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Cheese Souffles

Serves 4

These light-as-air cheese puffs are rightly called souffles, despite their unconventional sabayon-type base. They are served floating on a rich cheese cream, called a fondue after the French word for melt.

4 eggs, separated
1/2 cup dry white wine
Salt and freshly ground pepper
4 oz. Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

For the Fondue

3/4 cup heavy cream 4 oz. Gruyere or other easy-melting cheese, grated

To Serve

Snipped chives
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Put the egg yolks and wine in a large heatproof bowl set over a pan of gently simmering water (bain marie) and whisk them together until they reach the ribbon stage. Remove the bowl from the bain marie and whisk until the mixture is cool.

In another bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff. Fold the whites gently but thoroughly into the egg yolk mixture and add salt and pepper to taste.

Bring the cream to the boil in a pan and stir in the Gruyere until melted and smooth. Pour into four shallow ovenproof dishes.

Using two spoons, shape the egg mixture into quenelles and float on the fondue. Sprinkle each quenelle with one-quarter of the grated Parmesan. Bake at 350 F for 10 minutes or until the souffles are puffed up and golden brown. Serve at once, sprinkled with snipped chives, with grated Parmesan cheese handed separately.

Alternative Flavorings

*Replace the Gruyere with blue cheese.
*Add a little rouille to the fondue.
*Add freshly chopped herbs to the fondue.

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Gravlax

In Sweden, they have perfected the art of salting fish to produce the famous gravlax. Use unskinned salmon fillets; once cured, store wrapped in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

1. Lay two 2 lb. salmon fillets skin-side down in a shallow glass dish. Combine 5 tbsp. sea salt, 2/3 cup sugar and 2 tsp. crushed white peppercorns and sprinkle over the fish Sprinkle I large bunch of coarsely chopped dill evenly over the salt mixture.

2. Lay the uncoated fillet, skin-side up over the other. Place foil-covered cardboard over the fillets an weight it down. Refrigerate for 3 days, turning every 12 hours until the seasoning have penetrated the flesh.

3. To serve, separate the two fillets and cut each one crosswise on the diagonal into thin slices. Fan the slices out on individual plates and serve with lemon and dill, and a mustard and dill sauce.

Customer Reviews

Not for begginers nor for experts
I have a love-hate relationship with this book. I think it is good that I have it but I really only started understanding it after taking serious cooking classes in a local technical institute. The book does not really tell you enough to learn from scratch but it does go breezely through the fundamentals. All in all, it is relatively comprehensive and it does give you ideas to become a better cook, but it does not hold on its own as a main cooking reference.

One thing I like from the book is the emphasis they make on dish presentation. I always consult it whan I am trying to figure out how to serve something.

In summary, I think Cordon Bleu can really get down to finish this as it can be a great product but they need to make it more explanatory and comprehensive.

Excellent book!
This book is just amazing. Great help for those who want to master or learn the basic cooking techniques.

If you like to eat, but have no idea where to start preparing or buying food, this is a great start!
This is a great aid in really understanding how to do almost anything basic in the kitchen - from picking produce at precisely the right time to making cheese in your own home. This is not a cookbook - although some basic recipes are covered for the purpose of instruction.

I got this book and read it cover to cover in one sitting - I discovered I had been doing some things incorrectly or inefficiently, I drooled over the pictures of perfect produce, and really took in every bit of information it provided. The pictures are great and so helpful and the book serves as a great reference for how to do stuff you were never taught how to do.

For example, my mother who makes tasty comfort food, has never purchased fresh chicken or beef from the butcher - I grew up on frozen proteins purchased in bulk, so I never knew what to look for or what to ask for if I wanted to buy from the butcher's counter - I was too intimidated and therefore continued my mother's frozen bulk traditions. With this book as my guide, I am now more comfortable stepping out of my comfort zone and trying something new.

If the other Le Cordon Bleu's books are anything like this, I'm investing in the whole set. :)