Sasha's Kitchen: Passover Carrot Tzimmes Souffle

I made a delicious carrot tzimmes souffle tonight for Passover, after spending two great seders to start the holiday with my family in Philadelphia this weekend.  Passover, of course, is the holiday where you can't eat any bread or yeast for eight days.  I found this recipe in a Kosher cookbook at my parents' house the other day and decided to make it for Brad and I tonight for dinner upon our return to Brooklyn.  The mix of carrot and pineapple is just perfect.  You make the souffle with egg whites as usual, and matzo meal instead of flour, but the consistency is actually pretty similar to a typical savory souffle with the flavor of carrot tzimmes.  A real Passover treat!  This recipe is one I adapted from the cookbook Kosher By Design for the Holidays

Carrot Tzimmes Souffle
2 cups grated carrots (about five large carrots)
3/4 cup matzo meal
2 T orange juice
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp cinnamon (added by me to the recipe in the cookbook)
2/3 cup of granulated sugar (original recipe called for a cup, but I prefer to use a bit less)
5 eggs, separated
1/2 cup canola oil
1 20 oz can pineapple, pureed in a food processor

To make the souffle, preheat the oven to 350.  Separate the eggs.  Combine the yolks with the matzo meal, carrots, oil, lemon juice, orange juice, cinnamon and pineapple.  Set aside.  Beat the egg whites in a stand mixer using the whisk attachment until they are fluffy and have stiff beaks, beating on the highest speed for about three minutes.  Then fold the mixture of carrots and everything else into the egg whites with a spatula, and fold until fully combined.  Pour into a large souffle dish and bake at 350 for 45 minutes.  Enjoy immediately!

Sasha's Kitchen: Passover Carrot Tzimmes Souffle

Sasha's Kitchen: Twice Baked Cheese Souffle

I love a good souffle, whether its a savory one or a sweet dessert souffle.  I've made a cheese souffle in the past, and was eager to try this recipe for a twice-baked cheese souffle from acclaimed chef Alain Ducasse.  The end result was a delicious cheese souffle dish that made for an excellent main course.  This brings back a little taste of Paris for me.

Twice-Baked Cheese Souffle with Parmesan Cream (adapted from this recipe)
souffle
6 T unsalted butter
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 clove garlic
1 cup milk
1/2 cup comte cheese, grated (similar to Gruyere)
salt and pepper
four large eggs, separated

parmesan cream
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/3 cup grated comte cheese
1/4 cup milk
salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 375 before you start.  It needs to be hot and ready when the souffle first goes in.  Butter an eight inch rectangular baking pan and dust with parmesan.  In a saucepan, melt the six tablespoons of butter and add the flour and garlic and cook for about two minutes to make a roux.  Addd the milk and whisk until thickened, about two minutes.  Discard the garlic clove.  Add the comte cheese and half a cup of parmesan and season with the salt and pepper.  Whisk or puree until smooth.  I didn't have a need to puree it at all.  Add the yolks and combine until smooth.

Place the whites in a stand mixer with a whisk attachments.  Beat at high speed until soft peaks form.  Thoroughly fold in the egg whites into the cheese mixture. Bake for thirty minutes until risen and golden.    Let souffle cool for ten minutes and then invert on baking sheet and broil for about thirty seconds to a minute until golden.

While the souffle is first cooking, prepare the parmesan cream.  Bring the cream and milk to a boil in a saucepan.  Add the cheeses and let stand for five minutes, then process until smooth.  Season with salt and pepper and put on top of the souffle.

Sasha's Kitchen: Twice Baked Cheese Souffle

Sasha's Kitchen: New Orleans Bread Pudding Souffle with Bourbon Sauce

I took a New Orleans cooking class about six months or so ago at the Brooklyn Kitchen in Williamsburg, and learned a bunch of great New Orleans brunch recipes. I've already made the eggs sardou and beignets at home for my husband (as well as the NOLA creole bloody mary), but last weekend, I finally got around to making the Commander's Palace bread pudding souffle with bourbon sauce, from one of the garden district's famous local brunch spots. The dish is a bit time intensive to make as it has to be made in several stages.  Instead of making a bunch of individual sized bread pudding souffles, I used my large souffle dish to make one giant souffle to share.  It's quite large, so there was certainly a lot of sharing to be done!

