April 2005 Recipe

Last-Minute Cheese Soufflé

Brie or domestic Munster can be substituted for the Camembert in this minimalist soufflé. You’ll find the full flavor of the cheese comes through clearly.

Serves 6

• butter for the ramekins

• one Camembert cheese (1⁄2 pound)

• 6 eggs, separated

• 3 tablespoons heavy cream or crème fraîche, more if needed

• salt and freshly ground black pepper

• Six 3⁄4-cup ramekins

Preheat the oven to 400°F and butter the ramekins. Chop the cheese, including the rind, and put it in a food processor with the egg yolks, heavy cream, and a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper. Work it until smooth, adding more cream if necessary until the mixture almost falls from the spoon. Transfer it to a bowl.

Stiffly whisk the egg whites in a mixer or by hand, adding a pinch of salt to help stiffen them. If using a mixer, finish whisking them by hand. Stir about a quarter of the egg whites into the cheese mixture to lighten it. Add this mixture back into the remaining whites and fold them together as lightly as possible. Tip the soufflé mixture into the buttered ramekins and smooth the tops with a metal spatula. They should be completely full. Run your thumb around the inside edge of the dishes to detach the mixture from the rim so the soufflés rise straight.

Set the ramekins on a baking sheet and bake until very hot, puffed, and brown, 10 to 12 minutes. When shaken, they should wobble slightly. Do not overbake or the soufflés will be dry. Transfer them to cold plates lined with napkins and serve at once. The center of the soufflés should be slightly soft to provide a sauce for the firm outside.

Getting Ahead: The cheese mixture can be made up to 2 hours ahead and kept covered in the refrigerator. The whites must be whisked just before you assemble and bake the soufflé.