Comté is my home, my village, my county; it gives me a sense of place. Maman Blanc would not cook her soufflé in individual soufflé moulds, but in a large shallow earthenware dish. She would place the dish on the table for all of us to help ourselves or sometimes the soufflé mixture would fill a flaky pastry tart. Of course, only comté (see note 1) would be used, never gruyère or emmenthal! Everyone assumes that soufflés behave like prima donnas, but I will show you here how uncomplicated they can be. They are also generally lower cost.Level of difficulty: medium
Special equipment: 21 cm x 2.5 cm tart ring; wooden baker’s peel or heavy baking tray
Planning ahead: The soufflé base can be made up to 1 day in advance, covered with buttered baking paper to prevent crusting. The pastry must be prepared at least 2 hours in advance and refrigerated.