Gruyère Cheese Soufflé
A béchamel base lightened with whipped egg whites, baked until it climbs well above the rim — and eaten before it has the chance to fall.
- Serves
- 4
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Written
Method
-
Heat the oven to 400°F. Butter four 8-oz ramekins, then coat the inside with Parmesan, tapping out the excess.
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Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat, whisk in the flour, and cook until it smells nutty and no longer raw, about 1 minute.
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Whisk in the warm milk and cook, stirring constantly, until the béchamel is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
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Off the heat, whisk in the egg yolks one at a time, then stir in the Gruyère, cayenne, nutmeg, and salt until the cheese melts into the base.
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Beat the egg whites and cream of tartar to stiff, glossy peaks.
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Fold a third of the whites into the cheese base to loosen it, then fold in the rest until no white streaks remain.
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Divide the batter among the ramekins and run a thumb around the inside rim of each to help the rise.
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Bake until puffed well above the rim and deeply golden on top, about 20 minutes. Do not open the oven before then.
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Serve immediately, before the soufflés have a chance to fall.
Notes
The rise comes entirely from the whipped whites, so treat them with more care than the base: stiff, glossy peaks, folded in gently rather than stirred. Overmix at that stage and the soufflé bakes up short no matter how hot the oven is.
This one doesn’t wait — there’s no make-ahead version, since the structure that gets it out of the ramekin is also what collapses within minutes of leaving the oven. Cheddar or a sharp blue cheese both work in place of the Gruyère if you want something more assertive; serve with something acidic alongside, like a green salad in a sharp vinaigrette, to cut the richness.