Souffle in the Cradle and the Silver Spoon

Alternate Title: Who is suprised my longest post is about food?

Last weekend I marked off another cradle list to-do, baking a souffle. This has been on my to-do list for ages, ever since I read an article in Bon Appetit more than two years ago by the famed Molly Wizenberg (http://orangette.blogspot.com/). I was trucking along on the eliptical machine (I hope I get bonus points for reading food porn while pumping a sweat.) when her tale of her time in France really struck a chord with me. It was a beautifully written article about the simplicity of simple French food. I clipped it out, put it in my trusty recipe binder where it sat, begging to be attempted for days, weeks, months, and yes a couple of years.

This weekend I could take no more of the recipe staring back at me, taunting me for my inability to perform. My belly reminded me that the days left to cross this off the cradle list were quickly passing me by.

What you need:

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup of whole milk
2-1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
pinch of ground nutmeg
5 eggs

1 Eyed Dog in Need of Haircut for Emotional Support
Cute Aprons from Thoughtful Friends to Distract from Bad Hair and Poor Photo Angles
Not pictured: 1 cup of packed grated Gruyere cheese.*

Directions to Finding Personal Fulfillment and Getting Dinner on the Table

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Butter 6-cup souffle dish (preferably a souffle dish you registered for 3.5 years ago and have only used once).

Warm milk in heavy small saucepan over medium-low heat until steaming. Meanwhile, melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and whisk until mixture begins to foam, about 3 minutes.
Remove saucepan from heat; let stand 1 minute. Pour in warm milk, whisking until smooth. Return to heat and cook, whisking constantly until very thick, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat; whisk in paprika, salt , and nutmeg. Curse useless Pampered Chef Unitasker. Make up with husband so he will help you separate egg whites from the yolk.

Ta Da!

Add egg yolks 1 at a time, whisking to blend after each addition. Scrape souffle base into large bowl.

Go pick up your Cousin Casey. Warn her she is taking her life into her hands by eating French food prepared by a novice.

Using electric mixer, beat egg whites in another large bowl until stiff but dry. Fold 1/4 of whites into lukewarm or room temperature souffle base to lighten. Fold in remaining whites in 2 additions while gradually sprinkling in Gruyere cheese. Transfer batter to prepared dish.

Place dish in oven and immediately reduce oven temperature 375 degrees. Bake until souffle is puffed and golden brown on top and center moves only slightly when shaken gently, about 25 minutes. Serve immediately with a green salad and a silly smile.

http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2002/04/classic_cheese_souffle

*Funny story. Rocky picked up a lovely $8 wedge of Ementaler. Ementaler is not Gruyere. We argued over who was to blame. He got in the car to return the $8 wedge of Ementaler and purchased a lovely wedge of $9 Gruyere. We learned several things from this exercise 1) Harris Teeter does accept returns on perishable items, 2) Read labels, 3) Following the directions to a T is very important to husbands, 4) It wasn't my fault.