I was watching Julie and Julia again today, for the uptenth time, and I was inspired to try another recipe. In the movie Julie pulls a souffle out of her oven and it is puffed up so high and looked really good. I grabbed my cookbook and started learning the recipe.
Ingredients - check
souffle pan - check
time - check
I was good to go.
Even though my end result will not be posted here because it didn't poof like it should have; I'm still going to share the recipe and I hope that yours does poof..... if you try the recipe that is. If it does, then you have to let me know.
I thought it tasted delicious and I will definately be making this again. Because it had Parmesan cheese with it, I decided to pair it with my Zesty Chicken Breasts. I will share that recipe also. It's a very fast and easy recipe.
Souffle Au Fromage
{Cheese Souffle}
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
1 tsp butter
1 TBSP grated Swiss or Parmesan cheese
Measure out all your ingredients. Butter inside of souffle mold and sprinkle with cheese.
Like this:
3 TBSP butter
A 2 1/2 quart saucepan
3 TBSP flour
A wooden spatula
1 cup boiling milk
A wire whip
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
A pinch of cayenne pepper
Pinch of nutmeg
Melt the butter in the saucepan. Stir in the flour with a wooden spatula or spoon and cook over moderate heat until butter and flour foam together for a minute without browning. Remove from heat; when mixture has stopped bubbling, pour in all the boiling milk at once. Beat vigorously with a wire whip until blended. Beat in the seasonings. Return over moderate high heat and boil, stirring with the wire whisk for 1 minute. Sauce will be very thick.
4 egg yolks
Remove from heat. Immediately start to separate the eggs. Drop the white into the egg white bowl, and the yolk into the center of the hot sauce. Beat the yolk into the sauce with the wire whisk. Continue in the same manner with the rest of the eggs.
The egg whites and cheese
5 egg whites
A pinch of salt
Coarsely grated Swiss, or Swiss and Parmesan cheese 3/4 to 1 cup
Add an extra egg white to the ones in the bowl and beat with salt until stiff. Stir a big spoonful into the sauce. Stir in all but a tablespoon of the cheese. Delicately fold in the rest of the egg whites. Be careful not to overfold.
Baking
Turn the souffle mixture into the prepared mold.
Tap bottom of mold lightly on the table, and smooth the surface of the souffle with the flat of a knife. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top. Set on a rack in middle level of preheated 400-degree oven and immediately turn heat down to 375. (Do not open door for 20 minutes) In 25-30 minutes the souffle will have puffed about 2 inches over the rim of the mold, and the top will be nicely browned. Bake 4 to 5 minutes more to firm it up, then serve at once.
Like I said, I don't know why mine didn't poof up out of the bowl, but it didn't. Maybe I didn't beat the egg whites enough, maybe I used too much salt, maybe not enough salt. Maybe it was because I put the egg whites into a porcelian bowl before putting them into the stainless steel one.... I don't know. The good thing is it tasted good and my family ate it. All of them except Zachary, of course. He is the pickiest eater on the face of the earth. Nuff said about that!!
Anyway, onto the chicken. This is super easy and fast.....
Zesty Chicken Breasts
1/2 cup parmesean cheese, grated
1/4 cup dry bread crumbs (I use Panko crumbs and it makes it crunchy)
4 Chicken breasts
2 TBSP butter, melted
Mix parmesean cheese and bread crumbs in shallow bowl. Dip chicken in butter then in cheese and bread crumb mixture. Coat well. Place in greased baking pan. Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes.
I thought the chicken went well with the souffle. And here is a picture of the end result. Of the chicken, not the souffle!
So, now you know what we had for dinner; what did you have tonight?
