Cheese Soufflé

Decadent fluffy cloudy texture ... how exactly is the best way to describe a soufflé?

Even though this is not a hard recipe, to bake a perfect soufflé is required some knowledge on how to be delicate and how to proper whip the egg whites without the help of cream of tartar and other little things that prevent egg whites from overbeating.

Every single recipe requires techniques if you want to get it to perfection and soufflés are not an exception.

The gruyére cheese brings the soufflé to a level of saltiness just right and the parmesan cheese coated inside the ramekins also bring a little saltiness that intensifies after baked.

When I say it should be a little undercooked I don't mean raw at all, I just mean that the soufflé should be humid inside, not dry and make noises every time you dip your spoon in! An easy rule is to check the color on top, when you see the top partially golden brown is time to remove from oven (8-15min).

A collar made with aluminum foil and placed around the ramekins is also another option if you wish to fill your ramekins to the top and make your soufflé really tall. The collar will prevent the batter from overflowing and will keep the sides straight (make sure you coat the inside of the collar with butter and parmesan cheese as well.

The oven is preheated at 400F and turned down to 350F after it goes in, the impact of a higher temperature at the beginning will make it puff up.

If you are baking your souffle in one large ramekin don't worry about changing the oven temperature, keep it at 375f at all times.

Ingredients:
butter for the molds
40g thinly grated parmesan cheese (to coat the ramekins)
15g unsalted butter (2 tbsp)
15g flour (4 tbsp)
125g milk (1/2 cup + 2 tbsp)
2 large egg yolks
60g Gruyere cheese (1 cup)
pinch of salt, nutmeg and cayenne pepper
3 cold egg whites

Utensils:
Ramekins with straight sides

Yields about three 3.5in ramekins