Goat Cheese And Fresh Herb Soufflé

This was going to be a rough night.  It started with me forgetting to mix in the herbs and the souffle was already in the pan.  (expletive!!)  Ok... I will just mix in the herbs gently in to the souffle base in the pan.  Ok it seems like it is going to work.  In to the oven it goes.  30 minutes in to the cooking time, it still looks pretty raw, so I go check the recipe again.  (expletive!)  It says cook at 375 not the 325 I had the oven on.  Ok... crank the oven up to 375 and add ten minutes on the timer.  Ok after 5 minutes, I smell the souffle and I check, it looks done, so I take it out.  Oh, and I noticed it was 2 tsp of tarragon not the tbs I put in.  I don't love tarragon, but in small doses I like it well enough.  I don't care how it turns out at this point, I hate the dish;).  Well, in the end, it was a tad underdone in the center, but still pretty tasty.  My husband loved it and the boy was forced to eat it.  So not the disaster I expected, and we will make it again, but next time following the correct procedures!


  
Goat Cheese And Fresh Herb Soufflé

1/4 Cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
4 Tbl unsalted butter
1/2 Cup all-purpose flour
2 Cup milk
1 bay leaf
1/2 Lb fresh goat cheese crumbled
Salt and freshly ground pepper
4 large eggs separated
2 Tbl minced chives
1 Tbl minced dill
1 Tbl minced flat-leaf parsley
2 Tsp minced tarragon
1. Preheat the oven to 375. Butter a 2-quart souffle dish. Add the
Parmesan and turn to evenly coat the bottom and side of the dish. Tap
out any excess.
2. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over moderate heat. Whisk in
the flour until a smooth paste forms. Whisk in 1 cup of the milk until
smooth, then whisk in the remaining 1 cup of milk and add the bay leaf.
Bring the sauce to a boil, whisking constantly. Reduce the heat to low
and cook, whisking frequently, until very thick, about 10 minutes.
Scrape into a large bowl. Stir in the goat cheese and season with salt
and pepper, then whisk in the egg yolks. Cover and let cool, then stir
in the herbs.
3. In a large stainless steel bowl, beat the egg whites with a pinch of
salt until firm but not dry. Fold one-third of the beaten whites into
the cheese sauce. Fold in the remaining whites, leaving a few white
streaks.
4. Scrape the souffl mixture into the prepared baking dish and bake in
the center of the oven for 45 minutes, or until browned, puffed and
still slightly jiggly in the center. Serve at once.
Make Ahead The souffl base can be prepared through Step 2, without
adding the herbs, and refrigerated overnight. Bring the souffl base to
room temperature and stir in herbs before folding in the beaten egg
whites.