Commander's Palace New Orleans Bread Pudding Souffle
Bread pudding
3/4 cups sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
3 eggs
 1 cup heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla
5 cups day old french bread or italian bread cut into cubes
1/3 cup raisons
2 T butter

Whiskey sauce
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
 2 tsp cornstarch
2 T cold water
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup bourbon

Meringue
9 egg whites
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 cup sugar

First make the bread pudding.  Preheat the oven to 350 and combine the sugar, spices, and salt in a large bowl.  Beat in the eggs until smooth and work in the heavy cream.  Add the vanilla and then the bread cubes.  Allow the bread to soak up the custard.  Scatter the raisons in a greased square baking pan and top with the mixture.  Cut the butter into small pieces and scatter on top.  Bake 25-30 minutes until golden and firm when a toothpick comes out clean.  It should be moist, not runny or dry.  Let cool to room temperature.

Make the sauce while the pudding is baking.  Bring the cream to a boil.  Combine the cornstarch and water and add to the boiling cream, stirring.  Reduce heat and cook thirty seconds before adding the bourbon and the sugar and stirring.  Allow to cool to room temperature.

Preheat the oven to 350 again and butter six 6 oz ceramic ramekins, or in my case, one large souffle dish.  To make the meringue, put the egg whites in the basin of your mixer and whip with the cream of tartar until frothy.  Gradually add the sugar while whipping on the highest setting and continue whipping until a shiny meringue is formed, and the whites are stiff and stand up.  Break half of the bread pudding into smaller pieces and fold into a quarter of the meringue and put this mixture in each of the ramekins.

Process the remaining bread pudding in the blender until smooth.  I had to do this by hand instead, so it wasn't quite smooth, as my blender decided to die at an in-opportune time.  So my souffle is a bit of a chunkier bread pudding souffle, but it still tasted fantastic.  Fold this mixture into the remaining meringue and top the souffle(s) with the mixture.  Bake the souffles for 20 minutes.  Since mine was one large souffle, it took about 30 minutes instead.  Serve immediately topped with the whiskey sauce.

Sasha's Kitchen: New Orleans Bread Pudding Souffle with Bourbon Sauce

Sasha's Kitchen: Perfect Chocolate Souffle

I haven't been baking a lot lately, and sorry to disappoint, but my petit fours were a disaster. But I did make a killer chocolate souffle the other night that was enjoyed by all, along with some preserved homemade raspberry sauce.  This is a simple recipe, but it's a bit tricky to get a souffle just right.  Do not (under any circumstances) open the oven to check on your souffles after you put them in. You just have to wait until you know they will be done and take them out then.  I think that's the hardest part of souffle making.  The best souffles I have had have just the perfect combination of flavor and texture. I had an amazing vanilla souffle in Paris (which I will have to try to replicate soon - just thinking of it makes my mouth water). I've also had some great souffles here in New York at Capsouto Freres.  At any rate, last week, I made this basic souffle to serve with a raspberry sauce that I made from boatloads of farmers' market raspberries and preserved. The two flavors went together really nicely.

Chocolate Souffle (makes 4)
PAM - to spray the ramekins
1/3 cup of sugar
3 eggs, separated
pinch of cream of tartar
6 oz semi sweet or bittersweet chocolate
2/3 of a cup milk
1 T plus 2 tsp cornstarch
pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 400 before you begin. Spray four ramekins with PAM (or use butter) and sprinkle with a bit of sugar.  Whisk egg whites until frothy in a stand mixer with the whisk attachment. Add the cream of tartar and beat on high, slowly adding the sugar. Continue to beat on high until medium hard peaks form, about five minutes.

Whisk the milk and cornstarch in a saucepan.  Simmer until thick for about two minutes.  Whisk in the chocolate and egg yolks until combined. Gently fold in the egg whites using a spatula.  Divide among the four prepared ramekins.

Bake for about 16 minutes. Enjoy!

Sasha's Kitchen: Perfect Chocolate Souffle

Sasha's Kitchen: Blueberry Souffle

You know I love blueberries, so when I received a gift card from ShopRite as part of my participation in the PotLuck ShopRite blog program to go to my local ShopRite in Brooklyn and buy some of ShopRite's local New Jersey fruits, I knew that blueberries were the way to go. Now, I love farmers market fruit, but it is so expensive. I was truly impressed with the quality and freshness of ShopRite's peaches and blueberries that I bought for use in two desserts last weekend - a peach/blueberry cobbler and a blueberry souffle. Both were fresh and juicy with vibrant colors, just they way they should be. Perfect, locally grown fruit that was just right for use in these two recipes and doesn't break the bank.

