Fighting to expand my horizons

My husband has quit smoking. This is a huge, hairy deal because he's smoked for almost 40 years. And he loved it. He never coughed and is as nimble now as most 12-year-olds. His idea of heaven on Earth, aside from the golf course, was sitting smoking a cigarette and drinking a good cup of coffee.

Needless to say he's been a tad on the cranky side since he gave up his nasty habit. And while I'm especially glad he's quit, seeing that I am an asthmatic who's allergic to tobacco, I may have to do him some serious bodily harm if he doesn't settle down.

And although my husband has many good qualities, an adventurous palate isn't one of them. Usually I try to plan meals based around his many, many, many aversions and prohibitions, but seeing as how he's not particularly in my good graces these days, I didn't feel any qualms serving him something wild, something crazy, something so far out there that his head would completely spin off his shoulders. Yes, you got that right, I made a cheese souffle.

For all my culinary aspirations, I've never made a souffle, mostly because I never bought or received a souffle dish. I was also a bit intimidated. Back in the stone ages, when I was growing up, souffles were considered quite the gourmet accomplishment.

But then I started looking at recipes and danged if it didn't looks amazingly easy. It was. I'd had a wild hair to make souffle for a few weeks; I've been toying with springtime dishes and souffles offer that. But I feel as though a whole new world has been opened to me. Watch out souffle-land here I come.

Usually I tinker with recipes right off the bat, but this recipe, which I found on my very favorite online cooking resources:
Gruyere and Parmesan Cheese Souffle

Grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
5 tablespoons all purpose flour
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Pinch of ground nutmeg
1 1/4 cups whole milk
1/4 cup dry white wine
6 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 1/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons (packed) coarsely grated Gruyere cheese (about 6 ounces)
1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
8 large egg whites

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 400°F. Generously butter one 10-cup souffle dish or six 1 1/4-cup souffle dishes; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese to coat. (If using 1 1/4-cup dishes, place all 6 on rimmed baking sheet.) Melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add flour, cayenne pepper and nutmeg. Cook without browning until mixture begins to bubble, whisking constantly, about 1 minute. Gradually whisk in milk, then wine. Cook until smooth, thick and beginning to boil, whisking constantly, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Mix yolks, salt and pepper in small bowl. Add yolk mixture all at once to sauce and whisk quickly to blend. Fold in 1 1/4 cups Gruyere cheese and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese (cheeses do not need to melt). Using electric mixer, beat whites in large bowl until stiff but not dry. Fold 1/4 of whites into lukewarm souffle base to lighten. Fold in remaining whites. Transfer souffle mixture to prepared dish. Sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons Gruyere cheese.

Place souffle in oven; reduce heat to 375°F. Bake souffle until puffed, golden and gently set in center, about 40 minutes for large souffle (or 25 minutes for small souffle). Using oven mitts, transfer souffle to platter and serve immediately.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.
Bon Appétit
Cooking Class
April 2000