{Falling in Love with Lebovitz} Sweet Goat Cheese Souffles

Sweet Goat Cheese Souffles {a la David Lebovitz}

Just in time for Valentine's Day, I've discovered something the rest of you have no doubt known for years...


David Lebovitz is a master dessert artisan.


I know, I know.. Where have I been?? Make no mistake, I've known of David Lebovitz, but I hadn't previously made any of his recipes. As usual, I have no idea what I was waiting for, but I'm happy to have finally come around. And just in time for V-day, I'm falling in love with his recipes, one at a time.  Let's start with his Goat Cheese Souffles.

So how did I happen upon this recipe and decide to make it? Well, my friend Elizabeth McNair who, btw, has been a fan of his for quite some time, mentioned she had scored a ticket to see him live and in person at a demo he was doing in Dallas, Texas at Central Market.

I was thrilled for her to get to go, but little did I know how thrilled I would be for me.. THANK YOU E for sending me this recipe. It's to die for. It's light and airy but with a lightly creamy soft lemony center. David says in his post that you can make it as sweet as you like by adding more sugar to the base. Instead I opted to add extra sugar to the inside of my souffle dishes as well as extra on top. The result was nothing short of Heavenly.

heavily sugared souffle dishes

I used Native's Crystal Organic Sugar that I picked up at Whole Foods and the larger crystals worked perfectly for these souffles. He also mentions that you can drizzle a little fresh-squeezed lemon juice atop the souffles before placing in the oven to give them an extra lemony zing. I will try this next time I make them, but the flavor was nothing short of amazing even without doing so. Also, David's recipe calls for 4 4-ounce souffle dishes but since I only had 8-ounce souffle dishes, I made 2 larger desserts. I actually had leftover batter, too.

Sweet Goat Cheese Souffles

{adapted from David Lebovitz}

Serves 2-4

Oven 400 degrees F

Special equipment - 2 8-ounce souffle dishes or 4 4-ounce

1/4 cup full fat organic cream cheese, room temperature

4 large organic all-natural eggs, room temperature (separate eggs from yolks right before using)

4 ounces fresh organic goat cheese

zest of 1 lemon

4 Tablespoons sugar, plus more for sprinkling

pinch of salt

butter for coating souffle dishes

If you don't have one of these Microplane zesters, may I suggest trying
one out? They make zesting so much easier than any other zester I've used.

Generously butter and sugar the insides of your souffle dishes and set aside. Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or you may whisk by hand), place the cream cheese, egg yolks, goat cheese, and lemon zest in the bowl and mix until creamy. Set aside.

Next, using an electric hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, place the egg whites and salt in a glass or metal bowl and beat until frothy. Increase the speed on the mixer and continue mixing until they begin to hold their shape. While beating, gradually add in the sugar, one tablespoon at a time and beat until stiff.

Using a spatula, gently fold the egg whites into the goat cheese mixture. Do not over fold. It's okay to have some white bits showing.

Scoop the mixture into the the prepared souffle dishes to just below the top of the dishes and gently smooth the tops. Don't overfill, or your batter will spill over when baking. Sprinkle the tops with sugar (I did this liberally and it was yummy). Place filled dishes on a baking sheet and place in oven in center of middle rack.

I overfilled my souffle dishes and they spilled over when baking,
but they were still fantastic.

Bake 10 - 15 minutes or until the tops are lightly browned and the center still feels a little jiggly when gently moving from side to side. Serve fresh from the oven with fresh blueberries or raspberries on the side if desired. The souffles should be soft and slightly runny in the center.

I can't wait to make these again for Valentine's Day!

Do you have a favorite David Lebovitz recipe?