At the restaurant Charlie Trotter bakes these small soufflés in thimble-shaped molds and sets them atop rounds of his own dried-fig brioche. Although he likes to use white Muscat grapes for the sauce, the recipe works well with any color or variety of grape. We used red seedless grapes, and they yielded a beautiful dark-pink sauce.
Recipe information
Yield
Serves 6 as a cheese course or first course
Ingredients
For grape reduction
For soufflés
For brioche toasts
Preparation
Make grape reduction:
Step 1
In a 1 1/2-quart saucepan simmer grapes in water, uncovered, 30 minutes. Pour mixture through a fine sieve into a bowl, pressing hard on solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Transfer liquid to cleaned pan and gently boil until reduced to about 1/2 cup. Keep sauce warm, covered. Sauce may be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. Reheat sauce to warm before serving.
Make soufflés:
Step 2
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Step 3
Butter six 1/4-cup ramekins (2 1/2 by 1 1/4 inches) and coat with walnuts, knocking out excess walnuts.
Step 4
In another 1 1/2-quart saucepan heat milk and butter over moderate heat until butter is melted and bring to a boil. Add flour all at once and whisk vigorously until mixture returns to a boil. Transfer mixture to a bowl and whisk until it no longer emits steam. Whisk in yolk (mixture will be very stiff). Break half of Maytag Blue into small pieces and with a rubber spatula stir into flour mixture.
Step 5
In a bowl with an electric mixer beat whites until they just hold stiff peaks and whisk half of whites into cheese mixture to lighten. Add remaining whites and whisk gently until incorporated (mixture will be dense).
Step 6
Divide batter among ramekins and arrange in a roasting pan. Add enough hot water to roasting pan to reach halfway up sides of ramekins and bake soufflés in middle of oven until puffed and golden brown, about 30 minutes.
Make brioche toasts while soufflés are baking:
Step 7
Cut six 1/2-inch-thick slices from brioches and with a 2 1/2-inch round cutter cut a round from each slice. In a 10- to 12-inch nonstick skillet heat butter over moderately high heat until foam subsides and sauté brioche rounds until golden, about 30 seconds on each side. Break remaining half Maytag Blue into chunks.
Step 8
Put a brioche toast in center of each of 6 plates. Invert soufflés, 1 at a time, onto a large plate and turn right side up. Top each brioche round with a soufflé. Spoon sauce around soufflés and arrange grapes and remaining cheese on plates.
