Pascale's Cheese Soufflé "Soufflé au fromage"

Ingredients:

• 6 eggs
• grated cheese; amount and type to taste (e.g., 150 gram Gruyère; US cheese and "cheez whiz" not recommended)
• salt
• butter to grease the pan

Ingredients for the béchamel sauce:

• butter
• 1 tablespoon of flower
• milk
• ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper
• optional: ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

Instructions:

• preheat oven to 210 °C (400 °F)
• grease a soufflé pan with butter
• separate the egg yolks from the whites
• make béchamel sauce (see below)
• add a pinch of salt to the egg whites, and beat until stiff
• fold the egg whites into the béchamel cheese sauce (note: discard the liquidy stuff at the bottom of the mixer bowl)
• transfer to the soufflé pan
• bake for 40-45 minutes  
• must be consumed immediately after baking !!! 

Instructions for the béchamel sauce:

• make a roux, by melting the butter over low heat, and when the butter starts to foam, add the flower all at once; mix well with a wooden spoon or whisk
• cook over low heat 3 to 4 minutes, stirring constantly to incorporate and cook the flour
• little by little, add milk and mix well, until you have a fairly thick (but not pasty) sauce
• briefly beat the egg yolks
• take the roux off the heat, add the egg yolks, and very quickly (!!!! we are not making an omelet) whisk the yolks thoroughly into the roux to obtain a thick mass
• mix in the pepper and (optional) nutmeg
• mix in the grated cheese
• simmer and stir until the cheese has melted
• optional/variations: cheese + spinach, spinach without cheese, smoked salmon, smoked salmon + cheese

[Pascale's Cheese Soufflé recipe]