Dungeness Crab & Cheddar Souffle

 And now, for the star of the show!

I know, I know, souffles are not the stars of the beauty pageant. Especially these days, when we're used to receiving plates who composition was created with the aid of tool from squirt bottles to surgical tweezers.  Still, there is a reason making a good souffle is something to be proud of. Because of this, they still sneak into far more evolved menus as specials and dessert options whose exclusivity as something requiring extra preparation heightens its otherwise lackluster allure. Thus, behold the best souffle that I have ever made! Yes, I should probably not admit that, but I don't care. It's true. My previous attempts either fell a bit flat or tasted odd, especially when it came to cheese.  The former was probably due to a lack of cream of tartar, which, barring the presence of copper, is the miracle drug for egg whites (if you see a recipe using whipped eggs that doesn't specify it, add some anyway), and the latter had more to do with rather dried out blue cheeses of various types.

This lovely happenstance you see before you came about because dungeness crab is in season in Seattle and is currently cheaper than steak. Along with a loaf of bread and some bananas, I came upon crab for around $5 per pound.  How could I say no? Usually, my excitement over dungeness crab is so high that I cannot be bothered to do much more than create a butter sauce of some sort to dip it in. There is still nothing wrong with this approach, but I was quite taken with the idea of a crab dish I made a few months earlier. Featured in the 1970's Joy of Cooking, you essentially make a mornay sauce, throw in a little dry sherry, fold the crab and broil just until the top is brown. When I made this a few months ago, it was excellent, but a bit too rich.  So, I thought that a souffle might be just the thing.  The problem was that I couldn't find any recipes for dungeness crab souffle that looked very good. For instance, the top example listed in Google search featured margarine. My feeling about margarine is that if you want to substitute it, that's your business, but no one puts it in actual recipes these days. (Sorry margarine lovers.)

Fortunately, I redoubled my efforts and focused on finding an excellent cheese souffle recipe.  Epicurious had an well-reviewed example featuring Gruyere and Parmesan. Using the template of the recipe and drastically changing the flavor profile, I substituted Tilamook (I LOVE Tilamook cheese) sharp cheddar for the Gruyere and went from there.  Suffice to say, not only was the end result marvelously brown and puffed, but my husband I couldn't stop eating it!

Dungeness Crab & Cheddar Souffle with Bourbon & Thyme

Ingredients:

2 tbls grated Parmesan cheese + 1/4 c

1/4 c butter (1/2 stick)

5 tbls all purpose flour

pinch smoked paprika

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp dry mustard

1 3/4 c whole milk

1/4 c bourbon

6 large egg yolks

a pinch of kosher salt

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 cup freshly-grated, sharp cheddar cheese, packed

1/4 grated Parmesan cheese

the meat of 1 - 1 1/2 lb. cooked dungeness crab (or roughly 6 oz. lump crab meat)

8 egg whites

1/2 tsp cream of tartar

Procedure:

1. Pick crab meat over to make sure that all pieces of shell or cartilage have been removed.

2. Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 400°F.

3. Generously butter one 10-cup soufflé dish or six 1 1/4-cup soufflé dishes; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese to coat. After doing so, place the souffle dish into the freezer.

4. Melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add flour, smoked paprika, nutmeg and dry mustard. Cook without browning until mixture begins to bubble, whisking constantly (I use a gravy whisk, instead of a balloon whisk), about 1 minute. Gradually whisk in milk, then the bourbon. Cook until smooth, thick and beginning to boil, whisking constantly, about 2 minutes.

5. Remove from pan from heat, and add salt, pepper and thyme. Mix yolks with a fork in a small bowl and add to sauce. Then, whisk quickly to blend. After that, fold in the cheddar and Parmesan cheese (the cheeses do not need to melt). Following that, fold in (with a heat-proof rubber spatula) the crab meat; do so gently, trying not to tear apart the lumps of crab meat.

6. Remove prepared souffle dish from freezer.

7.  Using electric mixer, beat whites in large bowl until stiff but not dry. Fold 1/4 of whites into lukewarm soufflé base to lighten. Fold in remaining whites. Transfer soufflé mixture to prepared dish.

8. Place soufflé on top of jelly roll pan (to catch any drips) and into oven; reduce heat to 375°F. Bake soufflé until puffed, golden and gently set in center, about 1 hour for large soufflé (or 30 minutes for small soufflés).

9. Using oven mitts, transfer soufflé to a trivet, or, if using small souffle dishes, onto salad or dessert plates, and serve.

Along with a green salad, this makes an excellent dinner or lunch, and would make a decadent brunch, requiring much in the way of mimosas.

For wine options, pair with a dry Gewurztraminer or dry sparkling wine.