Vegetarians of the World Unite!

A new leaf: Cheese souffle

Monday, January 28, 2008
Last Updated Monday January 28, 2008, PST 9:32 AM

Vegetarian recipes from recently released cookbooks:

"The Best International Recipe: A Home Cook's Guide to the Best Recipes in the World," by the editors of Cook's Illustrated (America's Test Kitchen, 2007).

Spanning the world within the space of 579 pages, this hefty collection is almost exhausting to look at. Notably, it teaches how to make world cuisine basics, like Mexican corn cakes, German spaetzle, classic Spanish gazpacho or even marinated Greek olives. It also includes vegetarian recipes from cuisines not known for being vegetable-friendly -- such as this cheese soufflé recipe from France.

-- Evelyn Shih

* Cheese soufflé

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch chunks, plus extra for coating dish
1/2 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated, divided
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup whole milk
4 ounces Gruyère cheese, shredded
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Pinch freshly ground nutmeg
3 large eggs, separated
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Thoroughly butter the inside of a 2-quart soufflé dish, then coat with about 2 tablespoons of the Parmesan.

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the flour and cook until golden. Slowly whisk in the milk. Bring to a simmer and cook, whisking constantly, until thickened and smooth. Off the heat, whisk in the Gruyère, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Whisk in the egg yolks until completely incorporated and set aside.

Using an electric mixer, whip the egg whites in a separate bowl on medium-low speed until they are opaque and frothy. Add the cream of tartar, increase the speed to medium-high, and continue to whip until they are thick and form stiff peaks. Working with one-quarter of the whipped egg whites at a time, gently fold them into the yolk mixture until almost no white streaks remain. Gently pour the mixture into the prepared soufflé dish and sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan.

Bake until the top is nicely browned, the center jiggles slightly and an instant-read thermometer inserted through the top side registers 170 degrees, about 25 to 30 minutes.

Servings: 3 to 4.