Cheese and Chive Soufflé (Gruyère)

This soufflé is as classic as they come, with beaten egg whites folded into a rich, cheese laden béchamel for flavour and stability. Gruyère is the traditional cheese used for soufflé, but a good aged Cheddar would also work nicely. This makes for a great lunch or brunch dish.

¼ cup butter, softened, for greasing the soufflé dish
¼ cup butter, softened (60 mL)
¼ cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated (60 mL)
¼ cup flour, unbleached (60 mL)
1½ cups milk (375 mL)
1 tsp. sea salt (5 mL)
½ tsp. fresh nutmeg, grated (2 mL)
1 pinch cayenne pepper
6 eggs, separated
2 egg whites
2 cups Gruyère cheese, grated (500 mL)
¼ cup chives, finely chopped (60 mL)

Garnish:
fresh chives, finely chopped or otehr herbs if desired

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Place oven rack on the bottom level. Generously butter the inside of a 6-7 cup capacity soufflé dish. Sprinkle the inside with the Parmesan cheese, shake off excess. Reserve any leftover cheese for sprinkling on top of the soufflé. Place the dish on a baking sheet, and set aside.

Melt ¼ cup (60 mL) of butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and stir constantly for 2 minutes, making sure it doesn't brown. Slowly whisk in the milk until smooth, and continue stirring for about 4-5 minutes to form a béchamel sauce, the béchamel sauce should be very thick. Remove from the heat and add the sea salt, nutmeg, and cayenne pepper.

Beat the 6 egg yolks, one at a time, into the hot béchamel sauce until fully incorporated. Stir in the Gruyère cheese and chives. Set aside.

Place the 8 egg whites in an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Beat the egg whites until stiff but not dry. Stir ¼ of the egg whites into the soufflé base. Fold in the remaining egg whites, being careful not-over mix.

Gently spoon the mixture into the soufflé mold and bake for 45 minutes, or when a wooden skewer inserted into the middle of the soufflé comes out clean. Minimize opening and closing the oven door.

Serve immediately.

Makes 4-6 servings.