Bake

Maman's Cheese Soufflé From Jacques Pépin

by:
March  9, 2021
5
70 Ratings
Maman's Cheese Soufflé From Jacques Pépin
Photo by Julia Gartland. Prop Stylist: Brooke Deonarine. Food Stylist: Kate Buckens.
  • Prep time 15 minutes
  • Cook time 40 minutes
  • Serves 4
Author Notes

If the intimidation of making a soufflé has kept you away, it's time to change that: This recipe is the easiest soufflé you'll meet. This unusual recipe from Jacques Pepin's maman (which just means "mom" in French) is one you might have heard of—it's made the rounds for decades, and its genius is all thanks to a simple miscommunication.

Unlike traditional French soufflés that call for separating the eggs, adding the yolks to the white sauce, beating the egg whites till stiff, and gently folding them in, this recipe has you beat the eggs straight into the sauce. When Jacques' mother was newly married at seventeen, no one told her the eggs needed to be separated—and it worked! The results are slightly less airy, but some might argue they're even more delicious.

The brilliance of this move, in addition to ease, is that it means you can make the whole thing well ahead of time. Let the mixture hang out at room temperature for a couple hours, or in the fridge for a day. When you're ready to bake, heat your oven and go. As mentioned in The Washington Post, this recipe is also built to adapt. Use Gruyère, cheddar, or other cheeses. Switch up chives for another herb. Or make the soufflés in individual ramekins and customize the toppings. As Pépin's daughter Claudine writes, “We usually serve it as a first course, but we love it for brunch and meatless dinners as well.”

Jacques Pepin's maman's cheese soufflé is simple and comforting enough for a weeknight meal, yet impressive enough for a dinner party or holiday feast. Recipe slightly adapted from The Apprentice: My Life in the Kitchen (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, May 2003).


Note: The pan used in this recipe is the 12.75 x 9” Staub Medium Cast Iron Oval Roasting Dish, available in the Food52 Shop. —Genius Recipes

What You'll Need
Watch This Recipe
Maman's Cheese Soufflé From Jacques Pépin
Ingredients
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus additional to butter a 5- to 6-cup gratin dish
  • 1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
  • 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups whole milk
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 5 extra-large eggs (or 6 large ones)
  • 2 1/2 cups grated Swiss cheese, preferably Gruyère (about 6 ounces), plus three more optional slices for garnish (roughly 2-inch by 3-inch)
  • 3 tablespoons minced chives
Directions
  1. Heat the oven to 400°F. Butter a 5- to 6-cup gratin dish (we used the 12.75 x 9” Staub Medium Cast Iron Oval Roasting Dish from the Food52 Shop), sprinkle the bottom and sides with half the Parmesan, and set it aside. Melt the 6 tablespoons of butter in a saucepan, then add the flour and mix it in well with a whisk. Cook for 10 seconds, add the cold milk in one stroke and mix it in with a whisk. Keep stirring with the whisk until the mixture thickens and comes to a strong boil, about 2 minutes. It should be thick and smooth. Remove from the heat, and stir in the [food52.com](salt and pepper).
  2. Break the eggs into a bowl and beat well with a fork. After about 10 minutes, the white sauce should be cool enough to proceed. Moving quickly, add the eggs, cheese and the chives to the sauce, and mix well to combine. Pour into the buttered gratin dish and cook immediately, or set aside until ready to cook. If setting aside for a few hours, the soufflé can remain outside at room temperature. If assembling a day ahead, refrigerate and bring back to room temperature before baking.
  3. Sprinkle the surface with the remaining 2 tablespoons of Parmesan and arrange the 3 slices of Gruyère in a circle in the center, if using. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until puffy and well browned on top. Although it will stay inflated for quite awhile, it is best served immediately.
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53 Reviews

Danna F.
Danna F. April 18, 2024
I love this recipe. I've made it five times and it is easy and came together every time!
 
Jennyf
Jennyf March 28, 2024
I used individual ramekins for 40 minutes and I think they were over cooked. Next time I will use 375 degrees like Jacque suggests instead of the 400 degrees that the recipe says to do, and maybe only cook 30 minutes. Cooking them on a sheet pan like he does in the video will probably also help. I also added a bit more salt since I was using kosher salt. It tasted great just over cooked
 
Emily
Emily February 27, 2023
Simple, delicious. Would be very easy to swap the chives for finely diced red pepper or would love to try with Fresno chiles for some heat (Not very French I know…)
This is an easy dish that looks extremely impressive. Maman Pepin for the win!
 
