Souffle

3 tablespoons finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

1 ¹⁄₄ cups finely chopped cauliflower florets

¹⁄₄ cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

White pepper to taste

¹⁄₂ stick unsalted butter

4 ¹⁄₂ tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 ¹⁄₂ cups whole milk

6 large egg yolks

8 large egg whites

For brown butter:1 stick salted butter

Preheat oven to 200°C with rack in middle.

Generously butter soufflé dish, then sprinkle with cheese, knocking out excess.

Stir together cauliflower, parsley, ¹⁄₄ teaspoon salt, and white pepper to taste in a large bowl.

Melt butter in a 2- to 3-quart heavy saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour, then cook, whisking, until pale golden, about 2 minutes. Add milk a little at a time, whisking constantly until very smooth.

Bring sauce to a boil, whisking, then simmer, whisking, until quite thick, about 1 minute.

Remove from heat and whisk in yolks, ¹⁄₄ teaspoon white pepper, and ¹⁄₂ teaspoon salt. Stir into cauliflower mixture.

Beat whites in a bowl with an electric mixer at high speed until they just hold stiff peaks (they should not look dry).

Stir a heaping spoonful of whites into yolk mixture to lighten, then gently fold in remaining whites until just combined.

Gently spoon into soufflédish (leave at least 1 inches of space at top) and bake until golden brown and top appears set, 35 to 40 minutes.