Fluffy Three-Cheese Soufflé: How I Successfully Made It!
I finally made Fluffy Three-Cheese Soufflé the other day! I must confess I have this irrational fear of making soufflé! After hearing all the horror stories about how after spending hours slaving over one and at the moment of truth, i.e. in the oven, the soufflé would invariably a) never rise, b) rise in a random fashion, and c) horror of horrors, just keel over and deflate when exiting the oven! As such, I have assiduously avoided this particular dish till this week.
Well, my baking group’s final Summer week challenge called for a soufflé to wrap up the season. And what’s a gal to do? By Jove, if they want a soufflé, a soufflé they will get! I’m weirdly competitive that way?! lol.
I got busy and started to research online recipes. The group didn’t specify sweet or savory. Our family had enough of a sugar infusion after the my most recent Cinnamon Rolls experiment, so I decided savory. Cheese, of course was a key ingredient and for my first attempt, I thought it might be wise to stick to the well trodden path.
Here’s how I successfully put the Fluffy Three-Cheese Soufflé together. This recipe was lightly adapted from Taste of Home. Let’s bake!
Ingredients for Fluffy Three-Cheese Soufflé
⅓ cup butter cubed
⅓ cup all-purpose flour
2 cups whole milk
1 teaspoon mustard
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
1 cups shredded Swiss cheese
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
6 large eggs, separated
½ teaspoon cream of tartar
In additon to that you will need 8 ramekins for the souffle.
Putting it together
Let’s start by gathering all the ingredients. In a medium sized saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. When the butter has melted, stir in flour until smooth and cook for 1 minute.
Gradually whisk in milk, mustard, and salt until well combined. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring constantly for about 2 minutes or until it has thickened. Next, reduce the heat to medium-low and stir in the shredded cheese until melted. Transfer to a large bowl.
Now, let’s separate the eggs. Place egg whites in a medium bowl and let it rest at room temperature half an hour.
Next, in a small bowl, beat egg yolks until thick and lemon-colored, about 4 minutes.
Stir in about 1/3 cup of the hot cheese mixture. When combined, return all of the egg yolks to remaining cheese mixture, stirring constantly. Let it cool completely, about 30 minutes.
While waiting, preheat oven to 325°F. Place eight ungreased 8 oz. ramekins in a baking pan.
With a clean electric mixer, beat egg whites with cream of tartar on high speed until stiff peaks form, but not dry. This should take about 4-5 minutes.
Next, gently fold egg whites into the cheese mixture with a spatula.
The mixture is ready to be distributed evenly to the 8 prepared ramekins.
Add 1 inch of hot water to baking pan before popping the whole thing into the oven.
Bake in the preheated oven for about 40-45 minutes, or until tops are golden brown.
Remove from oven and serve immediately.
Notes on Fluffy Three-Cheese Soufflé
- Egg whites are notorious for not whipping up if there is any grease in the bowl or the hand beater. One trick I learned from making meringue is to wipe down your bowls and any tools you are using with vinegar. Simply dampen a kitchen paper towel with some white vinegar and wipe away!
- Soufflés will deflate after taken out of the hot oven. They are not suitable for cooking ahead of time. Best to bake and serve immediately.
- Freeze option: Securely wrap unbaked soufflés with foil and freeze. To use, preheat oven to 325°F. Remove foil and place frozen soufflés in a baking pan; add 1 inch warm water to larger pan. Bake 60-65 minutes or until heated through and tops are golden brown.
When I was doing researching on soufflés, I found this helpful masterclass article. Check it out if you want to learn a bit more about this technique of cooking => https://www.masterclass.com/articles/what-is-a-souffle-8-tips-for-cooking-the-perfect-souffle-and-2-easy-souffle-methods#simple-chocolate-souffle-recip
Fluffy Three Cheese Soufflé
Equipment
- 8 oven safe 8 oz. ramekins
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup butter cubed
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 teaspoon mustard
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cups shredded Swiss cheese
- 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
- ½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- 6 large eggs
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in flour until smooth and cook for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in milk, mustard, and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly; cook and stir until thickened, about 1-2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low. Stir in all the shredded cheese until melted. Transfer to a large bowl.
- Separate eggs. Place egg whites in a medium bowl; let stand at room temperature 30 minutes. In a small bowl, beat egg yolks until thick and lemon-colored, about 4 minutes. Stir in ⅓ cup hot cheese mixture, and then return all to remaining cheese mixture, stirring constantly. Cool completely for about 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Place eight ungreased 8 oz. ramekins in a baking pan.
- With clean electric mixer, beat egg whites with cream of tartar on high speed until stiff but not dry, about 4-5 minutes. With a rubber spatula, gently fold egg whites into the cheese mixture.
- Transfer mixture to prepared ramekins. Carefully, add 1 inch of hot water to baking pan. Pop into preheated oven and bake for 45 minutes or until tops are golden brown. Serve immediately.
Notes
More Fab Food Ideas
Do you love apricots? Do you love bread? Have you tried my Apricot Pecan Bread? Check it out => Easy Apricot Bread with Pecans
Have you ever tried cooking using alumium packets? See how I learn Jacques Pepin’s easy “en papilotte” techinique and whip out delicious dinner in no time => Quick Sausage En Papillote: Awesome Recipe from Jacques Pepin
When the day is cold and overcast, I crave for warm comfort food. Here’s one of my favorite => Japanese Nikujaga: The Best Meat And Potatoes Comfort Dish
