Warm Cheese Souffle from The Tasha Tudor Cookbook

I am a Tasha Tudor-ite, I freely confess.  I love Tasha’s clothes, her garden, her goats, her recipes (receipts, as she calls them), her way of life and love of that way.  When I found her cookbook a few years ago I knew it had to be part of my home.  Here’s one of my new favorite recipes for a warm Cheese Souffle from The Tasha Tudor Cookbook.

Here’s another holiday classic to make your season Merry and Bright!  The 12 Days of Christmas is designed to help take out the stress of the holidays and replace it with the fun.  Included in the book are 12 simple family and friend activities especially crafted to bring you closer to the ones you love, 12 doorbell-ditch ideas for easy holiday gifting this season, 12 family-friendly, kid-approved service project ideas that you can implement throughout the season or even throughout the year.

The Tasha Tudor Cookbook

The thing we make the most often from this book is probably the Blueberry Coffee Cake.  To be honest, though, I haven’t tried a recipe in The Tasha Tudor Cookbook that we haven’t loved.  The ingredients include items like eggs gathered daily and fresh milk.

Knowing she was writing for a modern audience, sometimes you’ll run into Stoffer’s bread crumbs and such but that’s easily remedied if you’re a foodie.  And I think you should be, of course.  Everyone is doing it.

Cheese Souffle

One recipe where we make such a substitution is the delectable Cheese Souffle in her Main Dishes section. One of my favorite things about this book are the wonderful descriptions of each recipe, some of them handed down in her family through generations.  Other recipes originated with loving friends or charming neighbors.  She suggest this soufflé as a great option for when ladies come calling and you wish to invite them to stay and take lunch with you.

Tasha’s illustrations are laced throughout and they are so typically inviting that I want to make every single thing in her book for every meal.  One recipe we’re collecting items for is her Christmas Tea Ring, which is a featured treat after every Christmas Eve dinner.  If zombies ever attack, I think I’ll miss that Tea Ring the most.  I digress.

For a great salad to feature with this soufflé, go check out this link for our super easy, raw kale salad.

So, without further ado, here’s Tasha’s recipe, slightly adapted by me.

Wholesome Cheese Souffle

Print Recipe

Wholesome Cheese Souffle

Prep Time

20 mins

Cook Time-ish

20 mins

Total Time-ish

40 mins

 

Using real ingredients, make this classic recipe for a cheese souffle.

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: French

Keyword: healthy ingredients, holiday, traditional

Ingredients

• 1 cup whole fresh milk
• 1 cup homemade bread crumbs
• 1 cup whole sharp cheddar cheese or family favorite
• 2 Tbs. Parmesan cheese
• 2 Tbs. fresh butter
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. allspice
• 3 farm fresh eggs separated

Instructions

Instructions for the Best Cheese Souffle

1. Preheat the oven to 350F/176C.
2. Heavily butter a 1 1/2 quart dish.
3. Scaled the milk slowly in a medium saucepan.
4. Put the bread crumbs, cheese, butter, salt and allspice into a mixing bowl and toss together.  Pour milk over it all and stir.
5. Beat the egg yolks well.  Pour over the bread mixture and stir really well.
6. Beat the egg whites until they're stiff.  Slowly fold the egg whites into the bread mixture.
7. Pour it all into the prepared dish and put into your preheated oven.  Bake for 20 minutes until the souffle is puffed and browned.  Do NOT open the oven to see if your cheese souffle is baking well.
8. Serve immediately!

Recipe Notes

See the article for special tips and tricks and further information.

A Few More Cheese Souffle Tips

The breadcrumbs will give the soufflé a moist, chewy texture so be sure to fresh bread.  Homemade is always best, but a high quality, whole grain store bought variety is great, too.

The cheese you choose should be a family favorite.  You can use a softer cheese like feta, if you like, FYI.  For some reason I really like the hard cheeses like cheddar and Parmesan in a cheese souffle.  If you want to try a cheese souffle with a softer cheese, here’s a sweet pumpkin soufflé recipe with goat cheese from Life Nourished.

Don’t be tied to the measurements for spices in this dish.  I don’t always use measuring spoons for stuff like salt – my Aunt Chris taught me to just throw it in my palm and call it good.  Also, if you prefer nutmeg in a cheese souffle, swap out the allspice.

Scalding milk is not a hard thing to do.  Just place your milk in a saucepan on medium heat, stirring until you start to see small bubbles form at the surface and at the edges.

The peaks on the egg whites need to be stiff, so don’t be lazy about whipping them long enough for a cheese souffle.  If you’re new to this, folding the egg whites in means just that.  Place the egg whites gently on top of the bread mixture and use a spoon to fold over everything until the whites are mixed in.

Bake and serve and eat while hot.  Then be happy.

For a wholesome, sweet side try this Pumpkin Custard from Nourished Kitchen.

Cover graphic gratefully attributed to this Wikimedia Commons user.