Blueberry Souffle (recipe from derived from the Food Network)
1 T butter, melted
1/2 cup granulated sugar, plus 1 T for dusting the souffle dishes
1/3 cup fresh blueberries
3 egg yolks
5 egg whites

Preheat the oven to 400 before you begin. Butter the insides of 4 10 ounce ramekins and lightly dust each with a bit of sugar. Beat the egg yolks with 1/4 cup fi sugar and then beat in the blueberry puree, beating well. Whisk the egg whites in a stand mixer on high. Once foamy, add the remaining sugar slowly while beating on high for several minutes until meringue like peaks form. Fill the souffle dishes to the brim and smooth the tops. Bake the souffles in the middle of the oven for ten to twelve minutes.

Sasha's Kitchen: Blueberry Souffle

Sasha's Kitchen: Frozen Strawberry Souffle

So, a frozen souffle really isn't a souffle at all - its much more like a frozen custard, like ice cream but so much better, lighter and creamier. If you have ever made Italian Semifreddo (I plan to make a tri-colored one next week), then a frozen souffle is really the same substance, just made in smaller, individual portions,  in souffle dishes. I used a bit of parchment paper on the rim of each souffle dish so I could pour up the custard higher and give this the look of an actual souffle after removing the parchment paper. I adapted this recipe from one that I found online, with several changes (my way is better!). It was amazing - light and creamy, a perfect fresh strawberry frozen custard! This is a fabulous recipe for using those fresh, local strawberries that are in season right now.

Frozen Strawberry Souffle
1 lb fresh strawberries, stemmed and hulled
1 cup sugar plus 3 T
5 egg whites
1/4 tsp orange zest
1 1/4 cup heavy cream
2 T amaretto (I used my homemade amaretto)
1/4 cup slivered almonds
3-4 T of sugar

First, make a praline by caramelizing the almonds in the 3-4 T of granulated sugar. Once caramelized, allow to cool completely on a piece of foil, before pulverizing in a nut chopper or food processor. Put about a tablespoon of this praline in the bottom of each souffle dish, for the bottom of each dessert.

Using parchment paper, create a rim, or collar of parchment paper on each of four souffle dishes, so you will be able to pour the mixture about an inch or an inch and a half above where the dish ends. You will remove this after the souffle is frozen.

Slice the strawberries (all of them) and allow to sit in a bowl with 3 T of sugar for about 20 minutes to macerate. Puree the strawberries in a food processor. Whip the egg whites until they form soft peaks using the whisk attachment of a stand mixer. Continue to whip, while gradually adding the cup of sugar, until an Italian meringue forms. Fold in the orange zest and strawberry puree. Once again, using the stand mixer with the whisk attachment, whip the cream until stiff. Fold in the strawberry meringue and the amaretto and gently combine. Ladle the mixture into the prepared souffle dishes, filling up to the top of the parchment paper collars. Freeze overnight (will keep for a week) and enjoy!

Sasha's Kitchen: Frozen Strawberry Souffle

Sasha's Kitchen: Clementine Souffle

I never thought to make a clementine souffle until I had one at Capsouto Freres, home of the best souffles in Manhattan. It was so amazing that I figured that I would come up with my own recipe for a souffle that captures the delicate sweetness of the juicy clementine. This recipe makes four individual souffles, and it is just perfect - delicious and with just the right amount of clementine flavor, but not overly sweet.


Sasha's Clementine Souffles
6 clementines, juiced
2 eggs (whole)
4 egg whites
2 T flour
1 tsp cornstarch
1/3 cup plus 2T sugar
1/4 tsp cream of tartar

Preaheat the oven to 400. Mash the clementines and squeeze out the juice. Discard the remaining fruit and keep only the juice from the six clementines. Add the flour, sugar and eggs and thicken over low heat. Add the cornstarch and allow to thicken for an additional minute until a cream like mixture.  Using the whisk attachment of the mixer, beat the egg whites on high for about 3-5 minutes with the cream of tartar until fluffy with stiff peaks.  Fold in the egg whites to the juice mixture with a spatula. Add to souffle dishes sprayed with Pam or butter and sprinkled with a bit of sugar.  Bake at 400 degrees for 18 to 20 minutes until they rise nicely. Eat right away. Yum!

