Jacques Pepin’s Maman’s non-soufflé soufflé for a no-stress Mother’s Day

No separating eggs! No beating egg whites! I made this before Mass and left it on the counter.

This is not new and several major magazines have published this recipe; I am basing this on the one published on the Jacques Pépin Foundation website. Jacques Pépin’s mother was told to make a soufflé at work. She was a teenager and did not know how. She whisked whole eggs and grated cheese into béchamel and this was the result. It is not as high or fluffy as a classic soufflé but is close enough for government work and Jacques (and me!).

No Stress soufflé

Ingredients

5 extra large eggs

6 tbsp butter, plus more to grease the baking dish

6 tbsp flour

2 C whole milk

½ tsp each salt and pepper (I add a bit of cayenne and dry mustard)

2 ½ C grated cheese (6-8 oz) I used a mix of extra sharp Cheddar, Muenster and Comte, but Gruyère is traditional

finely grated parmagiano reggiano or pecorino Romano

3 tbsp minced chives

Method

Heat oven to 400. Grease 6-cup baking dish with butter and dust sides with parmagiano or pecorino. Melt 6 tbsp butter in saucepan over medium heat until bubbling. Whisk in flour (and dry mustard if using) and cook for a minute or two. Add milk all at once and whisk constantly until it comes to a boil; cook for about another minute. Add salt and pepper. Taste for seasoning. Let cook for about 10 minutes while you grate cheese and whisk the eggs. Whisk the eggs until well incorporated, and whisk into the cooled sauce with the cheese and the chives. Pour into the baking dish. (optional: can arrange 3-5 thin slices of cheese in the center in a pinwheel before baking). You can let this sit for a couple hours or even refrigerate it overnight. Bake for 30-40 minutes until puffed and well browned on top. Best served immediately.

Tags: soufflé, Jacques Pépin, eggs, cheese