Goose egg Soufflé

 One of the seasonal treats that I get are goose eggs.  I've only got 4 geese, and they only lay in the spring.  The geese haven't been bothered at all by the rainy weather, and they've laid about 30 eggs.  So tonight it was Broccoli and cheese goose egg souffle!  (Full recipe at the bottom of this post)

 The goose eggs themselves are pretty darned big.  A normal souffle calls for a half-dozen eggs.  Two goose eggs are more than enough.  Here I've put the goose egg on the scale -- it weighs 205 grams (hiya, metric readers!)

 for comparison purposes, this is a fresh chicken egg, at around 1/3rd the weight of the goose egg. 

 I had some duck eggs, too, and so I put one on the scale to compare.  It's about half the size of a goose egg, and about 30% larger than a chicken egg.  All are yummy, by the way. 

 Putting them side by side, with a quarter and a penny for size purposes.  Chicken on the left, goose on the right, duck in the center. 

 A chicken egg white weighs 45 grams; the yolk about 15 grams.  Goose eggs are different. 

 Note the quarter for size.  A goose egg is about 50% yolk and 50% white.  For a souffle this is actually a bit of a problem; to compensate, I usually reduce the amount of cheese a little. 

 Yep, 90 grams of white in a goose egg.  The shell is pretty heavy, too.  Much thicker than a chicken or duck egg. 

 Whipping the whites of two goose eggs, a tablespoon of water and a teaspoon of cream of tartar. 

 meanwhile, over on the stove, tempering in the yolk with the rue...

 and then adding the cheese  and then folding the cheese sauce into the whipped egg whites.  Add the broccoli last.   

 I know, your souffle should rise over the edge, but I don't do it that way; here I'm putting the excess into a smaller ramekin.  You can see the broccoli in the mixture. 

 Pop into the oven -- note the oven thermometer.  When you're interested in good results, might as well check your temperatures.  This oven is consistently 30 degrees off at 375f, which is where the souffle wants to be. 

Golden and delicious. 

Recipe: 
  4 tablespoons butter (greasing pan, making the roux)
  2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
  3 tablespoons flour (roux)
  1 cup milk, heated.
  1 teaspoon dry mustard
  1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  2 goose egg yolks
  2 goose egg whites
  6 ounces sharp Cheddar (like tillamook)
  1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
  1/2 cup chopped, cooked broccoli

  Preheat oven to 375

  Grease souffle pan with butter, dust with Parmesan.  Put the greased pan in the freezer.

  Grate the cheddar cheese, toss the broccoli into the microwave and cook it, along with the milk.  You want the milk warm for the next step. 

  In a small saucepan, put 3 tablespoons butter and clarify (cook until most of the water is out; it'll foam a little).  Add the flour and stir in.   You don't want to cook this too much.  A white roux is what you want. 

 Add in the mustard and garlic powder and a pinch of salt. 

Add the hot milk to the mixture, and bring to a boil, then remove from heat and add the cheddar.
 
  Temper in the yolks- bring some of the milk into the bowl holding the yolks and slowly mix the two together.  You want to bring up the temperature of the yolks slowly.  Pour the yolk/sauce back and forth a few times.  You'll end up with a smooth, yellow, cheesy sauce.  Yummy.

Add the broccoli to the cheese sauce. 

Set  sauce aside, and whip the whites until they're stiff. 

Using a spatula or a large spoon, fold the cheese sauce into the whipped egg whites.  you want to do this with deliberate speed, and you don't want to stir it.  Just enough mixing to get the two together, then pour into your pans and bake at 375 for 35 minutes or until the top is golden and delicious.