6ouncesshredded cheese(I use a combination of Swiss and Gruyere)
¼teaspoondried thyme
¼teaspoonsalt
½teaspoonblack pepper
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Use 1 tablespoon of the butter to butter the bottom and sides of your baking dish. Sprinkle about half of the Parmesan cheese over the butter. You don’t need to fully coat the baking dish, just add a bit of Parmesan to the surface of the dish. As the soufflé bakes, the Parmesan will add delicious flavor to the outside surface of the soufflé. Set the baking dish on a cookie sheet or baking sheet and set aside as you prepare the batter.
In a medium saucepan, make a roux by melting the butter over medium heat. Once the butter has melted, add the flour and whisk or stir with a wooden spoon. Continue to stir as the flour and butter combine. Cook, moving the mixture constantly until it swells slightly and takes on a golden color. Do not cook the roux long enough to brown.
Add the cold milk in one addition while whisking briskly to help the roux disperse into the liquid. Continue to whisk occasionally to prevent the milk from sticking to the bottom of the pan as the mixture heats and comes to a gentle boil. The roux will thicken the milk as it comes to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat once the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Allow the mixture to rest and cool for five to ten minutes. While it rests, prepare the eggs. Break the eggs into a medium bowl. Use a fork or whisk to break them up and create a frothy, smooth mass of egg.
When the sauce has cooled a bit, temper the eggs to prevent them from scrambling from the heat of the sauce. This can easily be achieved by adding a bit of the warm sauce to the room temperature (or cold) eggs to warm them slightly before adding them to the saucepan. Give the sauce mixture a stir to make it easier to work with and then add approximately half of the sauce to the bowl with the eggs while stirring or whisking to combine. Once the egg/sauce mixture is fully combined and smooth, transfer it into the saucepan and stir to combine.
Add the shredded cheese, dried thyme, salt, and pepper to the sauce and stir until well combined. Transfer the mixture to your prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the remaining Parmesan cheese on top and add a sprinkling of dried thyme if desired.
Transfer the baking dish to the preheated oven. Bake for 35-40 minutes. The soufflé will puff up and often above the edges of the baking pan while baking. The exposed sides and top will brown and the middle should be set when it is fully baked.
Remove the soufflé from the oven and serve immediately. While the soufflé will hold its shape for a few minutes, it deflates rather quickly so digging in immediately beats gravity to the punch.