National Cheese Soufflé Day | Aged White Cheddar Soufflé

Soufflés. Aren’t they so elegant looking? Although I prefer cooking to baking, the science of baking is much more fascinating to me. Look at how high this cheese soufflé got!

Also fascinating is my love of cheese. Even being lactose-intolerant doesn’t keep me away from the stuff. Naturally, a cheese soufflé would please me.

I used white cheddar in the soufflé mixture and coated my ramekin with shredded parmesan cheese. A lot of the cheese soufflé recipes I saw online used gruyere instead of cheddar, but have you ever noticed the price difference between the two in the store?? Aged white cheddar is an excellent cheese with a lot of flavor, and it’s firm too, which makes it the perfect grating cheese.

To think, I used to only eat yellow cheddar and pecorino romano (always pecorino for our family pasta dinners because, in case you didn’t know, grated pecorino romano is the only pasta topping option). I’m thrilled that I’ve come from eating Kraft “cheese” slices to noshing on any cheese you put in front of me.

Well, except for bleu cheeses. I can’t get behind those quite yet, although I’m slowly becoming more receptive to feta. Before, feta would literally make me gag and I made whatever dining partner I had very pleased as I ordered my feta slices or crumbles on the side and passed it across the table for them to enjoy.

Anyway, even with this gorgeous treat in mind, and your mounting anticipation to dig your spoon into it, try not to open the oven during the cooking time. (Peeking is what oven lights are for.) It’ll be hard, I promise, but you’ll also ensure that your perfect soufflé doesn’t air out (read: deflate miserably like an old balloon) before you have a chance to present your masterpiece.

Print Recipe

Aged White Cheddar Soufflé

Ingredients:

• 1/2 tsp unsalted butter, softened (for greasing the ramekin)
• 1 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
• 2 tsp unsalted butter
• 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup whole milk
• Pinch of salt
• Pinch of paprika
• Pinch of cayenne
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 egg whites
• 1/3 cup grated aged white cheddar, divided

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425*F.
2. Smear the 1/2 teaspoon unsalted butter around the inside of the ramekin. Sprinkle the parmesan cheese around the inside of the ramekin.
3. Melt the 2 tablespoons butter in a small pot, and stir in the flour to make a roux. Cook over medium-low heat for 1 minute, then remove from the heat during the next step.
4. Pour the milk into the pot and whisk to combine. Return to medium-low heat and let cook for another minute, continuously stirring. The combination will thicken during this time. Season with salt, paprika, and cayenne. Remove from the heat for the final time. Whisk the egg yolk into the pot.
5. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Add a spoonful of the egg whites to the hot mixture along with half the cheddar cheese. Stir to combine well.
6. Fold in the rest of the egg whites along with the other half of the cheddar cheese and pour the entire mixture into the prepared ramekin.
7. Reduce the oven temperature to 375*F, set the ramekin in the middle of the oven and bake for 18 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the soufflé has risen.

Do not open the oven while cooking, no matter how tempting. Opening the oven to peek at your creation can cause it to deflate.