Here's a soufflé that can stand up for itself. Michel Richard, of Citronelle in Washington, D.C., ignores tales about soufflés that collapse when the oven is opened (a myth). Instead, he focuses on what matters: a well-seasoned base that infuses the soufflé with flavor, and properly whipped whites that achieve optimum volume as they bake. Whip the whites until firm, but stop before they get too stiff, says Richard, or the soufflé will be grainy. And quell your jitters with his 21st-century trick: Add xanthan gum to the whites. It acts as a stabilizer— resulting in the most dramatic soufflé we've made in a while.
Ingredients
Makes 4 servings
Special Equipment
Step 1
Preheat oven to 400°F. Brush ramekins with butter and place on a foil-lined baking sheet; sprinkle ramekins with 2 tablespoons Parmesan (total). Chill for 20 minutes or, covered, up to 1 day.
Step 2
Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add flour; whisk constantly for 30 seconds. Gradually whisk in milk; increase heat and bring to a boil, whisking constantly. Add remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan and 1/2 cup Gruyère; stir until melted. Add nutmeg and season with salt and pepper. Transfer béchamel to a medium bowl and cover with plastic wrap; set aside.
Step 3
Place egg whites in a large bowl. Stir in a pinch of salt and xanthan gum, if using. Using an electric mixer, beat egg whites until firm but not stiff, 3-4 minutes.
Step 4
Stir egg yolks into béchamel. Gently stir in 1/4 of beaten egg whites to loosen béchamel base, then gently fold in remaining egg whites just to combine, taking care not to deflate.
Step 5
Divide mixture among ramekins; sprinkle with 1/2 cup Gruyère. Run your finger around inside lip of ramekins, cleaning edges. Bake until soufflés rise, centers are set, and cheese is golden brown, 18-22 minutes. Serve immediately.
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Reviews (6)
Back to TopI have never really had a problem making souffle but today I wanted to see if anyone had ever used xanthan gum in their mix. I have been learning the good and bad of this interesting ingredient. What i wanted to get from using it was the benefit it can give to sauces and dressings - suspending or holding light ingredients like chopped herbs. I really wanted to try holding herbs in the souffle so that they dont migrate to the bottom half. I tried it on a bunch of ingredients and all were a great success, the things i tried were 1 rosemary with a goats cheese souffle, perfect distribution of rosemary throughout the mixture, then i tried sage and onion ( i used chives so that the texture would not feel grainy ) same great effect added a super savory note. Feeling completely big headed by the discovery i tried it with bacon dust, OMG, a cheese and bacon twice baked souffle is heavenly and the xanthan gum really makes the texture hold well for twice baking as well as keeping the heavy bacon dust suspended throughout the mixture, try it you will be astounded by the results, but don't be heavy handed, 1/4 tsp for a serves 4 quantity is totally enough. My tip is to add via a fine sieve once the egg whites are moving in the mixer, the gum has a tendency to clag if you dump it in and you cant sieve egg whites after whisking.
Ventis911
england
6/20/2019
This Souffle was amazing! I loved the gruyere cheese with the hint of nutmeg. This was an easy recipe with spectacular results. It is definitely going in the breakfast rotation.
jlynnchee
Chandler, AZ
5/25/2014
This is one of the easiest souffles I've ever made and it's delicious.This is a keeper and I'll be making it again and again!
crazycatz
Bay Area, CA
4/13/2014
We made this with absolute beginners and had spectacular results! Great height, classic flavour. Couldn't be better.
Chef_Horton
Nova Scotia
11/7/2012
What to make when one of one's children is "starving", and there's no time for a grocery run? I recommend this quick and easy souffle. I used the Swiss cheese I had on hand instead of Gruyere. If presentation is an issue (it wasn't in my case) rush the souffles to the table. They deflated rapidly, but were still very tasty.
MJarosz
Skokie, IL
7/12/2012
这是最好的我在35年的蛋奶酥making souffles. My original recipe (probablyl from an old Joy of Cooking) is almost identical except I've never used xanthan gum before; I'd definitely recommend buying some. I bought a bag of Bob's Red Mill brand locally in Dallas at Central Market. You can buy it online as well. It's pricey, about $10 for an 8 oz bag, but I figure at 1/4 t per souffle recipe, it's good for about 191 more souffles :). My recipe changes: I used a mix of leftover cheeses including cheddar and a Mexican blend, plus the parmesan cheese. I didn't have whole milk so I used 2% with an extra tablespoon of butter. I also used a medium souffle dish instead of 4 individual dishes. My family of 3 demolished it in no time.
jbristor
Dallas
5/21/2012