Bluerroses
Bluerroses September 20, 2022
A sublime recipe. Made it as written for company. Tonight I made it with good cheddar cheese (all I had). It didn't puff up nearly as much, but tasted great. I'm fascinated with the note that the recipe can be prepped ahead of time--I've gotta try that. An easy and very forgiving recipe. Jacques Pepin (with help from his mom), does it again!
 
BabyArugula
BabyArugula June 6, 2022
First of all, I love the video. This souffle has such a beautiful history.
I cut the recipe down to one-third, and made with parmesan. It was absolutely delicious...airy, with a beautiful crust..rich, yet light.
Merci beaucoup, Monsieur Pepin!
 
James H.
James H. March 3, 2022
This is one of the recipes that if you watch the video and read the recipe, it comes out perfect. I doubled the recipe. I used half cream and half chicken broth for my liquid, but that was the only change I made. Because of the amount I made, it needed 45 minutes of cook time to get the middle of the soufflé to be done. Will definitely make this again.
 
JudyH
JudyH November 27, 2021
I have made this delicious recipe several times now and it will always be a staple in my kitchen. It is so easy and everyone loves it. Merci to Jacques maman!!
 
Sharon R.
Sharon R. November 16, 2021
OMG, this was super easy to make and looked and tasted so sublime! If you've ever wanted to make a souffle but were hesitant - here's an absolutely foolproof recipe and one you'll make time and time again! I served mine with sliced proscuitto and dressed arugula and crunchy toast. THANK YOU Mr. Pepin for sharing your Maman's recipe!
 
Aliceb
Aliceb August 13, 2021
LOOKS YUMMY! Can I sub cornstarch or tapioca for flour to make it gf?
 
JOELOP
JOELOP February 18, 2021
This was easy and tasted fantastic, the whole family enjoyed it!
 
cosmiccook
cosmiccook February 6, 2021
Love this recipe! Love, love, love Jacques Pepin! I had a lot of cheese pieces left over from the holidays and I just combined them all. I added some Fine Herbs from Spice House and Quatre Epices for added flavor.
 
AliceToo
AliceToo January 24, 2021
I just made this - So good! I made 1/3 of the recipe - 2 large eggs - in a traditional 2-cup souffle dish. Baked at 375 in my convection oven for 20 min. Perfect!
 
Wavey
Wavey January 19, 2021
I made Claudine's version with cauliflower puree and slightly less cheese (though a very good gruyere). It was delicious and still plenty rich. I added a little grate of nutmeg in a nod to both the gruyere and the cauliflower.
 
caswat2016
caswat2016 December 29, 2020
I have made this recipe many times. Such a delicious and easy thing to whip up for brunch that really impresses people (while you secretly gloat over how little effort you had to expend). I usually just do Gruyere and Thyme, but for Christmas brunch I mixed in some local smoked salmon, dill, and some Emmental. Paired well with a simple green salad with citrus supremes (another way to make your friends feel like they are getting a four star meal with a few slices of the knife for you ;)).
 
caswat2016
caswat2016 December 29, 2020
I have made this recipe many times. Such a delicious and easy thing to whip up for brunch that really impresses people (while you secretly gloat over how little effort you had to expend). I usually just do Gruyere and Thyme, but for Christmas brunch I mixed in some local smoked salmon, dill, and some Emmental. Paired well with a simple green salad with citrus supremes (another way to make your friends feel like they are getting a four star meal with a few slices of the knife for you ;)).
 
Merry
Merry December 29, 2020
This was excellent and smelled delicious while baking. Since there are only two of us, we had a lot leftover. Happily, the next day, we cut some of it into serving size pieces, placed them in a dry nonstick pan and heated. The slight crust that formed on the bottom as the slices warmed made it even more delicious.
 
Nina P.
Nina P. November 21, 2020
Thank you for such a versatile, easy and elegant recipe! We made with cheeses (sharp cheddar and pecorino) we had in the fridge and some fresh scallions. Delicious and can’t wait to make this again! My 8 year old approved!
 
Sinv T.
Sinv T. November 7, 2020
Hi Can you kindly advice 6 tablespoon of butter is how many grams? Thanks
 
NCdana
NCdana November 7, 2020
One tablespoon of butter equals 14.1 grams.
 
TK
TK November 22, 2020
thank you
 
Larry K.
Larry K. April 16, 2022
You need someone to do that for you?
 
daisy G.
daisy G. October 6, 2020
I used cheddar cheese and added finely ground ham, it was fabulous. I don’t think there is any way you could not make this basic recipe work!
 
Sammie F.
Sammie F. October 11, 2021
Right it's wonderful
 
Sheila B.
Sheila B. September 25, 2020
I’m going to do two side by side. Should I increase cook time ? I did each one separate. Didn’t double receive.