Cauliflower Soufflé with Brown Butter

A light and airy soufflé featuring delicate cauliflower and fresh parsley, enriched with a classic béchamel sauce and finished with nutty brown butter. This elegant dish combines the subtle flavor of cauliflower with rich, golden-brown butter and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.

6 servings
1 hr 17 min

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons Parmigiano-Reggiano
  • cups cauliflower florets
  • ¼ cup flat-leaf parsley
  • ¼ teaspoon white pepper
  • ½ stick unsalted butter
  • tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • cups whole milk
  • 6 large egg yolks
  • 8 large egg whites
  • 1 stick salted butter
  • 2 quart soufflé dish

Cooking Instructions

  1. 1.

    Preheat oven to 400°F with rack in middle.

    5 min

  2. 2.

    Generously butter soufflé dish, then sprinkle with cheese, knocking out excess.

    3 min

  3. 3.

    Stir together cauliflower, parsley, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and white pepper to taste in a large bowl.

    3 min

  4. 4.

    Melt butter in a 2- to 3-quart heavy saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour, then cook, whisking, until pale golden, about 2 minutes. Add milk a little at a time, whisking constantly until very smooth. Bring sauce to a boil, whisking, then simmer, whisking, until quite thick, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and whisk in yolks, 1/4 teaspoon white pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Stir into cauliflower mixture.

    10 min

  5. 5.

    Beat 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 yolk mixture to lighten, then gently fold in remaining whites until just combined.

    8 min

  6. 6.

    Gently spoon into soufflédish (leave at least 1 inches of space at top) and bake until golden brown and top appears set, 35 to 40 minutes.

    40 min

  7. 7.

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

    6 min

  8. 8.

    Serve soufflé immediately, drizzling with warm brown butter.

    2 min

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