Sasha's Kitchen: Clementine Souffle

Sasha's Kitchen: Hazelnut Souffle

CSN Stores is a great place to pick up anything you need for your kitchen, and just about anything else from a swing set to new souffle dishes! I just got invited to do another product review from CSN stores, and I was thinking of reviewing some new souffle dishes to make some of my favorite desserts. I can't wait!

I haven't made any souffles recently, though I have shared several in the past on A Kitchen In Brooklyn, and they are one of my favorite desserts to make and eat.  Not too long ago, my husband went to Capsouto Freres for dinner, home of the best souffle in Manhattan. The restaurant is a bit out of the way to get to (you basically have to hike on the west side of Tribeca right near the entrance of the Holland Tunnel), but it is totally worth it. The French food is great at this old New York mainstay, and the portion sizes are nice and large as well. But the souffles are the real treat. In fact, at lunchtime, they even have a souffle bar which includes savory souffles! When we were there for dinner there were four choices on the menu - chocolate, hazelnut, raspberry and a seasonal special - clementine.  I couldn't resist trying the clementine, which was delicate and amazing, while Brad had the hazelnut. The hazelnut souffle there was made with real hazelnuts and was delicious (I got a taste), but I remembered I had some of the creamy and delicious Hazelnut Spread that ShopRite had sent me, so I figured I would put it to use in a creative way, to make my own hazelnut souffle. It worked out nicely, and now I am back on a souffle kick, so I plan to make some more souffles in the coming week.

Sasha's Hazelnut Souffle
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1 cup heavy cream
3 large egg yolks
4 large egg whites
1/3 of a cup creamy hazelnut spread (use ShopRite's or Nutella)
pinch of salt
3 T flour
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup sugar, plus additional for bottoms of souffle dishes

Spray the bottoms of four souffle dishes with Pam and sprinkle each with granulated sugar. Preheat the oven to 375. It must have reached that temperature before you put the souffles in the oven! This is key.

Combine the heavy cream, egg yolks, flour, salt, sugar, vanilla and hazelnut spread in a bowl. Set the egg whites aside.

In the basin of your stand mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar on high speed for several minutes until the egg whites are big and fluffy, almost like a meringue.  Once they are super fluffy and have reached this point, gently fold them into the hazelnut mixture, using a spatula.

Fill the four ramekins to the top using this mixture and place them on a baking sheet in the oven. Turn the oven light on so you can watch them bake. It is important not to open and close the oven at all before you are ready to take them out. They should be done when the rise up nice and large, which takes about 15-20 minutes (in my case it took closer to 20 minutes).

These were absolutely delicious and filled with wonderful hazelnut goodness! Perfect for Valentine's Day!

Sasha's Kitchen: Hazelnut Souffle

Sasha's Kitchen on the Road: Paris Foodie Adventures

My husband Brad and I recently returned from a 12 day trip to Europe. On this particular trip, we visited three cities - Paris, Brussels and Prague.  Each of these cities has its own unique culinary traditions, and we made an effort to taste some of the best and most authentic foods in each place that we visited.  I will be doing separate posts on our gastronomical adventures in Prague and Brussels but I figured I'd start with Paris and some of our favorite foods that we ate while visiting that beautiful city for six days.

Crepes are one of Paris' specialties.  We had several crepes while in Paris. On our first night, we visited Le Petit Josselin in Montparnasse to sample some wonderful Parisian crepes. Josselin is one of Paris' best creperies and did not dissapoint, just like my husband had enjoyed the sister creperie down the block some 10 years prior on his last visit to Paris. We both had excellent savory and dessert crepes at Josselin. Below are photos of Brad's savory salmon crepe and my caramel crepe.

Street crepes are also wonderful. I had an amazing crepe with just sugar made hot while I waited (not pictured) at the Crepe Stand at Comptoir de Relais, a delicious Paris restaurant in the trendy rive gauche neighborhood of St. Germain that we enjoyed later in our trip.

Macarons when made correctly are just about the loveliest, pretties Paris dessert in the world. I've made macarons in the past but never ever like these. We went for the very best Paris macarons we could find at the wold famous macaron-maker, Pierre Herme.  We couldn't decide among all of the beautiful, colorful and delicious flavor combinations so my husband and I narrowed it down to seven (pictured at the top) and relished every bite.  These were a highlight and a trip to Paris is not complete without a visit to Pierre Herme.

Lamb and veal dinners are delicious in Paris.  I had a great veal with gnocchi and my husband had the delicious lamb dish pictured below at Restaurant Christine in St. Germain. For dessert at Christine, we had a Paris classic - one of the best souffles that I have ever had - a vanilla souffle with a strawberry sauce.

