Maman's Cheese Soufflé From Jacques Pépin Recipe on Food52 (2024)

Bake

by: Genius Recipes

March9,2021

5

62 Ratings

  • Prep time 15 minutes
  • Cook time 40 minutes
  • Serves 4

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Author Notes

If the intimidation of making a soufflé has kept you away, it's time to change that: This recipe is the easiest soufflé you'll meet. This unusual recipe from Jacques Pepin's maman (which just means "mom" in French) is one you might have heard of—it's made the rounds for decades, and its genius is all thanks to a simple miscommunication.

Unlike traditional French soufflés that call for separating the eggs, adding the yolks to the white sauce, beating the egg whites till stiff, and gently folding them in, this recipe has you beat the eggs straight into the sauce. When Jacques' mother was newly married at seventeen, no one told her the eggs needed to be separated—and it worked! The results are slightly less airy, but some might argue they're even more delicious.

The brilliance of this move, in addition to ease, is that it means you can make the whole thing well ahead of time. Let the mixture hang out at room temperature for a couple hours, or in the fridge for a day. When you're ready to bake, heat your oven and go. As mentioned in The Washington Post, this recipe is also built to adapt. Use Gruyère, cheddar, or other cheeses. Switch up chives for another herb. Or make the soufflés in individual ramekins and customize the toppings. As Pépin's daughter Claudine writes, “We usually serve it as a first course, but we love it for brunch and meatless dinners as well.”

Jacques Pepin's maman's cheese soufflé is simple and comforting enough for a weeknight meal, yet impressive enough for a dinner party or holiday feast. Recipe slightly adapted from The Apprentice: My Life in the Kitchen (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, May 2003).

Note: The pan used in this recipe is the 12.75 x 9” Staub Medium Cast Iron Oval Roasting Dish, available in the Food52 Shop. —Genius Recipes

  • Test Kitchen-Approved

What You'll Need

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Maman's Cheese Soufflé From JacquesPépin

Ingredients
  • 6 tablespoonsunsalted butter, plus additional to butter a 5- to 6-cup gratin dish
  • 1/4 cupfinely grated Parmesan cheese
  • 6 tablespoonsall-purpose flour
  • 2 cupswhole milk
  • 1/2 teaspoonsalt
  • 1/2 teaspoonfreshly ground black pepper
  • 5 extra-large eggs (or 6 large ones)
  • 2 1/2 cupsgrated Swiss cheese, preferably Gruyère (about 6 ounces), plus three more optional slices for garnish (roughly 2-inch by 3-inch)
  • 3 tablespoonsminced chives
Directions
  1. Heat the oven to 400°F. Butter a 5- to 6-cup gratin dish (we used the 12.75 x 9” Staub Medium Cast Iron Oval Roasting Dish from the Food52 Shop), sprinkle the bottom and sides with half the Parmesan, and set it aside. Melt the 6 tablespoons of butter in a saucepan, then add the flour and mix it in well with a whisk. Cook for 10 seconds, add the cold milk in one stroke and mix it in with a whisk. Keep stirring with the whisk until the mixture thickens and comes to a strong boil, about 2 minutes. It should be thick and smooth. Remove from the heat, and stir in the [food52.com](salt and pepper).
  2. Break the eggs into a bowl and beat well with a fork. After about 10 minutes, the white sauce should be cool enough to proceed. Moving quickly, add the eggs, cheese and the chives to the sauce, and mix well to combine. Pour into the buttered gratin dish and cook immediately, or set aside until ready to cook. If setting aside for a few hours, the soufflé can remain outside at room temperature. If assembling a day ahead, refrigerate and bring back to room temperature before baking.
  3. Sprinkle the surface with the remaining 2 tablespoons of Parmesan and arrange the 3 slices of Gruyère in a circle in the center, if using. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until puffy and well browned on top. Although it will stay inflated for quite awhile, it is best served immediately.

Tags:

  • Souffle
  • French
  • Egg
  • Chive
  • Milk/Cream
  • Cheddar
  • Butter
  • Cheese
  • Bake
  • Quick and Easy
  • Make Ahead
  • Serves a Crowd

Recipe by: Genius Recipes

Popular on Food52

51 Reviews

Emily February 27, 2023

Simple, delicious. Would be very easy to swap the chives for finely diced red pepper or would love to try with Fresno chiles for some heat (Not very French I know…)
This is an easy dish that looks extremely impressive. Maman Pepin for the win!

Bluerroses September 20, 2022

A sublime recipe. Made it as written for company. Tonight I made it with good cheddar cheese (all I had). It didn't puff up nearly as much, but tasted great. I'm fascinated with the note that the recipe can be prepped ahead of time--I've gotta try that. An easy and very forgiving recipe. Jacques Pepin (with help from his mom), does it again!

