious and intimidating, like only chefs who trained in Paris can make them the right way. Then there's the whole falling factor: the mind imagines hours of cooking resulting in a sunken puddle of goo. Not much could be worse than that. So when we saw that this week's recipe for French Fridays with Dorie was Cheese Souffle, we were, admittedly, a little nervous. Neither of us had ever eaten, never mind cooked, a savory souffle before. This was unchartered territory. And, well, souffles are scary!

Still, we put our trust in Dorie Greenspan and forged ahead. Chris was late getting home so Amy gathered the ingredients and waited, since a souffle certainly has to be timed perfectly. Butter, flour, milk, cheese, eggs, salt, pepper, nutmeg. Could that really be it? We set to work when Chris came through the door. It wasn't too long before we made our first mistake.


Buttered souffle dish dusted with bread crumbs


"Oh, s*#^!" Chris swore, pointing out the eggs he had started to beat without first separating them. Luckily, the neighbor had an extra egg and we started over. "You're supposed to whisk the yolks in one at a time," he chided, as Amy was half-way through mixing six egg yolks into her bechamel all at once. Another oops. We were pretty sure this souffle was going to flop. Literally.


Bechamel sauce


Egg yolks


Egg whites

We kept checking it as it cooked, looking through the oven glass, willing it to rise. And it did! We ended up with a gorgeously fluffy, cheesy, nicely browned cloud of cheese, mistakes and all. It hadn't sunk in on itself, and it stayed puffed up until we cut into it. Served with a side salad and some crusty French bread, it was a refined meal that made us feel pretty fancy about ourselves. Guess souffles aren't so scary after all.

Adding the cheese


Folding in the egg whites

Our souffle actually rose to the occasion!

FYI - French Fridays with Dorie members agree not to post the actual recipes from Around My French Table, which is where this particular recipe can be found.


So fancy and French!

19 comments:

Liz That Skinny Chick Can Bake said...

Gorgeous, Amy! I LOVED this dish!!!

Tasty Trix said...

Nice job!!! Glad you overcame your fear of souffles!!

Unknown said...

Beautiful souffle!

Denise@There's a Newf in My Soup said...

Chris and Amy - I just love your tag line for your blog! It's fun to cook together and laugh at our mistakes. At least you didn't drop the souffle and spill it out onto the table ;-)

Kathy said...

Beautifully done! We really enjoyed this one!

Kris' Kitchen said...

Looks perfect. I agree, no one should be afraid of cheese souffle. Sometimes I think the French like to keep us fearful even though their food really are quite basic and simply elegant for the most part.

Cher Rockwell said...

Very nice - these were less intimidating than I had thought, for sure. It's amazing how some things work out in spite of what we think are serious issues.

Nana said...

Hubby and I enjoyed this one too. Never made one before,
but will definitely try others.
Yours looks great,

Marie said...

Isn't it fun to get over the fear of falling souffles?

Gracie said...

I thought this recipe was great at helping me get over my fear of "the souffle" too. Your souffle looks wonderful.

Mary Hirsch said...

Amy, I haven't visited your Blog before. I like what you and Chris are doing. Good for you that despite a small derailment (separating the eggs), you forged ahead. I was ready to do the same thing but re-read the recipe (something I only did about 15 times during the process) and recovered before losing an egg. Your soufflé looked gorgeous. Meaning...... you both are French-trained chefs, for sure. Mary Hirsch http://www.lightsonbrightnobrakes.com/

Teresa said...

Nice job! This is definitely a recipe that can use more than one person's attention.

Jessica said...

Wow yum!!! I am a huge fan of souffles but never actually made one! (don't tell anyone even though my blog has that word in it haha). It turned out so well! Great job :D

Trevor Sis Boom said...

lol. If you aren't scared of a soufflé then there is nothing in the kitchen to be afraid of! Great job!

Betsy said...

Nice job, Amy & Chris! It's nice that you had a successful outcome, even though you were worried about your mistakes. It's amazing that souffle seems to be more forgiving than its reputation leads you to expect.

atlanta catering companies said...

Yum!!! I love souffles - this looks delicious!!

Dreams of cakes said...

Delicious! I wish I could have a bite!

Jora said...

Your souffle came out beautifully! Glad you enjoyed it.

Carole said...

Amy, and I am a bit scared of them. Will have to try again. Merci beaucoup.