Barefoot Bloggers: Blue Cheese Soufflé

I was kind of surprised when my wife said she would be willing to try this one without modification. I thought the Blue Cheese would turn her off of it right away. I, on the other hand, love Blue Cheese. I knew a lot of the bloggers were planning on using different cheese but I decided if my wife was up for it I would go for it - although I was fully expecting her not to eat it.

I have made soufflés in the past and am not too scared of them anymore. The biggest trick is just mixing the egg whites in enough so that they are actually mixed in and you don't have pockets of egg white when you are done - but not so much that they deflate. I was a little concerned that my two year old seemed to want to play exclusively in front of the oven and seemed to be jumping around more than normal just when I was cooking a delicate soufflé. Not to worry though - it all came out good.

I didn't hate it but I can't say I loved this recipe. My first bite I thought it was way too strong on the blue cheese. It did grow on me though and after a few bites I was enjoying it much more. Lara, my wife, seemed to like it as well and cleaned her plate - much more than I expected from her. So while I wouldn't say this was bad I don't think I would make it again. I'll stick with other kinds of cheese or maybe even better, chocolate.

Thanks to Summer at Sexy Apartment for this pick. She just got to meet Ina Garten at the NY Food and Wine Festival - sounds like a lot of fun.

Blue Cheese Soufflé

(Source: Barefoot in Paris, Page 50)

Serves 2-3

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing the dish
• 1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan, plus extra for sprinkling
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup scalded milk
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Pinch cayenne pepper
• Pinch nutmeg
• 4 extra-large egg yolks, at room temperature
• 3 ounces good Roquefort cheese, chopped
• 5 extra-large egg whites, at room temperature
• 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Butter the inside of an 8-cup souffle dish (7 1/2 inches in diameter and 3 1/4 inches deep) and sprinkle evenly with Parmesan.
3. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. With a wooden spoon, stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Off the heat, whisk in the hot milk, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, the cayenne, and nutmeg. Cook over low heat, whisking constantly, for 1 minute, until smooth and thick.
4. Off the heat, while still hot, whisk in the egg yolks, one at a time. Stir in the Roquefort and the 1/4 cup of Parmesan and transfer to a large mixing bowl.
5. Put the egg whites, cream of tartar, and a pinch of salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on low speed for 1 minute, on medium speed for 1 minute, then finally on high speed until they form firm, glossy peaks.
6. Whisk 1/4 of the egg whites into the cheese sauce to lighten and then fold in the rest. Pour into the souffle dish, then smooth the top. Draw a large circle on top with the spatula to help the souffle rise evenly, and place in the middle of the oven. Turn the temperature down to 375 degrees F. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes (don't peek!) until puffed and brown. Serve immediately.

Barefoot Bloggers Backtracking: Herb Baked Eggs

Wow - a bunch of new things over at the Barefoot Bloggers this month. First it has been a year since the Barefoot Bloggers have been active and Tara did a wonderful roundup post of a lot of favorite recipes. Check it out here - I'm in there. Another new feature is backtracking. On occasion she is going to allow us to skip one of the monthly recipes and do any of the older recipes in its place. Well the first recipe for this month is for Tuna Salad. Thanks to Kate of Warm Olives and Cool Cocktails for the choice. The Tuna Salad looks fantastic but I know it is something that only I would be eating. It has basically raw tuna, wasabi, avocado, and all sorts of things Lara would not eat. Waaaay too much work for just me. I feel a little guilty for not making the tuna but I am going to have to use the new backtracking feature to make the Herb Baked Eggs.

One of the recipes featured in the roundup was the Herb Baked Eggs. It was the favorite of BMK over at Reservations not Required and she made it look fantastic. It was Mother's day this week so that seem like the perfect occasion to make a special breakfast.

The recipe was pretty simple. You need some oven-proof shallow dishes and the whole thing is made under the broiler. I think I would have to count the recipe as a success. My one complaint was that the eggs came out a little runny. That's not a problem for me but it is for my wife and a lot of other people. The eggs on the ends were starting to get hard yolks while the middle still had runny whites. I do see now that a lot of the comments mention the same issue. A combination of baking and broiling might be the solution or some comments say just to bake at 350 for 15 minutes. I will have to play around with that next time.

Other than the done-ness issue - these were wonderful. The fresh herbs and cheese made these smell and taste fantastic. I need to get more of an herb garden going since they are so expensive to buy when all you need is a half teaspoon.

It looks like the recipe was originally picked by Tara at Smells like Home. Thanks Tara for the pick and for all the hard work this past year - I have really enjoyed it.

Herb Baked Eggs

(Source: Barefoot In Paris)

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 1/4 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary leaves
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan
• 6 extra-large eggs
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Toasted French bread or brioche, for serving

Directions

1. Preheat the broiler for 5 minutes and place the oven rack 6 inches below the heat.
2. Combine the garlic, thyme, rosemary, parsley, and Parmesan and set aside. Carefully crack 3 eggs into each of 2 small bowls or teacups (you won't be baking them in these) without breaking the yolks. (It's very important to have all the eggs ready to go before you start cooking.)
3. Place 2 individual gratin dishes on a baking sheet. Place 1 tablespoon of cream and 1/2 tablespoon of butter in each dish and place under the broiler for about 3 minutes, until hot and bubbly. Quickly, but carefully, pour 3 eggs into each gratin dish and sprinkle evenly with the herb mixture, then sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Place back under the broiler for 5 to 6 minutes, until the whites of the eggs are almost cooked. (Rotate the baking sheet once if they aren't cooking evenly.) The eggs will continue to cook after you take them out of the oven. Allow to set for 60 seconds and serve hot with toasted bread.