Author: adapted from The French Cook, by Greg Patent
Light and fluffy, this is a quintessential French dish, perfect as a side or for lunch with a salad. The trick here is to fold the cheese into the sauce along with the beaten egg whites instead of stirring it in by itself; this insures the ideal texture. If you've been intimidated by the thought of making a souffle, try this ... done exactly as stated, it's a sure thing!
Ingredients
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for souffle dish
2 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan cheese, for souffle dish
1 cup milk, plus 1 tablespoon
4 tablespoons flour
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
⅛ teaspoon grated or ground nutmeg
6 large eggs, separated, room temperature
Pinch of salt
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
1 - ½ cups (4 - 6 ounces) grated Gruyere or Comte cheese
Instructions
Put the oven rack to the lower third position and set a baking sheet on the rack. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Butter bottom and sides of a 1½ quart, 4-inch tall souffle dish and coat with the Parmesan.
Heat 1 cup milk in a small saucepan until bubbling but not boiling; keep warm.
Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the flour with a wooden spoon and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.
Remove pan from the heat and whisk in the hot milk; the sauce should be smooth.
Return pan to medium-high heat and bring to a boil, whisking constantly. Cook and whisk until very thick, about 2 minutes.
Remove pan from heat and whisk in the salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Whisk in the egg yolks one at a time, then drizzle the surface of the sauce with 1 tablespoon milk.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt on medium speed until frothy, about 1 minutes.
Add cream of tartar and beat until soft peaks form. Increase speed to medium-high and continue beating until moist stiff peaks form, about 1 to 2 minutes.
Stir about one fourth of the egg whites into the bechamel sauce, then gently fold in the remaining whites, sprinkling in the grated cheese as you fold. Fold until no white streaks remain.
Transfer the batter into the prepared mold, filling it about ¾ inch from the top. (You may make it to this point about 1 hour ahead; just cover the dish with a large, upturned bowl.)
Set the souffle onto the baking sheet in the oven and bake until well-browned on top and puffed about 2 inches above the rim, and a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean but moist, about 25 minutes.
Serve immediately -- it's beautiful now but will fall very quickly!
Recipe by Food and Friendship at https://www.foodandfriendshipsantabarbara.com/2015/05/05/a-tale-of-three-cheeses/