Now back to our full meal at Comptoir de Relais.  First we had some great French wines and appetizers at the wine bar portion of the restaurant while we waited for our table. Then, at dinner, we had a delicious beef dish (a bit stew like) with noodles pictured below. Yum! On the bottom is a picture of one of the appetizers, basically a mini beef sandwich with a creme fraiche based sauce. The apple tart we had for dessert was scrumptious as well.

We had another great meal in Paris at Allard Bistro - first a delicious salad with frisee and lardons, followed by a French classic made famous by Julia Child - boeuf bourguignon. This was another amazing meal, which ended with our desserts - a raspberry tarte and another French classic - profiteroles.

Sasha's Kitchen on the Road: Paris Foodie Adventures

Sasha's Kitchen: Caramel Souffle

I love making souffles.  Once you get the hang of it (which I admit took a couple of tries in the beginning) they are very easy to make. Most people are familiar with chocolate souffles, which are amazing when done correctly. However, souffles can be done in just about any flavor.  Some of my favorites are the fruity souffles, which are light and wonderful.  I decided to try out a simple caramel souffle using some goat's milk cinnamon caramel that I bought in Vermont from Fat Toad Farm, a local organic Vermont farm that makes their own delicious caramel.  This souffle tastes just like the amazing cinnamon caramel but presents it in a light and airy souffle.

Sasha's Cinnamon Caramel Souffle (makes 4 individual sized souffles)
3 egg yolks
5 egg whites
1/2 cup of Fat Toad Farm's Cinnamon Caramel
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
a couple teaspoons of sugar
a bit of butter or Pam

Preheat the oven to 425 F. The oven must be fully preheated before you put the souffles in. First, spray 4 individual souffle ramekins with butter or Pam and sprinkle with sugar.  Beat together the egg yolks and the caramel to make your souffle base.  Using a stand mixer, beat the egg whites on high for about 3 seconds, using the whisk attachment. Add the cream of tartar and continue beating for about three minutes until the egg whites are puffy and foamy, a bit like a meringue. Gently fold the egg whites into the souffle base, using a spatula.  Fill the four ramekins to the top with the souffle mixture and bake for about 30 minutes until the souffles rise and are golden brown on top. Do not open the oven while the souffles are cooking or they will collapse, but leave the oven light on so you can watch progress on the souffles.

Sasha's Kitchen: Caramel Souffle

Sasha's Kitchen: Vermont Goat Cheese-Cheddar Souffle (Cookbook Review Of Dishing Up Vermont)

I have written quite a bit of recipes where I discuss sustainable, farm fresh cooking.  Even though I don't live in the country, I prefer to cook with locally produced, farm fresh, organic produce and ingredients, raised using sustainable agricultural techniques.  Brooklyn's farmers markets are a wonderful place to purchase such produce and I have found numerous fantastic local farm-to-table restaurants here in Brooklyn.  Not surprisingly, I have long been a fan of Vermont  fresh foods, as Vermont is one of the birthplaces of the sustainable farm-to-table movement that has reshaped America's culinary landscape.  My husband and I are actually traveling to Vermont myself in June and hope to experience some local Vermont cooking firsthand, which of course, I will share in this blog.

With this background, I was excited to receive a courtesy copy of Tracy Medeiros's cookbook, Dishing Up Vermont from her publisher last week.  This cookbook is a compilation of authentic farm-to-table recipes from the green mountain state.  Tracy's cookbook provides a birds eye view into the local Vermont foodie culture that has taken the nation by storm in the sustainable agricultural movement.  The cookbook includes numerous fabulous recipes from businesses in Vermont that are part of the Vermont Fresh Network (VFN).  It focuses exclusively on recipes from the network of farmers, chefs, restaurants and growers that make up the Vermont sustainability movement.

Even though I don't live in Vermont, I am excited to test out many of these recipes here in Brooklyn since I share the same passion for sustainability and farm fresh produce in my own cooking as set forth in the pages of Dishing Up Vermont.  In addition, the author of the cookbook will be speaking on April 8 at Murray's Cheese House in Manhattan at 6:30 PM (by advance registration).

