Muenster Cheese Soufflés

Per Nana~
I have never made a soufflé before in my life, but thanks to Dorie I definitely will try more of these fabulous recipes. I read and re-read the recipe over and over so that I would not screw it up, and it worked ! A beautiful concoction of cheese and egg that is absolutely delicious. I love Muenster cheese, as it is very creamy and has a lot of flavor, and it works perfectly in this recipe.

When Dorie says "serve now", she is not kidding.  I turned to get the camera and almost lost the beautiful soufflé. Hubby was raving over the aroma and when I gave him a taste of one he could not believe how delicious it was. 

Per Tricia~
While I have made soufflés previously, I definitely never used Muenster in the recipe. I am not a fan of "stinky cheeses" (as they are affectionately known) but they are not quite on my "do not call list" either. So I kept my mind open and simply tried to find the correct cheese. Believe it or not, in the kingdom of cheese that Vermont is known as, it is not so easy to find a Muenster. And a French Muenster ? Good luck.

I was very lucky in two ways- first my fellow Dorista Cher agreed to meet me in Saratoga Springs for dinner and second, she reminded me of an amazing gourmet shop in that city called Putnam's Market. I figured that since the city is known as a midway point between Quebec (one of the largest French speaking populations in the world) I had a shot. This store actually had a cheese ROOM.

Famed (and climate controlled) "CHEESE ROOM"

Surely a French Muenster, oui ? Non.

And on some days, even some official French Muenster. But not this time. Their helpful staff came up with a wonderful substitute from the Normandy region of France: Demi Pont L'Evêque.

This soft ripened cheese had a rind and was indeed smelly.

In fact, it is a good thing I loved - no, ADORED - the end product because my Styrofoam cooler did not carry it's own weight and my car stunk of residual "cheese stink" for the entire 6 hour trip back to PA. Yes, that is how much I loved the soufflé - I forgave the cheese.

I enjoyed the soufflé slathered on the bread in the photo, along with a thinly sliced fresh apple and a cold bottle of hard cider. I was in heaven. Even though I kept hearing the phrase "stuff on toast" in my head, I can not rave enough about this recipe. And I can't wait to share it with the rest of the family.  

I had a wonderful time catching up with Cher over a lovely "fresh to table" restaurant with fantastic homemade pastas. I also want to thank Cher again for her list of "to do's" that included the Saratoga Olive Oil Company.

The shop was a real treat and I bought some wonderful balsamics (fig, maple, pomegranate....) in addition to some gifts. Note the paintings of racing on all the walls- a pervasive theme throughout this horsey town. 

Happy French Friday !