Broccoli Souffle

There's a wonderful little restaurant in the North Beach neighborhood of San Francisco called Cafe Jacqueline at 1454 Grant Avenue, phone # (415) 981-5565. The restaurant is locally known for making amazing souffles. If you go there, then:

1) Make sure you make reservations.
2) Go to the restroom.

I suggest making a reservation because the restaurant is very intimate. There are not many tables, and they do not tend to turnover very quickly. This is because the souffles are made to order and usually take over 30 minutes (in other words, order starters and salads if you are hungry). I also suggest going to the restroom because you'll get to see Jacqueline herself in the kitchen cooking up the souffles by hand.

Wanting to recreate past dinners we've had at Cafe Jacqueline for a dinner that we hosted on New Year's, I made a variation on a recipe I found in the Good Housekeeping Illustrated cookbook. I've always been intimidated by souffles, but I found it wasn't as difficult to make as I thought it would be. Not to diminish Jacqueline's souffles. Her's are pure artistry. (Try the lobster souffle when it's available. With the eggs, cheese, and lobster, it may be richer than Warren Buffet.)

Souffles have a reputation for deflating due to loud noises. But my understanding is that it's actually opening and closing the oven door that can be traumatic for your souffle. Also, you want to beat the egg whites so they are sufficiently stiff but you don't want to overbeat them or else they'll break down. So cast your fears aside and give this souffle a chance.

BROCCOLI SOUFFLE

1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups whole milk
8 oz shredded Gruyere cheese
1 1/2 cups broccoli florets - blanched, chopped, and drained
6 eggs separated

1) In a large pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add in the flour and salt. Stir until smooth.

2) Slowly pour in the milk while stirring constantly. Continue stirring until smooth and thick.

3) Add in the cheese and broccoli. Stir until the cheese melts. Remove pot from heat.

4) Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

5) In a small bowl, slightly beat the egg yolks. While constantly beating, pour in about 3/4 cup of the hot cheese sauce.

6) While stirring rapidly, slowly pour the warmed beaten eggs into the cheese sauce in the large pot.

7) In your electric mixer, beat the egg whites on high speed until they are stiff enough to forms peaks.

8) Lightly grease the bottom of a 2-quart souffle dish.

9) Gently fold the the cheese sauce into the beaten egg whites. Gently pour this mixture into the souffle dish.

10) Bake the souffle for 1 hour until puffy and golden brown. Remove from oven and serve immediately.

Makes 4-6 servings.

Ed's Note: Don't grease the walls of the souffle dish. Otherwise the souffle will have nothing to cling to as it rises, and it won't be as puffy.