Cheese souffle (recipe by Julia Child)

I love Julia Child's book. It's a book that tells you about different cooking techniques, knowing that the reader may not know anything about cooking, in order to see them applied to the different recipes that she presents, which are many. In this way, you enter the culinary world, and the truth is that her passion for cooking takes over you.

For those who don't know much (or anything!) about cooking, it is definitely a must-read; and for those who already have a lot of knowledge, Julia will enjoy all the recipes she suggests, and they can certainly show off with them.

That said, I love that Carmen, from Yerbabuena en la cocina , has made one of the recipes found in Julia Child's book. An ideal proposal for summer, and one that I am convinced you will enjoy .

Summer is here with a vengeance and the heat is starting to take its toll. It is becoming more and more difficult to fall asleep at night and we increasingly want to prepare light or fresh things that not only help us feel better, but also give us more time to enjoy our family or friends without it being an extra effort while we wait for our long-awaited vacation.

At home we love snacking and informal meals. I really enjoy improvising dinners with family and friends. I must admit that Saturday nights are very special for me, as I take advantage of the time to be with my children sitting on the sofa around the table, while they take care of taking out of the fridge what they like the most: some cold cuts, pizzas, different types of cheeses that are always present at home...

That's why I couldn't resist showing you this Tellier "Frisette" cutter, which makes it possible to cut large rosette-shaped shavings called girolles, designed for the Swiss cheese Tête de Moine, whose name means monk's head and which comes from the Bellelay Abbey.

But returning to today's recipe, I will tell you that the soufflé is a classic of French cuisine, light, soft, delicate, and loved by both children and adults, whether in its sweet or savoury versions.

And what better reference than Julia Child, icon of French cuisine, to learn how to make a good soufflé? Her books are a culinary compendium of good cooking, with rigorously tested recipes and clear and precise instructions. Originally from the United States, Julia Child elevated an everyday act such as cooking to something much more sublime and, as her work is titled, she made The Art of French Cooking available to us.

I have followed the recipe in the book to the letter, only instead of using a larger mould, I have used these beautiful Le Creuset ramekins , which I have presented accompanied by a simple and delicious salad of arugula, figs and girolles from Tête de Moine, which contrasts both in flavour and texture perfectly.

Pictured, Pallarès boxwood-handled knife , Bérard olive wood board , Le Creuset ramekins , frisette cheese cutter , and Julia Child's The Art of French Cooking, volumes 1 and 2.

Ingredients (4 people)

For the soufflé:

• 3 tablespoons of butter
• 3 tablespoons of flour
• 1 Cup of boiling milk (200 g)
• 4 Egg yolks
• 5 egg whites beaten until stiff
• ¾ Cup grated Gruyere cheese
• 1 tablespoon grated parmesan
• ½ teaspoon of salt
• White pepper
• A pinch of nutmeg
• Butter to spread on the molds
• Breadcrumbs

For the salad:

• 1 package of arugula
• 4 Figs cut into quarters
• 8 Girolles of the Head of Moine

For the vinaigrette:

• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon of honey
• 3 tablespoons of olive oil
• Salt

Elaboration

1. Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the flour, stirring constantly, and cook over medium heat for about two minutes. Add the boiling milk and add the salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Stir with a whisk to mix well, and once it starts to boil, let it boil for one minute, stirring constantly. The bechamel should be very thick. Remove from the heat.
2. Separate the egg whites from the yolks and add the latter one by one to the saucepan with milk, stirring after each addition until the last one is incorporated. Adjust the salt.
3. Beat the egg whites until stiff. If you use an electric mixer, start with a low speed for one minute or until it starts to foam. Then add a pinch of salt and gradually increase the speed until you get shiny peaks.
4. Add a quarter of the egg whites to the mixture in the saucepan and gently fold in. Add the Gruyere and Parmesan cheese (both of which you will have grated previously; I find the Microplane zester grater to be fantastic, which you have probably heard about because they say it is the best in the world). Add the rest of the egg whites and fold in from bottom to top and in the centre.
5. Pour the soufflé mixture into the ramen casseroles (I used Le Creuset, but if you don't have one, you can also use mini-cocottes ), greased with a little butter and sprinkled with breadcrumbs, covering three-quarters of the containers. Tap the moulds on the table and smooth the surface of the soufflé a little.
6. Preheat the oven to 205º. Place the ramenquins in the middle of the oven and lower the temperature to 190º. Cook until the surface begins to brown. Leave them in the oven for 4 or 5 minutes to give them a little more consistency.
7. To prepare the salad, take the Tête de Moine cheese out of the fridge a while beforehand to allow it to warm up. Turn the cutter blade over it, remove the flower-shaped shavings and set aside.
8. Mix all the ingredients for the vinaigrette in a bowl and stir well. Cut the figs into quarters. Place the arugula in a salad bowl, dress it with the dressing and place on plates, leaving room for the ramekin . Place the figs and cheese flowers on top.
9. After 4 minutes, immediately serve the soufflés with the salad.