Julia and Paul Child called their kitchen the beating heart of the household which is truly fitting. In my house, there is no other room that is more lived in, visited, or used than the kitchen–ha, no surprise there really . So when I went home for the holiday, I had to fit into my packed itinerary a quick visit to the Smithsonian to see Julia Child’s kitchen in the real.

It was truly inspiring. Not because it was grand or had super fancy equipment but because it was real. You could tell it was lovingly put together and meant to be a place for gathering. It was warm, easy to move in, and had all of her tools and equipment placed on the walls and in reach for easy access while in the mode of cooking. It made Julia seem more like a person and less like the untouchable cooking goddess she has become to the public. She truly just loved what she did and wanted to share it with everyone. And that is it! No hidden intentions, no sideline motives, just good food and cooking.

I recently finished the book The Sharper Your Knife, The Less You Cry, by Kathleen Flinn. There was a part where she was describing how she met Julia at a food writers conference in West Virginia in the mid nineties. They ended up sitting next to each other during one of the seminars and at the end Julia turned to Kathleen and said “I always love to come to this workshop. You learn so much”. This amazed Kathleen and she thought to herself, you are Julia Freakin’ Child, I thought you knew everything there was to know about food and cooking already! When Kathleen politely told Julia this, Julia just laughed and said “Oh, no, you can never know everything about anything, especially something you love”.

Julia’s passion and humbleness have always inspired me. This wasn’t the first example I had heard or read about, but this particular example from Kathleen Flinn has really stuck with me. I think it shows Julia’s greatness as well as her sheer humanness. And I aspire to approach my own passions and life with as open mind, heart, and soul as did Julia.

Today I made my first souffle–the first of many! I cracked open my vintage copy of Mastering the Art of French Cooking and got busy. It came out perfect–as Julia so lovingly and painstakingly sought to help home cooks achieve through her precise and thorough writing. I appreciate her clear directions and how they are laid out. Alice Waters must have been inspired by how Julia wrote out recipes, because her cookbooks have a similar voice throughout the recipe. Give this souffle a try–it was surprisingly easy and amazingly light with a wonderful flavor. I made it for a late morning Sunday brunch; it would be wonderful served with a mimosa, some fruit salad (pomegranate seeds, blueberries, kiwi, and tangerines), and a slice or two of crisp bacon.

Bon Apetit!

Souffle Au Fromage (Cheese Souffle) a la Julia Child

The souffle sauce base

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Generously butter a 6 cup souffle mold and sprinkle with shredded cheese evenly throughout, set aside. Measure out all of your ingredients.

3 tablespoons butter
A 2 1/2 quart saucepan
3 tablespoons flour
A wooden spatula or spoon
1 cup boiling milk
A wire whisk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
A pinch of cayenne pepper
A pinch of nutmeg

Melt the butter in the saucepan. Stir in the flour with a wooden spatula or spoon and cook over moderate heat until butter and flour foam together for 2 minutes without browning. Remove from heat; when mixture has stopped bubbling, pour in all the boiling milk at once. Beat vigorously with a wire whisk until blended. Beat in seasonings. Return over moderately high heat and boil, stirring with the wire whisk, for 1 minute. Sauce will be very thick.

4 egg yolks

Remove from heat. Immediately start to separate the eggs. Drop the white into the egg white bowl, and the yolk into the center of the hot sauce. Beat the yolk into the sauce with the wire whisk. Continue in the same manner with the rest of the eggs. Correct seasoning. (May be prepared ahead to this point. Dot top of sauce with butter. Heat to tepid before continuing).

The egg whites and cheese

5 egg whites
A heaping 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
A pinch of salt
3/4 cup (3 oz) coarsely grated Swiss, or Swiss and Parmesan, cheese

Add an extra egg white and cream of tartar to the ones in the bowl and beat with the salt until stiff. Stir a big spoonful into the sauce. Stir in all but a tablespoon of cheese. Delicately fold in the rest of the egg whites.

Baking
Turn the souffle mixture into the prepared mold, which should be almost three quarters full. Tap bottom of mold slightly on the table, and smooth the surface of the souffle with the flat of a knife. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top. Set on a rack in the middle level of preheated 400 degree F oven and immediately turn heat down to 375 degrees F. Do not open the oven door for 20 minutes. In 25-30 minutes the souffle will have puffed about 2 inches over the rim of the mold, and the top will be nicely browned. Bake 4 to 5 minutes more to firm it up, then serve at once.