The Seductive Souffle

Souffle. Like the word itself, it is soft and airy, the literal translation from the French meaning a whisper, a breath, a burst of inspiration. As a dish, it evokes all of these terms. At its most dramatic, straight from the oven, a successful souffle billows majestically above the rim of its vessel--a commanding culinary show-stopper.

And of course, the taste is unbeatable. If you've had experience making them, you know they're made by mixing a highly flavored sauce or puree with stiffly whipped egg whites, which expand in a hot oven to give the mixture its dramatic height. Whether savory or sweet, there are three crucial points:

1. the base must be the right consistency,
2. egg whites must be stiffly beaten,
3. and folding together of the two must be done carefully so as to retain maximum volume and lightness.

Since the spinach souffle is a fairly common recipe that you might already have, I thought I'd share one less common, one my neighbor, Mavis would make when her kids were home (she says she got it from the Food Network). It's delicious, and what's nice, it's easy to make:

CHICKEN AND CHEDDAR SOUFFLE (serves 4-6)

• Unsalted butter for greasing the souffle dish, plus 1/2 stick (4 tablespoons), at room temperature
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups whole milk, at room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• Kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 cups shredded mild Cheddar
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
• 2 packed cups baby spinach leaves
• 1 store-bought, rotisserie chicken, breast meat only, skinned and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 2 cups)
• 6 egg yolks, at room temperature, lightly beaten
• 2 (1/2-inch thick) slices country-style white bread, crusts removed, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 6 egg whites, at room temperature

(Special equipment: a 2-quart (8-cups) souffle dish.) Arrange an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Butter the bottom and sides of a 2-quart souffle dish. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan, heat 1/2 stick of butter over medium-low heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Slowly whisk in the milk until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture coats the back of a spoon, about 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the nutmeg and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Remove the pan from the heat and add the cheeses, the spinach, chicken, egg yolks, and bread cubes. Stir until combined (mixture will be thick).

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites at high speed until they hold stiff peaks, about 2 minutes. Stir 1/4 of the egg whites into the chicken mixture. Using a spatula, fold in the remaining egg whites. Spoon the batter into the prepared dish and bake until the souffle is puffed and the top is firm and golden, about 55 to 60 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve immediately.

As romantic and delicious as it is elegant and easy, this French classic, the souffle, is well worth the effort. So let's include this dish in one of our next menu plans. Now, do you have a souffle recipe you've tried that you could share? Please do--we're all in this together, remember. So let's spread the good stuff, and until next time, happy cook'n!