Since I began the Cheese Course, my fridge is stocked to the gills with great cheeses. I generally like to 
just enjoy them by themselves with a glass of wine during Happy Hour, but I've been looking for some other ways to show off their wonderful attributes. Cooking with cheese can be a risky proposition. Too often, the flavors get jumbled up with everything else, and what really makes each cheese special becomes completely lost. Too many things are simply Cheese and _____ (Insert food item here). In Sandwiches, Wraps, Enchiladas, Burritos, Salads and Omelets, cheese is just a bit of extra creamy goodness and flavor, an enhancement to be sure, but not the star of the show. Which is why I love fondues and souffles - cheese is the whole deal, maybe some other flavors spice things up, but they are a great vehicle to really let their wonderful cheesiness (Is this a word?) shine through.
I had seen a recipe for Goat Cheese and Walnut Souffles in the Gourmet Cookbook, and I couldn't stop 
thinking about it. With all of the recent Goat Cheese abundance, I kept imagining a souffle of my own, with a few twists, of course. I pulled out what was left of the Truf, Goat Cheese Extraordinaire, and added a few shavings of Romano. Using the Gourmet recipe as inspiration, I added my cheeses and some diced green chiles to the herby souffle mix. The result was fabulous! The unusual thing was that none of the flavors overpowered the others. It wasn't too herby, too spicy, or too goaty, all of the flavors worked well together, creating a delicious, elegant tasting main course. We had it with salad picked from the garden, and crusty pieces of still-warm-from-the-oven bread. I had cut the recipe in half because there are only three of us, but I'll make the whole thing next time, using one large souffle dish. I ate the last one for breakfast the next day. It was just as good reheated, and left me wishing that I had more leftovers.
Green Chile and Goat Cheese Souffles
11/2 tablespoons butter
1/8 cup flour
1/2 cup whole milk
2 large eggs, separated, room temperature
3 ounces creamy goat cheese (I only had 2 oz., so I added an oz. of grated Romano)
1/2 small can diced green chiles
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme
pinch salt and pepper
pinch cream of tarter
4 small ramekins
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Butter sides and bottom of ramekins and place on a baking sheet. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a saucepan over low heat. Whisk in flour and cook for 3 minutes to make a roux. Add milk in a steady stream, whisking constantly and bring to a boil over moderate heat. Boil about 2 minutes until sauce is very thick. Transfer to a bowl to cool slightly. Whisk in egg yolks one at a time, then whisk in goat cheese, thyme, salt, pepper, and green chiles until well combined.
Beat egg whites with a pinch of salt in a large bowl until frothy. Add cream of tarter and beat until the whites just hold stiff peaks. Whisk one third of the egg whites into the cheese mixture to lighten it, then fold in remaining whites, gently but thoroughly.
Divide souffle mixture into ramekins and bake until puffed and golden about 20 minutes.
Enjoy!
Souffle scares me... but I may have to swallow my fear and try this one. It looks yummy!
Posted by: Dolores | August 06, 2007 at 11:23 PM