![Maman's Cheese Souffle](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.foodandwine.com/thmb/vHtL-ItQcT0cvM2GlqfctIstjgk=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/Mamans-Cheese-Souffle-FT-RECIPE0523-ae549a840eb649a3b44a08747700ad3e.jpg)
Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Victoria Granof / Prop Styling by Christine Keely
This soufflé recipe came from a brilliant “mistake” made by Jacques Pépin’s mother. When she got married, she was 17 and his father was 22. She did not know how to cook, except for a few simple dishes that she had learned from her mother. Yet, she liked to cook and was willing and fearless. Pépin's father liked cheese soufflé, so his mother graciously obliged. She had never made a soufflé before, but a friend told her that it consisted of a white sauce (béchamel), grated cheese and eggs ...a cinch!
Everyone knew how to make a béchamel, that staple of the French home cook. To this sauce she added grated Swiss cheese and then cracked and added one egg after another to the mixture, stirred it well, poured it into a gratin dish and baked it in the oven. Voila! No one had told her that the eggs should be separated, with the yolks added to the base sauce and the whites whipped to a firm consistency and then gently folded into the mixture. As Poe said, "ignorance is bliss," and in this case it worked: The soufflé rose to a golden height and became a family favorite.
This is a great recipe; it can be assembled hours or even a day ahead. Although it is slightly less airy than a standard soufflé, it puffs up quite nicely, has a light texture and rich cheesy-eggy flavor. Pépin opts for Gruyère cheese, which brings a creamy, nutty taste to the soufflé, but you can substitute a good-quality Swiss cheese for a similar result.
Ingredients
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6 tablespoons unsalted butter (3 ounces), plus additional to butter a 6-cup gratin dish
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6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
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2 cups whole milk
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3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
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1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
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5 large eggs
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10 ounces grated Swiss cheese, preferably Gruyère (about 2 1/2 cups)
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3 tablespoons minced chives
Directions
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Preheat oven to 400°F. Grease a 6-cup gratin or baking dish with butter; set aside. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium; whisk in flour until well combined. Cook 10 seconds, and whisk in milk until well combined. Cook, whisking constantly, until mixture comes to a boil and is thick and smooth, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat; whisk in salt and pepper. Let cool in pan 10 minutes.
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Meanwhile, whisk eggs in a medium bowl until well combined. Gradually whisk eggs, cheese, and chives into cooled butter mixture until well combined. Pour mixture into gratin dish. Bake in preheated oven until puffy and browned on top, 25 to 30 minutes. Serve immediately.
Make Ahead
Soufflé can be assembled and can stand, covered, at room temperature 2 to 3 hours before baking. It can be assembled, covered, and refrigerated up to 1 day before baking. Allow mixture to come to room temperature before baking.
Note
Recipe adapted with permission from The Apprentice: My Life in the Kitchen by Jacques Pépin, by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt in April 2003