How to Make A Classic French Soufflé au Fromage avec Herbes
Saturday October 8, 2022

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Today we will be making a French classic that too often errantly many assume is too difficult to try, but I am eager to disprove this belief and share with you how you can be successful and yes, enjoy!, making your very own Soufflé au Fromage.

A cheese soufflé is delicious, and once you make your very own, you will, if you are like me, want to keep it in your regular baking repertoire. In fact, I will share with you how to make this dish for a dinner party without being in the kitchen as your guest are dining. Yep, it is possible, and it is sure to impress.

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We will be adding fresh herbs from the garden, and making this dish full of layers of flavor from the two different cheeses and a variety of fresh herbs and sharing how to make the classic (and quite simple) béchamel sauce which is the foundational component to this classic French dish.

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Pairing this dish with something bubbly is no mistake, as we will most certainly have something to celebrate when we bring it hot out of the oven and take our first bite. Just thinking about the flavor and cheesiness and light fluffy deliciousness makes me want to step right back in the kitchen and make it. After all, the ingredients are few and common items you might have in your épicerie and refrigerator.

I am very excited to make this dish for you and with you today. I do hope you will join me. Now to the video!

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Soufflé Au Fromage avec Herbes (Cheese Souffle)

Simply LuxuriousSimply Luxurious
A surprisingly simple French dish perfect for lunch or a light dinner.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine French
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

Dish Prep

  • 1 Tbsp butter for buttering the inside of the soufflé dish
  • 1-2 Tbsp Parmigiana Reggiano (shredded) for dusting on top of the butter in the prepared soufflé dish.

Soufflé

  • 3 Tbsp unsalted butter choose top quality butter (my favorite French butter – Isigny Sainte-Mère)
  • 3 Tbsp flour
  • 1 cup whole milk boiling
  • 1/2 tsp salt – fleur de sel
  • 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/8 tsp nutmeg
  • 4 large egg yolks
  • 5 large egg whites
  • 4 ounces Gruyére or Comté or Swiss cheese (grated)
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 1/3-1/4 cup fresh garden herbs – chives, chervil, tarragon, – your choice roughly chopped

Instructions
 

Preparation

  • Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • Butter the soufflé dish with butter, covering all sides and the bottom well. Sprinkle with Parmigiano Reggiano. Set aside.

Soufflé

  • Using a small sauce pan, add the butter to the pan over medium heat. Melt the butter and then add the flour, all the while whisking or using a spoon so that it does not brown. Allow the butter and flour to combine and bring to a soft small bubbling (still over medium heat).
  • As soon as the butter and flour mixture begin to bubble, REMOVE from the heat and add the milk (already just having brought to boil on the stovetop or in the mircrowave). Stir together with a wooden spoon until combined. Then add the salt, pepper and nutmeg. Combine and the place back on the stove top and bring to boil, stirring for one minute. The sauce should be thick, but very moveable.
  • Remove the pan from the heat and add the four egg yolks to the mixture one at a time and incorporate with a wire whisk.
  • With the grated cheese handy (reserve 1-2 tablespoons as it will be placed on top of the soufflé before baking), add 3 1/2 ounces to the sauce along with the chopped herbs. Mix until combined. (If you are making ahead, this is when you will put your sauce to the side and wait until you are about to serve to finish the rest of the recipe.)
  • Whisk the 5 egg whites with salt in a separate mixing bowl using a handmixer until creamy and airy, but do not over-mix them. About 2-4 minutes.
  • Add one large scoop of the whipped egg whites to the cheese sauce. Fold in gently. Gradually add the rest of the egg whites, folding gently to keep the airy goodness needed in the soufflé until all the whites are combined.
  • Pour into your prepared soufflé dish. Sprinkle the remaining 1-2 tablespoons of grated cheese on top and place in the oven (middle rack in the middle of the oven). Immediately upon placing the soufflé in the oven, turn the temperature down to 375 degrees. Cook for 25-30 minutes (DO NOT open the oven to check on the soufflé, no mater how tempted you are). At this point, the top should be nicely browned. Bake for 3-5 more minutes to make sure the soufflé is firm enough.
  • Remove from the oven and enjoy immediately with a vinagriette tossed green salad and a glass of wine.

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23 thoughts on “How to Make A Classic French Soufflé au Fromage avec Herbes

  1. What a great video! I have made perfect soufflées & I have made soufflées that turned into piles of scrambled eggs — they tasted fine, but were NOT soufflées, and I have no idea why some work & some do not. I always blame the weather, but have a sneaking suspicion it’s operator error, not environment, that makes the difference 🙂 . Anyway, I can hardy wait to try this. I’m going to watch the video at least once more & follow your directions to the letter (as soon as I replace my souffle dish, which got broken when we moved this spring) & will certainly let you know how it turned out. And yes to nutmeg! I add a pinch to my beef stew, tourtière & lamb dishes & everyone who tastes them raves about them & is always amazed when I tell them my “secret” ingredient. It really is magical. Hope everyone is having a great weekend — we’re enjoying a blaze of heat & fall colour (unusual here where we usually go from full-on summer to cold winter rain & fog overnight with little between) & it’s glorious.