BabyArugula June 6, 2022

First of all, I love the video. This souffle has such a beautiful history.
I cut the recipe down to one-third, and made with parmesan. It was absolutely delicious...airy, with a beautiful crust..rich, yet light.
Merci beaucoup, Monsieur Pepin!

James H. March 3, 2022

This is one of the recipes that if you watch the video and read the recipe, it comes out perfect. I doubled the recipe. I used half cream and half chicken broth for my liquid, but that was the only change I made. Because of the amount I made, it needed 45 minutes of cook time to get the middle of the soufflé to be done. Will definitely make this again.

JudyH November 27, 2021

I have made this delicious recipe several times now and it will always be a staple in my kitchen. It is so easy and everyone loves it. Merci to Jacques maman!!

Sharon R. November 16, 2021

OMG, this was super easy to make and looked and tasted so sublime! If you've ever wanted to make a souffle but were hesitant - here's an absolutely foolproof recipe and one you'll make time and time again! I served mine with sliced proscuitto and dressed arugula and crunchy toast. THANK YOU Mr. Pepin for sharing your Maman's recipe!

Aliceb August 13, 2021

LOOKS YUMMY! Can I sub cornstarch or tapioca for flour to make it gf?

JOELOP February 18, 2021

This was easy and tasted fantastic, the whole family enjoyed it!

cosmiccook February 6, 2021

Love this recipe! Love, love, love Jacques Pepin! I had a lot of cheese pieces left over from the holidays and I just combined them all. I added some Fine Herbs from Spice House and Quatre Epices for added flavor.

AliceToo January 24, 2021

I just made this - So good! I made 1/3 of the recipe - 2 large eggs - in a traditional 2-cup souffle dish. Baked at 375 in my convection oven for 20 min. Perfect!

Wavey January 19, 2021

I made Claudine's version with cauliflower puree and slightly less cheese (though a very good gruyere). It was delicious and still plenty rich. I added a little grate of nutmeg in a nod to both the gruyere and the cauliflower.

caswat2016 December 29, 2020

I have made this recipe many times. Such a delicious and easy thing to whip up for brunch that really impresses people (while you secretly gloat over how little effort you had to expend). I usually just do Gruyere and Thyme, but for Christmas brunch I mixed in some local smoked salmon, dill, and some Emmental. Paired well with a simple green salad with citrus supremes (another way to make your friends feel like they are getting a four star meal with a few slices of the knife for you ;)).

caswat2016 December 29, 2020

I have made this recipe many times. Such a delicious and easy thing to whip up for brunch that really impresses people (while you secretly gloat over how little effort you had to expend). I usually just do Gruyere and Thyme, but for Christmas brunch I mixed in some local smoked salmon, dill, and some Emmental. Paired well with a simple green salad with citrus supremes (another way to make your friends feel like they are getting a four star meal with a few slices of the knife for you ;)).

Merry December 29, 2020

This was excellent and smelled delicious while baking. Since there are only two of us, we had a lot leftover. Happily, the next day, we cut some of it into serving size pieces, placed them in a dry nonstick pan and heated. The slight crust that formed on the bottom as the slices warmed made it even more delicious.

Nina P. November 21, 2020

Thank you for such a versatile, easy and elegant recipe! We made with cheeses (sharp cheddar and pecorino) we had in the fridge and some fresh scallions. Delicious and can’t wait to make this again! My 8 year old approved!

Sinv T. November 7, 2020

Hi Can you kindly advice 6 tablespoon of butter is how many grams? Thanks

NCdana November 7, 2020

One tablespoon of butter equals 14.1 grams.

TK November 22, 2020

thank you

Larry K. April 16, 2022

You need someone to do that for you?

daisy G. October 6, 2020

I used cheddar cheese and added finely ground ham, it was fabulous. I don’t think there is any way you could not make this basic recipe work!

Sammie F. October 11, 2021

Right it's wonderful

Sheila B. September 25, 2020

I’m going to do two side by side. Should I increase cook time ? I did each one separate. Didn’t double receive.

Celi September 1, 2020

I made this recipe and was easy and delicious, my kids and my husband loved it!!

Allyson R. June 12, 2020

I think my husband would travel over the moon for this. It's so simple yet perfect in everyway. It's not just a do once or twice recipe. This is a forever recipe to be repeated throughout life. Once I ran out of grated cheese and used the cheap grated parmesan, you know - the one that comes in a green labeled plastic shaker, for the sides. It worked well and crusted beautifully. I'm going to try Mahon and some other cheeses next. Excellent recipe. Love Jacque Pepin!

