Fresh Asparagus Souffle
RECIPE BY: Raymond Ost, the former executive chef at Wilson Farm in Lexington, Massachusetts
The soufflé looms large as a “difficult” dish. Its ingredients are deceptively simple: butter, flour, milk, and eggs. Yet success hinges entirely on precision and technique. For the serious home cook, it’s a golden opportunity to master several foundational skills of classic cuisine: making a roux, building a béchamel, poaching, separating eggs, whipping perfect egg whites, and gently folding ingredients together without deflating your masterpiece.
Yes, it’s loaded with technique—but that’s the point. It’s a skill-builder in disguise. Work calmly, purposefully, and without haste. Done right, it won’t take long. Rush it, and you’ll find yourself backtracking and redoing steps.
So clear your counter, lay out your tools, quiet your mind, and get into your culinary Zen zone. With focus and flow, you won’t just make a soufflé—you’ll master a process.
Read whole recipe to end before beginning.
Serves 6
2 tablespoons butter, plus more for greasing the soufflé dishes
1 bunch asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup milk, warmed Salt and pepper to taste 1⁄2 clove minced garlic
4 eggs, separated
1⁄2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
Preheat oven to 375°. Lay out equipment and remove eggs from refrigerator. Generously butter six 6-ounce soufflé dishes
POACHING
Bring a pot of water to boil. As water comes to boil, fill a large bowl with ice and cold water. Place the asparagus in the boiling water and cook for about 2 minutes, until bright green but still crisp. The key is stopping the cooking process by transferring the slightly cooked asparagus immediately to the ice water bath. If you skip this step, the asparagus will continue to cook and both lose its color and turn to mush. Drain, pat dry, and separate out the asparagus tips from the stems, setting tips aside for garnish.
ROUX
In a dry pan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in flour and stir until mixture becomes paste-like and light golden brown,
BÉCHAMÉL
Slowly whisk the warm milk into roux (vs. flour and butter mixture), incorporating the milk slowly so it makes a smooth paste. If you pour in all the milk at once, you will end up with a lumpy mess that will be nearly impossible to smooth out. Bring to a simmer and cook until thick, about 2 to 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Place béchamel mixture, garlic, and asparagus stems in a blender and puree until smooth. Pour into a large bowl. Separate the eggs, setting egg whites aside to come to room temperature. Stir egg yolks and cheese into the béchamel.
EGG WHITES
Once at room temperature, in a very clean, large metal bowl, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form
FOLDING
The egg whites will act as a structure that lifts up the rest of the ingredients of the soufflé as it bakes. Overmixing knocks air out of the whites and reduces how much the soufflé puffs up. Stir in a big spoonful of egg whites to the béchamel mix to start and then place the rest on top. Cut
down through the mixture with a spatula, bringing some of the mixture over the eggs. Turn the bowl as you
repeat this motion, gently incorporating the egg whites. Don’t try to blend perfectly. As Julia says, “It is better to leave a few unblended patches than to deflate the egg whites.”
FILL
Fill the six buttered 6-ounce soufflé dishes about 3⁄4 full and place on a baking sheet.
BAKE
Bake in the preheated oven until puffed and the edges are golden brown, about 20 to 25 minutes.
SERVE
Soufflés should be served freshly made and slightly cooled down from the oven. We found that they will store in the fridge, and while they do lose about 25% of their loft, they are delicious warmed up in the oven the next day.