The Recipe: Break the Yom Kippur fast with this easy cheese soufflé prepared by Jacques Pépin’s mother

Serves 4

French chef Jacques Pépin’s mother made this soufflé for his father when they married. It starts with the classic béchamel (white) sauce and then takes a turn. Instead of separating the eggs, adding the yolks to the sauce, and beating the whites separately to fold later, the eggs go in all at once. It airs out more this way and puffs up nicely, although not as dramatically as the scrambled egg white version. Bake it in a shallow dish greased with butter and sprinkled with grated Parmesan cheese. It’s perfect for a quick breakfast at the end of Yom Kippur. You can prepare the entire dish and place it in the refrigerator for several hours, then bring it to room temperature before baking. Pippin’s mother invented this unusual technique because she didn’t know how to make a soufflé when she was a bride. She asked a friend who told her she needed to make a béchamel sauce and add eggs and cheese. The friend said nothing about beating the eggs separately. But when his mother beat the eggs into the bechamel without separating them, the soufflé puffed up. The indefatigable 87-year-old Pépin, who releases cooking videos every week, has just written Jacques Pépin Cooks My Way: Recipes and Techniques for Frugal Cooking, which will be published next week.

• butter (for dish)

• 4

  Two tablespoons of fresh grated Parmesan cheese

• 6

  tablespoons of unsalted butter

• 6

  tablespoons of flour

• 2

  Two cups of cold whole milk

• ½

  Teaspoon salt

• ¼

  A teaspoon of ground black pepper

• 6

  Slightly scrambled eggs

• 2½

  Cups grated Swiss cheese, preferably Gruyere (6 ounces)

• 3

  tablespoons of chopped fresh garlic

• 1. Set the oven to 400 degrees. Grease a gratin dish (about 12 inches long, 6-cup capacity). Sprinkle the dish with two tablespoons of Parmesan cheese. Have on hand a rimmed baking tray lined with parchment paper.

• 2. In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter, add the flour, and continue whisking for 10 seconds until combined. Add the milk and whisk constantly until the mixture boils. Reduce the heat and let it boil steadily for 20 seconds.

• 3. Add salt and pepper. Remove from heat and leave to cool for 10 minutes.

• 4. Beat the eggs with the white sauce. Use a rubber spatula to stir in the cheese and chives. Pour into a baking dish. Sprinkle the top with the remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese.

• 5. You can refrigerate the dish for several hours at this point.

• 6. Place the dish on the baking tray. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the souffle is puffed and golden brown. Serve immediately.

Cheryl Julian. Quoted from “The Apprentice”