Out of the oven comes my souffles, looking puffy and lovely. Then there is a knock on the door, which I ignore, even though I know it is the UPS man. I quickly bring it to the “photo” area and set it carefully down. Then an oh too familiar sound…my dog is in the corner throwing up…I ignore this too and set up. I whip out the camera, which is already to go and get two pictures taken…and the camera freezes(which means I am out of batteries…point and shoots just take double A’s). Frantically running through the house and using language that I usually only reserve for playing hockey I find two batteries and thrust them into the camera as quick as I possible can. The sinking had already begun so I just went ahead and put the sauce on and took pictures. It still had a little puff but had life not intervened(once again) I could have gotten a few more “good” ones in.
I chose to do a cheese souffle for HHDD(Hay Hay It’s Donna Day), hosted this time around by Running with Tweezers… Tami is a repeat winner of HHDD so she knows how to pick a theme :). I love them so and they are such a classic. I did go cheese crazy mostly to use up the plethora of cheese that was in the fridge…gosh I love cheese. I went with the cherry sauce because I wanted a little something sweet to cut through all of the cheesy goodness.
Six Cheese Souffle with Cherry Black Pepper Sauce
Souffle
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
5 tablespoons all purpose flour
Pinch of ground nutmeg
1 1/4 cups whole milk
1/4 cup dry white wine
6 large eggs, seperated
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 cup coarsely grated white cheddar cheese
1/4 cup coarsely grated sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 cup coarsely grated balarina goat gouda cheese
1/4 cup coarsely grated manchego cheese
1/4 cup coarsely grated Gruyère cheese
1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 400°F. Generously butter one 10-cup soufflƒ© dish or six 1 1/4-cup soufflƒ© dishes; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese to coat. (If using 1 1/4-cup dishes, place all 6 on rimmed baking sheet.) Melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add flour, pepper and nutmeg. Cook without browning until mixture begins to bubble, whisking constantly, about 1 minute. Gradually whisk in milk, then wine. Cook until smooth, thick and beginning to boil, whisking constantly, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Mix yolks, salt and pepper in small bowl. Add yolk mixture all at once to sauce and whisk quickly to blend. Fold in the cheeses (cheeses do not need to melt). Using electric mixer, beat whites in large bowl until stiff but not dry. Fold 1/4 of whites into lukewarm soufflƒ© base to lighten. Fold in remaining whites. Transfer soufflƒ© mixture to prepared dish.
Place soufflƒ© in oven; reduce heat to 375°F. Bake soufflƒ© until puffed, golden and gently set in center, about 40 minutes for large soufflƒ© (or 25 minutes for small soufflƒ©s). Using oven mitts, transfer soufflƒ© to platter and serve immediately.
Makes 4 to 6 servings.
Source: Adapted from Bon Appetit
Cherry and Black Pepper Sauce
3/4 cup black cherry jam
2 tsp fresh cracked black pepper
Melt jam in a saucepan on medium heat and add pepper. Cook until it starts to bubble and has a smooth consistancy. Remove from heat.
Jann says
excellent-absolutely breathtaking…..I could dive right into the dish! Have you heard the saying,” when it rains, it pours”-how many other things could have happened at the moment you took out the souffle from the oven-the phone!You managed to pull it all off with perfection again!
Deb says
OMG…that looks incredible!
Jeff says
Cherries and black pepper…what an interesting combo!
Brilynn says
Those shots are plenty good enough for me! I love that you added cherries. I made a chocolate souffle the other night but f’ed it up so I’m going to try again…
Abby says
You mean it isn’t SUPPOSED to look like that? But it’s beautiful! (And is that a ramekin? Or a large dish?)
Kirsten says
This cracked me up…it’s so like life that the MINUTE a souffle is ready 8 things happen at once.
None the less, the sinkage was minimal and this is beautiful. Sooo delicious looking!
aria says
oh peabody i think i love you! so very elegant. ..
Patricia Scarpin says
Oh, Peabody, these things make us mad as hell, don’t they?
Your souffle looks great, though.
Ellie says
Despite the barrage of events, I think this looks stunning! What a beautiful puffy top, and that sauce looks like a divine accompaniment!
Tanna says
Gosh Peabody, what an amazing series of events ending in a gorgeous souffle.
Souffles are another one of those items we put off trying because it has been painted out to be so difficult. They do take some care and they are falling as soon as they come out of the oven. BUT they are possible even with Murphy’s Law working overtime!
Beautiful souffle.
Lisa says
I heart that you decided to bring some sweetness in with the savory.. yum!
Coreen says
Yum! What a clever combination of flavors. I bet it was delicious:).
bea at La tartine gourmande says
Delicious. They are so nicely puffed!
Natalia says
That sounds delicious! Cheese and cherry together in the form of a souffle? Wonderful! I’ve got to taste this!
Kristen says
I had a moment like this when the timer was going off for my pumpkin roll. If this was a mommy blog I’d go into details, but since it isn’t I’ll spare you the horrid details!
Your pictures look amazing!! Love the sauce dripping down the side. I just want to lick it up.
gattina says
Peabody, I luuuuuuuuuve souffle! Your photos still fantastic, my drool runs much longer that that cherry sauce!
Sara says
Looks delicious – cheese and cherries, yum!
Terry B says
Collapsing or not, the photos are gorgeous! I loved your description of the difficulties in getting the photos–complete with the hockey playing language. When the wheels start falling off things in my kitchen, I start cursing up a storm. Hence the name Blue Kitchen for my own blog. Sometimes I think I should step back and photograph the makeshift set-ups I use to get my photos, but then I take the Wizard’s approach: “Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain!”
Emily says
Crazy good, Peabody – love the cherry-cheese combination. Black cherry jam is awesome.
joey says
Your souffle looks heavenly! Literally, because it looks like soft clouds with light shining down on them…And the combination of the cheese souffle and the fruit sauce is a winner! 🙂 This HHDD is my first time to souffle so I stuck to the original recipe…but I will try this one next!
barbara says
I’m drooling at the idea of this combination Peabody. Clever you. Thanks for joining in HHDD.
Rachel says
Those look so good! Another great way to combine cheese and jam. Yum!
arfi says
WOW!!! They look gorgeous!
J says
Well done, very well deserved! I love the use of all the cheeses. I look forward to see your challenge for the next Donna Day
Lynne says
Congratulations on your HHDD win! Your souffle looks wonderful and the post was hilarious.
Shari says
Please excuse my ignorance but is this a dessert souffle or a main course?
Peabody says
@Shari- it’s an appetizer kind of course