    1. Well we’re humans aftet all. Ingredients need to be at the same temperature. Also, a great chef’s tip given to me is if you butter the dish with upward strokes it will always rise. It works every time.?

      1. My word Kameela, I have never heard about the upward strokes for the buttering. What a brilliant idea. I mostly just smear it around and hope for the best. Ha! I will try that.

        1. Hi Lucy. Yes it ‘s a bit of culinary science and works every time for me . Do try it and report back. Of course having the correct size soufflé dish is key to a good rise.
          Wishing you fun in the kitchen and a lovely October.
          Kameela?

      2. Thanks, Kameela! Between reading your suggestions & re-watching Shannon’s video, I have a better idea of why my failures failed & am looking forward to trying again. Great tips!

        1. Susanne youre welcome . Also the right size dish is crucial for the rise. Too small and it will overflow and if too large the rise will not be dramatic. Please share how it turns out when you’ve made it. Have fun. Kameela ?

    2. How interesting! Great tip on the use of nutmeg, thank you, Susanne. It is a tricky spice for me, very easy to overdo.

      1. You’re so welcome! And yes, you have to use nutmeg sparingly, I should have emphasized that. You don’t want to taste nutmeg, just something magical that gives an added “something” you can’t even identify 🙂

  2. Shannon love love a cheese soufflé. When I’m stuck for something for supper this is my favourite.Basic ingredients resulting in something exquisite in my opinion. But the addition of other ingredients lifts it up another level I make a great crab soufflé but broccoli ,spinach, or pumpkin work really well. Have you tried twice baked soufflés? Great for a dinner party.?

  3. A souffle novice here. I am always looking for different ways to use my fresh herbs. My souffle dish has a nasty crack and must be replaced. Who doesn’t need an excuse to shop for more kitchen tools? Not me. I will try Shannon’s recipe because she makes it look so easy. I do have a question, why is it important to use the wooden spatula during the bechamel process? I have many wooden tools but tend to use a whisk when making sauces. Please enlighten.

    1. I also use a whisk for sauces, albeit a wooden one or a silicone covered one, if using a copper casserole. On the soufflé, I will use a rubber spatula, later in the process, to incorporate the egg whites. So, yeah, I am also interested in this particular point.

    2. Lucy,

      Great question. What I have found is while I am mixing the butter and flour and then the milk is that the hard wooden edge ensures I have scraped all of the flour or more solid pieces off the pan floor so all is incorporated while a whisk or spatula is less firm and doesn’t scrap the full surface. The other two tools would definitely work, but the wooden spoon is more efficient as you need to move quickly. I hope that helps. Once these three ingredients are incorporated well, then using a whisk or spatula makes more sense.

      1. Now that makes great sense. My heavy saucepan does tend to grab the sauce and create a bit of a film, I will try this, thanks for answering my question.

  4. I love making cheese souffles for a special weekend brunch or when I am struggling with thinking of something “different” to make for dinner. The ingredients are simple, so they are always on hand and available. Isn’t it amazing how simple ingredients can make such a delightful dish? A true miracle. it enjoy on our plate!

  5. What a great episode! 🙂

    “The soufflé is to the cook the same that Chopin is to a pianist.” – that is what my grand-mother used to say…
    After practice and more practice, I came to prepare a good soufflé, instead of just a decent one. Mind you, I have produced my fair share of non-soufflés, that is, some pancake-like concoction that certainly my grand-mother would not approve of… 😉

    I am always interested in new recipes for this particular dish, so I will give this one a try. From my experience what one needs to pay attention to are the freshness of ingredients, the thickness of the Bechámel (preferable a light one) and the temperature of the oven.

    Not related, but I want to report here that I baked the yoghurt and lemon cake this past weekend, and it turned out really well. I did not use the glaze, but used instead lemon curd and edible flowers. The cake itself is very simple to make, and I could imagine it working as well with orange zest for an orange cake. I have just had a last slice with a cup of tea. Delicious!

    Thank you, Shannon, for all these delicacies. I really appreciate the recipes that you select for us. They are simple and “efficient”, the max of flavour with the minimum of fuss. 🙂

  6. This has become a regular part of our meal rotation since you shared this recipe a couple of years ago. We love it and it is surprisingly easy. But now I want to have bubbly with it next time! I have adapted it a little for us, adding cubed pancetta (from Trader Joe’s) and using the gruyere and swiss grated cheese also from Trader Joe’s. I always serve it with a green salad. Thank you for including it in the video series so I can improve my skills. I also want one of the little rocking choppers for my herbs- how handy.

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