Chipotle Cheese Souffle
Morita chiles are red, fully mature Chipotles. This gives them a unique, medium – hot smokey flavor which is popular in many Southwestern dishes. These can be added to sauces (including Mole) to add smokey flavor and maintain the red color of the sauces. These peppers are about 2-4 inches in length, 1 inch in width, and have a deep brick reddish brown color. The word Chipotle translated to smoked chile. Consider the Chipotle a 6.5 on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the hottest). Scoville heat units 7,000-25,000.
Suggested Use:
Use Morita in enchilada sauces, chili, stews, barbecue ribs, and corn bread. Their smoky quality combines well with poultry, meats and fall squash.
Ingredients:
3 Tbsp. butter
1 cup shredded jack or panela cheese
3 eggs, separated
3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
3 canned chipotles, minced
1 cup milk
3/4 tsp. salt
garnish:
salsa fresca or your favorite salsa
Instructions:
In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat, stir in the flour, then gradually stir in the milk. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture has thickened. Add the cheese, chipotles, and salt and stir until the cheese melts.
In a small bowl, lightly beat the egg yolks, then stir some of the hot cheese mixture into the yolks then return to the pan and stir to blend. Cook and stir over low heat 1 minute longer. Remove from the heat and place some plastic wrap over the surface, and cool to room temperature.
Preheat oven to 350F. In a large bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff but not dry. Lightly stir about 1/4 cup of the whites into the cheese mixture, then fold in remaining whites. Spoon into a 5-6 cup buttered souffle dish and bake for 35-40 minutes or until the souffle has puffed and browned. Serve the dish immediately and pass some salsa fresca or your favorite salsa at the table, if desired.