Vermont Goat-Cheddar Cheese Souffle (From Hemingway's Restaurant in Killington, VT, page 124 of Dishing Up Vermont)

1 T ground almonds
1.4 tsp ground fennel
3/4 cup plus 3 T whole milk
2 T unsalted butter
2 1/2 T flour
salt to taste
7 1/2 oz Vermont goat cheese
2 oz Vermont sharp cheddar cheese (i.e. Cabot), shredded
3 egg yolks
4 egg whites

Preheat the oven to 375.  Be sure the oven is fully preheated by the time you put the souffle(s) in the oven.  This recipe makes eight small souffles, or one large souffle.  I was making it as a dinner entree, so I prepared one large souffle.

Bring the milk to a boil in a saucepan and remove from heat.  Melt the butter and add the flour an cook for several minutes, whisking the entire time.  Increase the heat to medium, and add the milk.  Bring to a boil for a minute and remove from the heat.  Add a bit of salt and all of the cheeses.  Mix fully with a whisk until all of the cheese has melted and beat in the egg yolks, after you separate the eggs.  Save the whites, as this is a souffle, so you will surely need them.

To make a souffle, you will need either a handheld egg beater, or better yet, a Kitchenaid artisan stand mixer.  Beat the egg white on the highest speed with the mixer, with a bit of cream of tartar added.  Continue beating for about five minutes until foamy (but not too long that it is dry) and stiff peaks form.  This will take about three or four minutes of constant beating, just like in my other souffle recipes.  Then gently fold half of the egg white mixture into the batter.  Fold in the other half and place in the souffle dish or ramekins.

Bake for 45 to 50 minutes at 375 in the preheated oven.  The souffle should rise significantly and turn golden brown.  Don't be tempted to take it out sooner just because the outside starts to look done.  Further, whatever you do, do not open the oven during the cooking process, or the souffle will collapse.  This was a fabulous recipe and a great way to showcase terrific local Vermont cheeses (Cabot and fresh Vermont goat).  My husband and I loved the way the souffle looked and tasted.

Sasha's Kitchen: Vermont Goat Cheese-Cheddar Souffle (Cookbook Review Of Dishing Up Vermont)

Margie’s Kitchen in Boston: Soufflé – Goat Cheese and Walnut

Photos by Lena

You probably can find different variations of this recipe on the internet. I prefer as a base recipe the one from Joy of Cooking (1997 edition, page 138), with some modifications. The recipe calls for eight 6 ounce buttered ramekins. Coat each with a mixture of ¼ cup coarse corn meal (Goya) and ¾ cup toasted and finely chopped walnuts. This amount of coating seems to be more than required. I end up evenly distributing the excess across the cups. Make the roux, 3 tablespoons butter melted and ¼ cup flour cooked over low heat for 1 minute. To the roux add ⅔ cup milk, stirring constantly until thickened. Scrape into mixing bowl along with 10 ounces (10.5 is a common size) goat cheese. Smash with spatula.

Have ready 6 egg whites whipped with ¼ teaspoon of cream of tartar. Add five of the yolks to the goat cheese. The Joy of Cooking uses a 5 to 4 white/egg yolk combination. Add 1-2 cloves of smashed garlic. Normally I would add the ¼ teaspoon of thyme, eliminate salt, and add some pepper. For this version I also eliminate the thyme because I will be serving the soufflé with a dill sauce from a cookbook I highlighted in a older blog- The Vegetarian Epicure, Book II (page 104): To Roux (2 tablespoons butter, 2 tablespoons flour, 2 teaspoons dry dill or 2 tablespoons fresh minced), add 1 cup milk, ¾ cup sour cream and whisk until thick. Add ¼ cup white wine, 2 tablespoons lemon juice and ½ teaspoon sugar. To this mixture add, depending on your preferences, a pinch of cayenne and nutmeg, salt and pepper, then simmer for 10 minutes.

As for preparing the soufflé, just do the basics. Stir egg and cheese mixture with spatula until smooth. Fold in egg whites gently with spatula, gently zig and zagging spatula to get an even consistency. Don’t stir the mixture.

Distribute batter across 8 ramekins, put in water bath in a preheated 360° oven, and cook in lower middle oven for 30 minutes. Let sit in bath for 15 minutes.

The great thing about this dish is you can serve it immediately, or refrigerate for three days and microwave for about a minute.

I serve the soufflés with broiled asparagus and toasted French bread rounds.

Click here for some other souffles:  Sasha's raspberry souffle, dark chocolate souffle and PB&J souffle

Margie’s Kitchen in Boston: Soufflé – Goat Cheese and Walnut