On the Table: Bleu Cheese and Parm Souffle

Bleu cheese and eggs went so well together in bleu cheese eggs, I decided to do a variation - bleu cheese in a souffle!  The eggs take a very different form, but the results are still delicious!  I used half bleu cheese and half parmesan cheese, which really helped balance out the flavor.  I adapted a recipe from the 1961 version of The New York Times Cook Book - they used cheddar cheese, which I bet would also be delicious!  To prepare:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Butter or spray the inside of a two-quart souffle dish, and coat the inside of the dish with grated parmesan cheese.

Separate four eggs (I just use my hands, but you could also use an egg separator).

Put 1.5 cups of milk (2% or whole) in a small saucepan over low heat, and bring it up to a simmer.

In the meantime, melt a quarter of a cup of butter in a medium-sized pot.

Whisk a quarter of a cup of flour into the melted butter.

Allow to cook for a few minutes, so the mixture lightens slightly in color.  Whisk in the hot milk (try to get out any lumps).  Add in salt, cayenne pepper, and worcestershire sauce to taste.

Remove the pot from the heat and allow it to cool slightly.  In the meantime, grate/crumble half a pound of cheese - I used approximately equal parts bleu and parmesan.  Stir the cheese into the milk mixture, until the cheese (mostly) melts (the bleu cheese might remain in small chunks).

When the cheese is incorporated, whisk in the egg yolks, one at a time.  Once all of the egg yolks are incorporated, allow the mixture to cool while you whip the egg whites.

Whip the egg whites to stiff peaks.  You could use a stand mixer, hand mixer, or your hand and a whisk.  I do not recommend the last option!

Fold the egg whites into the cheese mixture.  Don't stir it, really, otherwise you'll lose a lot of the air you incorporated into the egg whites.  You want to add maybe a quarter of the egg whites at a time, then incorporate them into the cheese mixture by running a spatula through the egg whites and around the bowl, then folding it all together.

When all of the egg whites are incorporated, pour the mixture into the prepared souffle dish.

Bake in the preheated oven for about half an hour, until the souffle is risen and nicely browned on top.  (I used the oven light to check on the souffle's progress; if you are going to open the oven door, open it just a little and very gently - you don't want cold air whooshing into the oven or your souffle might fall).

Eat immediately.

Enjoy!