I had never made souffle before in my life.  It turns out to be an incredibly easy thing to make, and it is one of my very favorite foods now.  I will be definitely making more in the future.

Here is how I did my cheese souffle.

4 tbsp butter

1/4 cup flour

1 1/2 cups milk, warmed

6 eggs separated

dash cayenne

1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup grated cheddar, jack, swiss or guyere cheese

1.) Preheat the oven to 400 degress.  this recipe makes 2 quarts of souffle. Use butter to grease one, 2 quart souffle or two 2 quart souffle dishes or eight 1 cup souffles or any combination of the above.  Sprinkle a little bit of cheese on the inside of each souffle on top of the butter.

2.) Place a medium saucepan over medium heat and add the remaining butter.  When it foams, add the flour and turn the heat to medium-low.  Cook stirring the mixture until it darkens a bit, about 3 minutes.  Wisk in the milk slowly and cook until it is think, 2 mintues longer.

3.) turn off the heat and stir in the egg yolks, cayenne, mustard, cheeses and salt and pepper to taste.

4.) Beat the egg whites with a pinch of cream of tartar until they hold soft peaks.  Stir a couple of spoonfuls of egg whites into the batter.  Very gently pour the rest in and use your hand (or a spatula if you must) to fold in the remaining whites to the batter.  Be as gentle as you can–don’t over mix.

5.) Pour the batter into the prepared dishes and bake until the souffle has risen and is brown on top.  This will take about 15 minutes with smaller souffles and up to 40 mintues with a larger souffle.

6.) Use a knife or a skewer to check to see if it is done in the middle.  If it is still very wet, bake for 5 minutes longer and check again.  It will still be a bit moist when it is done.