#5 Roquefort Soufflès
(from a link submitted by gab: Roquefort Soufflés Recipe - Gail Simmons | Food & Wine)



2 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus softened butter for the ramekins
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
Pinch of salt
Pinch of cayenne pepper
2 ounces Roquefort cheese
5 large eggs, separated
2 tablespoons snipped chives

Preheat the oven to 375°. Butter four 1-cup ramekins and coat each one with 1 tablespoon of the grated Parmigiano.
In a medium saucepan, melt the 2 tablespoons of butter. Add the flour and cook over moderate heat for 1 minute, whisking constantly.
Add the milk, salt and cayenne and cook, whisking, until very thick and bubbling, about 2 minutes.
Scrape the mixture into a large bowl and whisk in the Roquefort and the remaining 1/4 cup of grated Parmigiano.
Whisk in the egg yolks and chives.
In another bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites until firm peaks form.
Fold the beaten whites into the cheese mixture until no streaks remain.
Pour the mixture into the ramekins, filling them three-fourths of the way; set the ramekins on a baking sheet.
Bake the soufflés for about 20 minutes, until puffed and golden.
Place the soufflés on plates and serve immediately.

Notes: The flavor of this was really good, but the texture was too heavy. I think the roux was too thick, or maybe lining the ramekins with grated cheese wasn't a good idea, though it's traditional to do that in cheese souffles. But it was more like a poofy quiche than a light, airy, melt-in-your-mouth souffle like I'm used to having. Maybe I made the whites too stiff, or I should have pulled them out a bit sooner. They just seemed dryish, but OK. I served them with some of the left over creme fraiche from the other day and it was an improvement. I'll try the recipe again another time, and I'll whip the whites a little less, and take them out of the oven a bit sooner. Souffles are hard to get right, I messed them up alot in culinary school. But they're cheap enough to make (don't HAVE to use the most expensive blue cheese), so I'll keep trying