Souffles are all about timing. They have a very short life expectancy, because they will fall. . .and fast. There is a lot of science behind the techniques in the recipe, such as whisking the egg whites to create lift and air pockets, heating the protein to coagulate and expand (albeit, very briefly). That being said, practice makes perfect and there's no reason to be nervous or scared about making souffles. They can be made sweet or savory, say for a brunch or a dessert. Ignore the flash. I was in a hurry to get them to the table.

Here is the recipe that I used to create these.

4 eggs (yolks and whites- separate bowls. The whites will double in size, so use a large enough bowl)

pinch of cream of tartar

quarter teaspoon (or less) of nutmeg

quarter teaspoon (or less) of salt

1 cup grated gruyere cheese

4 tbsp butter

4 tbsp flour

1 cup milk

4-5 ramekins, lightly buttered and floured on the bottom only

Heat the butter and flour in a saucepan over medium low heat. Cook to form a light blond roux.

Add the cup of milk and stir. Cook until this mixture thickens up slightly.

In their separate bowl, scramble the egg yolks.

Temper the egg yolks. Take a small ladle full of the milk and egg mixture and add to the yolks, while whisking. The goal is to raise the temperature of the egg yolks enough, so when you add it to the milk mixture, you won't end up with scrambled eggs. After doing this and seeing no "scrambling", slowly pour the egg yolks into the saucepan and stir. Once well mixed, remove from the heat.

Add the grated cheese and stir until melted.

Set the pan aside to cool to room temperature.

Once the custard has cooled, add the nutmeg and cream of tartar to the egg whites.

Whip the egg whites (can be done with a hand mixer or by hand) to a soft peak.

Gently add the cooled custard mixture to the whipped egg whites.

Using a big spatula, gently fold the mixture together. Don't get too rough with it, as that will cause you to lose the air pockets you whipped into the whites.

Once mixed, fill the ramekins with the mixture, about 3/4 to the top.

Place the ramekins on a sheet pan and put into an already hot oven at 425 for 12-13 minutes.

DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN TO CHECK. The change in the heat will cause the souffles to drop before they are finished.

Once done, they will rise above the ramekins and be brown on top. Remove from the oven gently and serve immediately.