Once-baked Goat Cheese Souffle

This is the recipe I was most intimidated by, so my daughter, Brittany made it for me. I was busy in the kitchen with other things, but I watched as she prepared it and it didn't look difficult. You're supposed to use a souffle dish or a rustic gratin dish. I wasn't sure what the difference was, so I googled it.

This is a souffle dish.

This is a gratin dish

Apparently, it is any large, lowish dish that batter can puff up in. We used 6 ramekins, and one pyrex round bowl. They worked great.

I thought that when the souffle came out of the oven it was going to collapse down into a sad, shriveled, wrinkled looking thing. It didn't. It was beautiful. It had a golden top with attractive little cracks in it. The souffle itself was light and fluffy with that wonderful tang of goat cheese. Brittany doesn't like the taste of browned eggs, so she preferred the one cooked in the larger dish rather than in the smaller ramekins.

Making the souffle didn't look all that difficult. Here are the instructions:

Preheat the oven to 375. Butter your souffle dish(es). Slowly heat 1 1/2 cups milk with 2 onion slices, 1 thyme sprig, 1 bay leaf, 1 crushed garlic clove, and 1/2 t. salt. Turn off the heat when it nears boiling and let it steep. Separate 4 eggs. Add the whites from 2 more eggs to your egg white bowl and discard the 2 yolks.

Melt 3 T. butter in a saucepan, stir in 3 T. flour and cook over low heat for 1 minute. Pour the heated milk into the saucepan through a strainer and whisk. Cook over low heat for a couple more minutes, then remove from the heat. Stir a little of the milk mixture into the 4 egg yolks. Whisk them and add them back into the sauce, whisking as you go. Stir in 5 ounces crumbled goat cheese. Taste for salt and season with pepper.

Whip the egg whites until they're nearly stiff, then fold them into the base and transfer to your prepared dish. Bake until puffed and golden, but still a little wobbly when you shake the dish (about 25 minutes). Serve immediately.

Things to try next time: Bake it all in one dish.

Approximate cost to prepare:

1 1/2 cups milk - $1.50

aromatics - $1.00 (?)

3 T. butter - $.30

3 T. flour - negligible

6 eggs - $2.50

5 ounces goat cheese - $4.50

TOTAL - $9.80 for 4 people

Since this dish is substantial but somewhat neutral in flavor, many dishes can be paired with it. Try wine braised lentils, beets, dark greens, or a light spring salad.