Thursday, March 15, 2012

French Friday with Dorie: Cheese Souffle

JUST OUT OF THE OVEN AND THIS SOUFFLE WILL BE MY TASTE
This was a fun late night baking project which gave me 30 mini souffles.  I knew that Hubby and I would not finish them all,  and they should be eaten immediately.  I made mini sizes using Solo 3.25 oz. paper souffle cups...I would guess that they are about regular cupcake size, maybe just a tad bit larger.  They came out of the oven at 10 pm, after baking about 25 minutes, Hubby and I ate a few (they are so light and yummy) and then I quickly packed up most of the rest and ran some to my Frolicking Night Owl's family (she's not baking this week; on Spring break) and to a son who has a badly sprained ankle and needs pampering, delivering them while they were still warm.  Nice to have kids that live within about 5 miles who are very willing to take baked goods off my hands.

SPRAYED WITH PAM AND COATED WITH PARMESAN CHEESE
 By coating the cups with Parmesan cheese instead of bread crumbs, both the tops and bottoms, and all this sides browned nicely which added texture and a great flavor.

ALL INGREDIENTS GENTLY FOLDED TOGETHER
 I followed Dorie's recipe with a couple of exceptions.  As stated above, I did not use the bread crumb coating.  And in honor of St. Paddy's Day fun, I added green spinach.  I purchased fresh baby spinach which I steamed...about a pound, wrung out the extra moisture, and then chopped.  I loosened it with a fork before adding it along with the cheese to the egg mixture.

HOT OUT OF THE OVEN--DOING A DEFLATION THING
After whipping the egg whites to stiff peaks, I used 1/3 of the whites to lighten the yolk mixture.  Then I pushed the whites to the side of the mixer bowl and poured the yolk mixture in along the side of the whites bowl .  Then as I folded the whites and yolks together I sprinkled  the cheese and spinach on top as I folded so that all these ingredients were all folded at the same time...less folding.  And that way the cheese did not melt into the still warm yolk mixture, causing that mixture to become heavier.

Just before placing the souffles into the oven I sprinkled additional Parmesan on their tops...just a little.   This added more flavor and helped the souffle's to brown nicely.

AREN'T THEY LOVELY?
The cheese I grated for this recipe was a Kerrygold Irish Swiss cheese that I found at one of my favorite natural foods stores this morning.  Who would have thought I could find Irish Swiss cheese?   So with the Irish cheese and the green spinach I think my souffles are in line with this weekend's holiday.

Note:  This "Swiss" cheese was about $8 per pound and was a much stronger Swiss cheese than I am used to.  After grating, Hubby who was in another part of the house, came in to see what kind of cheese he was smelling...he thought I was using a strong bleu cheese.  No.  And then with the Parmesan cheese, which has a distinct aroma and flavor, the souffles had lots of great cheesy flavor.  I'm glad I added extra flavors with stronger cheeses and the spinach to zip up this classicly mild flavored dish.

PERFECT FOR A LUNCHEON OR AN ELEGANT BRUNCH
This souffle would go great with a garden salad or fresh fruit or a fruity drink.  A decadent dessert could complete this meal.

It's true that the best time to eat this dish is IMMEDIATELY out of the oven.  I will remember to prepare it earlier next time, have my family sitting at the table, and then take it out when it is all beautifully puffed up high, so they can all watch it deflate dramatically before digging in.

What did Hubby think about this dish?  Very tasty!  I thought so too.

21 comments:

  1. Oh, I love that you added spinach...yum!!! And your family is so lucky that you share :)

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  2. What a great idea with your spinach! I'll have to try that next time.

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  3. Spinach is a grand idea - definitely added a much needed splash of color :-)
    And how clever to use the mini-paper cups. Individual servings & less clean-up!

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  4. That's fun that you made so many mini souffles - I always think mini anything is great because you can eat more! : )

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  5. I was so taken with the green specks in your souffle pictures, and wondered what they were. Spinach is a good idea, but it made me think that there are a lot of herbs that would brighten up both the appearance and the taste.
    weekendviands.blogspot.com

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  6. Kris, I would love the added spinach…maybe next time! Your mini souffles are so lovely! I love your photos…absolutely perfect! Great job!

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  7. OH LA LA! I love these mini souffles with spinach, how creative and yummy is your creation;-) Enjoy your weekend!

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  8. Kris, I'm not a huge fan of eggs, so would much prefer your spinach-studded version. I also love the idea of mini souffles! You're so creative.

    Did I tell you we planted 50 sets of asparagus last weekend? We selected an heirloom variety & a newer, stronger one. I can't wait to see how they do.

    Have a fabulous weekend!

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  9. Woah, that's a lot of bitty souffle! I think I'd like the recipe better with spinach of something in it to break up the monotonous texture. What lucky friends and family you have!

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  10. OMG, what a lucky family you have, they must LOVE you. Those soufflé look fantastic. Hubby and I enjoyed
    ours, and the leftovers were great, just like cheese cake.

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  11. Wow, your souffles look AWESOME!!!!!

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  12. Spinach is a great addition! I love that you can run your little souffles to your family.

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  13. I so adore your mini souffles! And that you had people to share them with. AND that you used parmesan instead of bread crumbs. Genius.

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  14. First, Krissy, do you ever sleep? Since I need the required 8 or 9 hours every night, I don't often see 10pm. To start souffles at that hour, you are something else. Your variations were genius. I liked the spinach idea. And, those mini-souffle paper cups - never have seen those. A great Post - pictures were most helpful. Mary Hirsch

    http://www.lightsonbrightnobrakes.com/

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  15. This was a great way to do these so you could share with the most amount of lucky friends and family! Great job!

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  16. i enjoyed them more than i thought i would! i esp liked the parm cheese.

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  17. What a perfect St Patrick's Day treat! You have a lucky family, Krissy! This was the first time I ever made a souffle. I never thought to add any vegetables, but I'll have to try your spinach variation since that's one of my favorite vegetables. Nice job!

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  18. What a lucky family - to have souffles delivered as a St Patty's Day treat! Love that you added the spinach. Great idea.

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  19. Your version makes me want to make them again soon! I love the idea of spinach and Kerrygold cheese, plus the parm on top. And the paper cups are genius!

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  20. These are perfect St. Patrick's Day souffles! How very pretty!

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  21. These are precious soufflés- & the spinach is a marvelous idea; i stressed so much over not having the soufflé dish & you just popped them into little cupcake papers! How clever.

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