(Recipe is by Sara Moulton and is found on the Cooking Channel site here.)
Step by Step Instructions:
Here is all you will need for this delicious soufflé: Heavy cream, 4 Large Eggs, Whole Milk, All-Purpose Flour, Salt, Pepper, Dijon Mustard, 5 Tablespoons of Butter (Plus more for buttering ramekins), 1/2 pound of goat cheese, and Fresh Thyme.
Begin with the prep work. Soften about a tablespoon of butter and use a pastry brush to butter each ramekin liberally.
Finely chop two teaspoons of fresh thyme leaves.
Put 1/2 pound of goat cheese in a bowl, and break it apart with a wooden spoon.
Separate the yolks and white for four large eggs and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees, and then it’s time to start making the roux, which will be the base of the soufflé. Begin by melting 5 tablespoons of butter over low heat.
Then add 1/3 cup of all-purpose flour to the melted butter and whisk the roux for about 3 minutes.
Next, pour in 1 1/3 cup of whole milk slowly while whisking the roux to ensure that no lumps form.
Bring the roux to a boil and then simmer for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Then remove the saucepan from the heat. Add to it 1 teaspoon of the thyme, 2 teaspoons of Dijon mustard, 2/3’s of the crumbled goat cheese, the egg yolks, and salt and pepper to taste.
Then mix everything together and transfer it to a bowl as you see above.
This step is what I think is the most important part of the soufflé-making process…beating the egg whites. Using a hand mixer, beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks.
When the egg whites are ready, add 1/4 of the whites to the yolk mixture. Then oh-so carefully fold the egg whites into the mixture to begin lightening the soufflé…
…until it looks like this.
Then add the remaining whites and goat cheese crumbles and very carefully thoroughly combine the soufflé.
Then spoon the mixture equally into each buttered ramekin.
Then put the filled ramekins into a large baking dish (or two in my case, since I couldn’t find one that was large enough for all 6 ramekins). Next pour hot water into the baking dish(es) until the water is halfway up the side of the ramekins.
Put the baking dish(es) into the oven on a rack in the middle.
Bake the soufflés for about 20 minutes or until the soufflés have risen and are golden brown on top.
Remove the ramekins (carefully) from the waterbath and cool them on a wire rack for 30 minutes. They will deflate a bit as you can see above, but that’s okay.
After 30 minutes, use a knife to go around the edges of each ramekin. Turn the ramekin over and carefully turn it out onto your hand and flip it back right-side up. Place the soufflés right-side up on a butter cookie sheet or use a cookie sheet lined with a Silpat as I did…have I mentioned lately that I love my Silpat??
The soufflés are nearly done, so it’s time to begin the Thyme Cream that will top them. In a small saucepan combine 3/4 cup of heavy cream, the remaining teaspoon of freshly chopped thyme and salt and ground pepper to taste.
Stir and bring the mixture to a boil. Then set it aside, covered so that it stays warm while the soufflés bake.
Once the thyme cream is done, put the cookie sheet with the soufflés on it in the oven for at least 5 minutes.
Remove the soufflés from the oven as soon as you can see that they are warmed through and have risen slightly. Serve them immediately and spoon 1 to 2 Tablespoons of the thyme cream on top. I also served a side salad with a light vinaigrette and some left over goat cheese, and it was amazing! This is definitely a recipe to add to your cooking repertoire!
Ingredients:
1/2 pound aged (firm) goat cheese
4 large eggs
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus extra for baking sheet
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/3 cups whole milk
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup heavy cream
Accompaniment: salad greens tossed with your favorite vinaigrette
Preparation Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Butter six (3/4-cup) ramekins (3 3/4 by 2 inches). Crumble goat cheese and separate eggs.
3. In a saucepan melt butter over moderately low heat and whisk in flour. Cook roux, whisking, 3 minutes and whisk in milk. Bring mixture to a boil, whisking constantly, and simmer, whisking occasionally, 3 minutes.
4. Remove pan from heat and add yolks, mustard, 1 teaspoon thyme, 2/3 cheese, and salt and pepper, to taste, whisking until cheese is melted.
5. Transfer yolk mixture to a large bowl.
6. In another large bowl with an electric mixer beat whites with a pinch salt until they just hold stiff peaks.
7. Stir 1/4 whites into yolk mixture to lighten and fold in remaining whites and remaining cheese gently but thoroughly.
8. Divide soufflé mixture among ramekins and arrange in a large baking pan just large enough to hold them. Add enough hot water to baking pan to reach halfway up sides of ramekins.
9. Bake soufflés in middle of oven until slightly puffed and golden brown, about 20 minutes, and transfer to a rack.
10. Let soufflés stand, uncovered, 30 minutes (soufflés will fall slightly).
11. Lightly butter a baking sheet. Run a thin knife around edges of soufflés. Invert each soufflé onto palm of your hand and carefully put, right side up, onto baking sheet. Soufflés may be made up to this point 2 days ahead and chilled, covered.
12. Increase temperature to 425 degrees F.
13. In a small saucepan bring cream with remaining teaspoon thyme, salt and pepper, to taste, to a boil. Remove pan from heat and keep cream warm, covered.
14. Bake soufflés in middle of oven until slightly puffed and heated through, about 5 minutes.
15. Transfer soufflés to plates. Spoon 2 tablespoons cream over each soufflé and arrange salad decoratively alongside.
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