There are more than seventy-five recipes for delicious meals to prepare with love--meals that will satisfy the heart and soul as well as the palate.Kitchen suppers are meals that sometimes--but don't have to--take place in the kitchen. Always cooked with ease and love, they can be shared with family and friends--or sometimes eaten by yourself.Alison Becker Hurt owns and runs three of the most respected and popular restaurants in the New York area--Alison on Dominick Street
Soufflés are not hard. You just think they are. if you can master this easy recipe you will have several more variations at your fingertips. Substitute Cheddar cheese and port for the blue cheese and vermouth. You may also replace some of the milk with sour cream, but then add an extra tablespoon or two of flour.
Makes 4 to 6 servings
For the pan:
2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup fine cracker crumbs, preferable Ritz crackers or saltines
For the soufflé:
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups milk
4 large eggs, at room temperature, separated
8 ounces blue cheese, crumbled (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 tablespoon dry vermouth
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste (no more than a teaspoon)
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. to prepare the pan: Coat the inside of a 2-quart soufflé dish with the butter. Sprinkle the crumbs in the dish and tilt to coat the dish with the crumbs.
To make the soufflé: In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat until it's foamy. Whisk in the flour until the mixture is smooth. Whisk in the milk and bring to a simmer, whisking occasionally, to make a thick sauce. Remove from the heat and let stand until slightly cooled, about 5 minutes.
In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks. Gradually whisk in about 1 cup of the hot milk mixture. Stir the egg yolks into the sauce in the saucepan. Add the blue cheese and vermouth, whisking until the cheese is almost completely melted.
In a clean medium bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Stir a large spoonful of the egg whites into the cheese mixture to lighten it. Using a rubber spatula, carefully fold the remaining egg whites into the cheese mixture. Do not beat the mixture or it will deflate and you will have messed everything up before you even had a chance. Season with the pepper. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan.
Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. and continue baking until the soufflé is puffed and golden, 15 to 20 minutes more. Serve immediately.
