Souffle for breakfast? Yup, you bet! But don't be surprised how easy it is to whip up this impressive and yet delicious dish.
I was attracted to the picture of this souffle on the cover of the 'Winter In The Alps' Cookbook. I knew I just had to make this for breakfast as soon as I brought home this book.
We love the Alps in Europe. Every home trip we make to visit Mr J's family in Holland, we always include a detour to the Alps. Inevitably, I fell in love with this cookbook with all the beautiful pictures of the Alps and the food by the fireside.
Mont Blanc from Chamonix
Winter In The Alps - "This is similar to a traditional souffle, but the eggs remain separated. It is the simplest dish to make and looks very impressive. I've called it Nuvolone, which literally translates as 'big cloud', because when it comes out of the oven it looks like a big cumulus in a sunset."
Nuvolone (Cloud Souffle) Recipe
(Adapted from Winter In The Alps Cookbook by Manuela Darling-Gansser)
Ingredients
- 2 eggs, separated
- Sea salt
- 50 ml (2 fl oz) cream
- 40 g (1 1 /2 oz) grated Gruyere cheese
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 15 g (1/2 oz) unsalted butter
Method
- Preheat the oven to 200C (400F). Butter an individual ramekin per person (about 15 cm / 6" in diameter). Beat the egg whites. When they start to become stiff, add salt to taste. Continue beating until they hold their peaks well.
- Spoon the egg whites into the ramekin. With the back of a soup spoon, make a well in the middle of the egg whites, pushing the egg whites up the sides of the ramekin. Carefully drop the 2 egg yolks into the well.
- Then add the cream and Gruyere. Grind over some black pepper and add the knob of butter. Smooth the egg whites back over the hole.
- Bake in the oven for 4 to 5 minutes. The top should be lightly golden, and when you break the crust, the yolks and cream should be soft and hot.
- Serve with crusty bread to dip into the yolks and cream.