Julia Child's Cheese Souffle

Savory souffles are great for a main course for a brunch or dinner, or in a smaller portion as a side dish. This cheesy souffle is made with both Swiss and Parmesan cheese! With such a delicious flavor, this is the perfect kid-friendly souffle! Don't worry about making this dish, it's pretty much failure proof! The recipe is actually a Julia Child's recipe, no recipe can ever be bad when it has her name on it! This dish was paired with The Family Movie Night: Beauty and the Beast, be sure to check it out!

Ingredients:
4 tablespoons butter, softened
2 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons flour
1 cup hot milk
1/4 teaspoon of paprika
a pinch of nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
4 egg yolks
5 egg whites
1 cup coarsely grated Swiss cheese


Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Butter either 6 souffle cups or a straight-sided baking dish (a small circle casserole baking dish) with 1-1/2 of the softened butter. Dust the inside of the baking dish with the Parmesan cheese, making sure to knock out the excess. 

In a large sauce pan, melt the remaining butter over medium-high heat. Stir in the flour, stir the mixture constantly for about 2 minutes. The butter and flour should foam or froth up. Remove the mixture from the heat and beat in the hot milk. Then simmer over medium heat and stir slowly until thick, about 1-2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the paprika, nutmeg, salt and white pepper. Slowly add the egg yolks in one at a time, whisking in between. 

Whisk the egg whites, to stiff, shinning peaks. Then, whisk 1/4 of the egg whites into the sauce pan to lighten it up. Gently fold in the remaining egg whites into the sauce a little at a time, alternating with some of the Swiss cheese. 

After the eggs and cheese have been completely folded into the sauce pan mixture, scoop the mixture into the prepared baking dish(es), and place the pan into the oven. Reduce the heat to 375 degrees and bake for 25-30 minutes. When finished the top of the souffle should be browned and it will have puffed up about 1-2 inches above the rim of the dish (this may not puff up so much in a larger baking dish). The dish needs to be served immediately, and the puff will start to flatten after a few minutes. 

Source: Cooking Weekends