Why it works: Butter and milk are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 81,283 recipes. Both carry (z)-4-heptenal, which smells biscuit, cream. The science ↓
Savoury Souffle
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a sharp oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare
Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
Make the soufflé
Beat the cheese with the butter and the yolks of the eggs until smooth.
Soak the inside of the roll in the milk and beat it into the cheese mixture.
Whip the egg whites to a stiff froth and gently fold them into the mixture.
Butter a souffle tin and pour in the mixture.
Bake
Bake for 15 minutes.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.
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Butter + milktop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
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Cheese + buttertop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,962 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Cheese + milktop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,426 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Egg + buttertop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together118,967 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
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Egg + milktop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together88,785 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Eggs
- Whites trapped as a stiff froth lift the mixture and give the soufflé its rise and airy texture.
- Cheese
- Adds richness and flavour, and its fat and protein help set the baked structure.
- Butter
- Adds fat and richness, smoothing the cheese base and carrying flavour.
- French roll
- Soaked in milk, its soft crumb thickens the base and adds moisture and body.
- Milk
- Softens the roll and adds moisture, loosening the base so it blends smoothly.
The step that matters
Folding in the egg whites. Whites beaten to a stiff froth hold the air that makes a soufflé rise. Folding gently keeps that air in; stirring hard deflates the mixture and the soufflé will fall flat.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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