1,000 Years of Artisanal Cheesmaking

Comté Souffles

Comté Souffles

Comté Soulffles
Comté Souffles
 
Author:
Serves: 5
 
“[Comté] works beautifully with white wines just as much as it does with red wines,” explains Jason Berthold, former Executive Chef of RN74 in San Francisco (he has since left to start his own restaurant). He uses Comté in these stunning soufflés because of its versatility with wines and its nutty, sweet flavor. Serve the soufflés as a starter or main course with a salad.
Ingredients
  • 1 ½ cups whole milk
  • 4 tablespoons (2 ounces) butter
  • ⅔ cup (3 ounces) all-purpose flour
  • 6 eggs, yolks and whites separated
  • 6 ounces Comté, shredded (about 1 ½ packed cups)
  • 2 teaspoons salt
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 400˚F. Butter and flour 5 8-ounce ramekins by smearing the inside of the ramekins with softened butter then coating them with a thin layer of flour. Shake off excess flour. Place the ramekins on a baking sheet, leaving at least 2 inches of space between each.
  2. In a small saucepan, bring the milk and butter to a boil. Whisk in flour. Reduce heat to low and continue to cook, whisking constantly, for 2 minutes (the mixture will get quite thick).
  3. Scrape the mixture into a food processor and blend until smooth. With the blade running, add the egg yolks, one at a time, through the feed tube. Scrape down the sides and add the Comté and salt. Process until smooth. Transfer mixture to a large bowl and let cool slightly.
  4. In the meantime, whip the egg whites to medium peaks. Fold ⅓ of the egg whites into the cheese base. Gently fold in the rest of the whites in two batches. Fill the ramekins with the soufflé batter, leaving a ½-inch rim at the top.
  5. Bake 17-20 minutes, or until fully risen and golden brown on top (if the top starts to get too dark before the sides are cooked, gently set a piece of foil on top of the soufflés). Serve immediately.