Cheese Soufflé, a beloved classic of French cuisine, may seem daunting but is actually quite simple to make. This fluffy delight, packed with melted aged cheese, is light as air and seriously satisfying!
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Table of Contents
A few details about the Lightest Cheese Soufflé
- Cheese: I used matured Cantal cheese for this recipe, from my home region of Auvergne, France. However, this recipe is very versatile and Cantal can be replaced by any aged hard cheese such as aged Gruyère, aged Emmental or aged Cheddar.
- Milk: I recommend using whole milk for an optimum result.
- Eggs: I always use fresh free-range eggs!
- Unsalted butter: generously greasing the soufflé baking dish with butter will help the soufflé rise and develop nicely.
Wine Pairing for Cheese Soufflé🍷
CHARDONNAY OR PINOT NOIR
The light texture of the soufflé combined with the complexity of the aged cheese makes this recipe the perfect pairing for a Pinot Noir or a Chardonnay-based wine.
WINE APPELLATION SUGGESTIONS
White Wines
Red wines
Other delicious French-inspired recipes
The Lightest Cheese Soufflé
PRINT SAVECheese Soufflé, a beloved classic of French cuisine, may seem daunting but is actually quite simple to make. This fluffy delight, packed with melted aged cheese, is light as air and seriously satisfying!
EQUIPMENT
- Soufflé Baking Dish
- Rubber Spatula
INGREDIENTS
- ¼ cup (70 g) butter
- ½ cup (50 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 cups (500 ml) whole milk
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅛ teaspoon white pepper
- 1 ½ cups (160 g) aged Cantal cheese, grated
- 4 free-range eggs
- ½ tablespoon (7 g) room temperature soft butter to grease the Soufflé baking dish
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat the oven to 390°F (200°C).
Start by making a white sauce:
- In a saucepan, melt the butter over high heat.
- When the butter is bubbling nicely, add the flour all at once and stir energetically with a whisk.
- Lower the heat to medium intensity.
- Add ⅓ of the milk and stir.
- Add another ⅓ of the milk and keep stirring.
- Add the rest of the milk and stir for 7 minutes until the sauce thickens.
- Add the salt and white pepper.
- Remove the pot from the heat and incorporate the grated Cantal into the béchamel.
- Let it cool down for 5 minutes.
Make the soufflé batter:
- In the meantime, crack the eggs and separate the whites from the yolks.
- Beat the egg whites until they are fluffy and form peaks.
- Add the yolks to the béchamel and stir until well combined.
- With a rubber spatula, gently fold the egg whites into the batter without overworking the batter.
Bake the soufflé:
- With a brush or your fingers, grease the mold with soft butter. Start from the center of the mold and brush all the way up to the edges.
- Pour the batter into the mold and bake for 30 minutes until golden and super risen.
- Serve right away and don’t be disappointed if your Soufflé deflates within minutes, that’s part of the experience!
- Enjoy with a glass of your favorite Pinot Noir or Chardonnay!
NOTES
- The soufflé will deflate quickly and this is 100% normal! The word “Soufflé” means inflated in French. By definition, it will only stay risen for a few minutes before deflating. This is part of the game!
- The use of a traditional Soufflé Baking Dish is optional, any round mold with high edges would do.
Did you make this recipe?Don’t forget the last step! Leave a comment below to let me know how it went!