Maman's Cheese Soufflé From Jacques Pépin Recipe on Food52 (2024)

FAQs

What to serve with cheese soufflé as a starter? ›

There's nothing better with the light, airy texture and rich flavor of a cheese soufflé than the crunch and acidity of a salad. Keep it simple with romaine hearts (grilled if it's the season; you can do it while the soufflé is in the oven), or mixed baby greens—especially something peppery like arugula.

How long does a cheese souffle last in the fridge? ›

Souffle may be made up ahead and refrigerated as long as 24 hours. Put souffle in cold oven and bake 50 minutes at 325 degrees. It can also be frozen up to 7 days.

Should you use fresh or old eggs for soufflé? ›

Fresh eggs are essential when used to give lift to cakes or to whip up into meringue to make pavlovas, soufflés or light-as-air Chocolate Mousse. This is because old eggs don't whip up as well. Fresh eggs are also better for poaching because they have tighter whites so they poach neatly.

Do you grease a soufflé dish? ›

You can either butter only the bottom of the souffle dish, leaving the sides ungreased so that the souffle can climb, or you can grease the whole thing and then coat the bottom and sides with fine breadcrumbs or grated cheese so the rising souffle has something to grab onto.

What is the secret to a good soufflé? ›

Ensure all your ingredients, especially the eggs, are at room temperature. Do not use cold eggs. Prepare and grease the soufflé dishes before you start making the soufflé mixture. Preheat the oven so once the soufflé is made and in the dish, it can go directly into the oven.

What meat to serve with cheese soufflé? ›

Serve cheese soufflé with roasted meat like beef, ham, or lamb, and a crisp green salad or vegetable on the side.

Do soufflés reheat well? ›

*For best reheating results, use a hot water bath with souffles left uncovered. It is recommended to refrigerate extra uncooked souffle mixture for 2 to 3 days and then bake when ready to consume.

Why did my soufflé fall apart? ›

Underbake and you'll have a soupy mess. Overbake and a once beautifully majestic souffle will collapse. Get your timing wrong--souffles have no tolerance for late-to-the-table dinner guests--and your souffle will fall.

Can you eat cheese souffle next day? ›

Remove from the oven, wait a few minutes until they have cooled down enough and then remove from the tray. Set aside before running a knife around the edge to loosen the soufflé. These can be made in advance and stored in the fridge up to a day in advance or in the freezer for a week or two.

Do you need cream of tartar for soufflé? ›

You technically could — egg whites will still whip to stiff peaks without cream of tartar — but we highly recommend including it whenever it's called for in a recipe. While developing those lofty Japanese Soufflé Pancakes, Molly quickly realized how integral a stabilizer was to create the perfect pancake texture.

Can you use cream of tartar in soufflé? ›

Beat egg whites and cream of tartar in large bowl, until stiff but not dry. Fold some of the egg whites into sauce to make it lighter, then gently but thoroughly fold the sauce into the remaining egg whites. Carefully pour into 4-cup (1 L) soufflé or casserole dish.

How do I know when my soufflé is done? ›

A soufflé is done baking when it has risen above the rim of the dish and is nicely browned on top. It should feel mostly firm and only slightly jiggly when you lightly tap the top. Flourless soufflés, such as those made with fruit purée or chocolate, are lighter and cook faster.

How do restaurants serve soufflé? ›

Individual souffles should go right on serving plates in their dishes and to the table. Big souffles should be brought to the table. Use a serving spoon and fork and cut right into the center.

Should soufflés be cooked in a water bath? ›

Place the filled ramekins or soufflé dish in a bain-marie to bake for 25 to 30 minutes until golden and puffy. What is a bain-marie, you might ask? This hi-tech-sounding name simply describes a water bath that creates a gentle, uniform heat around your food while it cooks.

How should soufflé be served? ›

Use a serving spoon and fork and cut right into the center. (The souffle is less likely to fall if you cut into the center rather than cutting around the edges.) Working quickly, spoon the souffle on to the serving plates. With entree souffles, I like to serve the souffle on a dinner plate with salad.

When should a soufflé be served? ›

Bake soufflé and serve:

Bake soufflé until puffed and set, 30 to 35 minutes. (Do not open oven during first 25 minutes of baking.) Serve immediately.

What dish is a soufflé served in? ›

Soufflés are often served in the glazed, white, round porcelain containers they're cooked in. These containers — called ramekins — come in many different sizes. Because soufflés are delicate creations, they're usually served quickly upon coming out of the oven.

What wine goes with cheddar cheese soufflé? ›

Best wine pairings with cheddar cheese: Cabernet Sauvignon, Tempranillo, Malbec, Sangiovese, Rosé, or Chardonnay.

References

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