Cheese Souffle

1. The onion should be studded with the bay leaf and the 3 cloves (use the 3 cloves to ‘nail’ the bay leaf to the outside surface of the half onion – see related blog post for a visual). Brown the onion in butter and once the edges of the onion start to nicely brown, pour in the milk. Bring to a simmer and turn off heat to let it infuse.
2. With a pastry brush, coat the inside of a souffle dish with melted butter, bread crumbs and about 1 tablespoon of the cheese and place in the refrigerator.
3. Sweat the shallots in some butter then once they are translucent, pour in the vermouth and let them simmer.
4. Beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Set aside.
5. Make a roux by melting 3 Tablespoons of butter and adding the flour, whisking constantly until bubbles form.
6. Whisk in the infused milk (take out the onion first), then add the shallot/vermouth mixture. Add the nutmeg and whisk over low heat until it thickens.
7. Beat the egg yolks and incorporate them into the roux along with cayenne.
8. Pour in the remaining cheese and stir, then fold in the egg whites gently until mixture is uniform.
9. Pour the mixture into the souffle dish and cook in the oven at 375 degrees F for 25-30 minutes until brown on top and well raised above the dish. Don’t open the oven until 20 minutes into cook time have passed.
10. Serve immediately before it collapses!