I spent yesterday with my mother and my nieces, baking and cooking all day long. We started with next week’s chocolate sablés, moved on to two sorts of Irish soda bread (which you’ll be able to read about here on Tuesday), then chicken stew, and finished with this week’s French Fridays recipe, cheese soufflé.
Soufflés make a meal into a command performance. No one bakes one without requiring everyone to be at the table and ready to witness its brief apotheosis. It comes back to Earth too quickly. It’s also usually the centrepiece of a meal, or at least a course. Yesterday, I flouted that a bit. We had a sort of Franco-Irish mash-up of a meal, with Irish-style chicken stew that had been made with the leftovers of Cognac chicken (a French Fridays catch up that I’ll post about some time soon), two sorts of Irish soda bread, and this soufflé. I used aged Irish cheddar (Cahill’s Irish Monastic) in place of Gruyère or Emmenthal, in consideration of the rest of the menu. It fit right in. We ended the meal with the sablés. I have to say it was one of the best takes on both sides of my heritage that my family’s ever attemped.
I’m also happy to finally be in on the secret of soufflés. They’re dead easy. As long as you are scrupulous about following the steps of the recipe, only the weather or a slammed oven door can let you (or it) down. Just make sure you have witnesses. They’ll love how it tastes, but it’s important that they’re awed by its height, too.
My nieces want to try a soufflé now. Of course, they’d like to make a chocolate one. I’m going to suggest this. A meeting between chocolate and tea sounds like another great combination.
You can find many other blogged descriptions of this week’s FFWD recipe here: Cheese Soufflé
One Wet Foot 
I am impressed by the sheer number and variety of foods that you prepared for this St. Patrick’s Day/French food fest. I did not find the souffle making as easy as you (and others) have claimed. It seemed labor intensive to me, but worth the effort. I didn’t have so many other great pairings, though!
It was a great day, but boy did I sleep soundly that night! I think this dish was worth the effort – It’s not so much that I didn’t think it was labour intensive, but rather that I thought it would be so difficult that it was hard to succeed.
Teresa, Your souffle looks absolutely lovely! Your cooking day with your mom and nieces sounds like such a fun expierence! What a great memory builder…your nieces will always remember these sweet times. And I’m sure your mother is enjoying all the fun, too! Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
Thanks, Kathy! It was a lot of fun. Happy St. Patrick’s Day to you, too!
I ment experience…sorry!
Ok…I don’t know what’s going on with my computer but I meant experience…Sorry!
No worries!
Sounds like a fun afternoon. I love it when you can combine two or three challenge items into one cooking session.
If your nieces decide to try out the chocolate souffle, a post is in order 🙂
I still can’t believe how much we got done. Should make the Pizza Rustica seem a bit easier. I will definitely get them to post about the chocolate souffle. I’m looking forward to it, but don’t know when we’ll get around to it.
WOW…such a lovely cooking family day. And you got so many “assignments” completed…good job. I’ve been thinking about those sables all day so I’ll probably include them with my St. Paddy’s day fun. Love your post which is so well written and with great photos but most of all I like the way it feels…lots of good feelings.
Thanks, Krissy! Yours is one of the blogs I haven’t been able to comment on lately and I just want to say I’m still reading and enjoying your posts.
I love a good baking/ cooking day- it sure makes the house smell good! We loved the cheese souffle too, made it last night with just the cheedar cheese I had on hand which was very good.
I’m curious to try the chocolate sables, they sound good and the Irish soda bread which I think I’ll try today or tomorrow, so many good choices;-)
It certainly gives you both a sense of accomplishment and an appetite! The sables are so good and the soda bread is simple and tasty.
I made Irish soda bread too, but on another day–it didn’t occur to me to try them together (maybe because I usually only have the energy or imagination to make one thing at a time). I love the closeup of the top of the souffle–it just looks perfect.
Thanks, Marie. We can only get together once in a while, so try and get as much in as possible!
This is what food is all about, making memories, espeically family memories (well, also about eating it). What a nice day and you produced quite a meal. Your soufflé looks amazing. I agree. They are not as difficult as I had imagined when I began this process. I hadn’t made soufflés for ages but now, like your nieces, I’d like to go-chocolate. Mary Hirsch http://www.lightsonbrightnobrakes.com/
Thanks, Mary – I’m looking forward to trying a chocolate version. I look forward to chocolate in general, actually…
I never worry about everyone being at the table. I just walk the darn thing to wherever they are. LOOK! If its company they are usually in the living room so I have plates and forks at the ready and just plop it down on the coffee table and serve from there. I’m that bossy in my real life too.
That’s awesome. Bossiness is very much called for when a soufflé is on the menu.
Wow, what a busy day in the kitchen. Whenever I do multiple recipes like that I get confused and leave something out or the dish I need next needs washing. Your souffle looks wonderful and using Irish cheddar sounds great, but I’m with the nieces’ let do a chocolate one next.
We’ve had a few missteps here and there, but nothing catastrophic yet. 🙂
What a fun way to enjoy family. Everybody gets into the act and makes it enjoyable.
Your soufflé looks wonderful, so nice and browned, and the rest of the menu sounds
delicious.
Thanks, Nana. Your blog was one of the inspirations for doing Tuesdays with Dorie with my family.
Lovely souffle, and so nice that you could share the experience with family. I like your Irish adaptations.
Thanks, Betsy. I really enjoyed the flavour of the cheddar in the soufflé.
Wow, I’m impressed. That’s a lot of cooking in one day. Great rise on your souffle!
Thanks, Jora. Yours is another blog I can’t seem to comment on. I’ve really been enjoying your posts, though.
It sounds like you had a perfect day in the kitchen. Your souffle turned out so lovely!
Thanks, Elaine. I’m really enjoying spending time with my family for the Tuesdays with Dorie project.