Asparagus Soufflé Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 pound asparagus spears, bottom ends trimmed and discarded, thick spears peeled, spears cut into 1-inch pieces
• Salt
• 1/4 cup chopped shallots
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped, or 1/2 teaspoon dried
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup finely ground dry breadcrumbs
• 3 tablespoons cake flour (can substitute all purpose flour)
• 1 1/4 cup whole milk
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• Pinch dry ground mustard
• Pinch ground cumin
• Pinch ground ginger
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup grated Gruyere cheese (can substitute Parmesan, but frankly I prefer the Gruyere)
• 3 egg yolks, lightly beaten
• 5 egg whites