Cauliflower Souffle

Sally Schmidt makes this gorgeous soufflé for her cooking classes in her big, pretty kitchen on The Apple Farm in Philo, California. We’ve learned lots about cooking and eating from the Schmidts, but it’s “the good life” they have on their beautiful family farm that truly inspires us. 

Ingredients

For the Soufflé

• 5 Tablespoon salted butter
• 3 Tablespoon finely grated parmigiano-reggiano
• 2 Cup roasted cauliflower, finely chopped
• ¼ Cup finely chopped parsley
• ¼ Cup all-purpose flour
• 1½ Cup whole milk
• 6 Large egg yolks
• 8 Large egg whites

For the Brown Butter

• 8 Tablespoon (1 stick) salted butter

Preparation

Step 1

For the soufflé, preheat oven to 400º with a rack set in the middle. Use 1 tablespoon softened butter to grease a 2-quart soufflé dish, then sprinkle with cheese, knocking out excess. Mix together the cauliflower, parsley, and salt and pepper to taste, in a large bowl.

Step 2

Melt remaining 4 tablespoons butter in a heavy medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour, then cook, whisking, until pale golden, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add the milk a little at a time, whisking constantly until very smooth and thick. Remove from heat and whisk in the yolks, one at a time. Stir into the cauliflower mixture.

Step 3

Beat the whites in a bowl with an electric mixer at high speed until they just hold stiff peaks (they should not look dry). Stir a heaping spoonful of whites into the cauliflower to lighten it, then gently fold in remaining whites until just combined. Gently spoon into soufflé dish (leave at least 1½ inches of space at top) and bake until golden brown and top appears set, 35–40 minutes.

Brown Butter

For the brown butter, cook butter in a small heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until it turns golden with a nutlike fragrance and the flecks on bottom of the pan are rich brown, about 6 minutes. Remove from heat.

Serving

Serve the soufflé while it is still all puffy, drizzled with warm brown butter.