Ingredients

⅛ cup + 1 tbsp freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

1.5 tbsp unsalted butter*

1.5 tbsp all purpose flour

⅝ cup heavy/whipping cream (not whipped cream, whipping cream)

2 large eggs separated into yolks and whites

An additional 1.5 egg whites**

1.5 tbsp dry sherry

3 oz Gruyere cheese

1 tbsp sour cream

⅝ tsp kosher salt

½ tsp Dijon mustard

¼ tsp dry mustard

⅛ tsp cayenne pepper

⅛ tsp cream of tartar

*You can use salted butter, just use less salt later on.

**You need additional egg whites in order to make enough meringue, it’s weird, but trust us.

The first thing you’re going to need to do is to get your oven preheated to 375°F. You’re also going to want to butter your ramekins and coat them with the 1 tbsp of Parmigiano-Reggiano.

🧀 Mediocre Tip: The more finely grated the Parmigiano is, the easier it will be to coat the ramekins. To easily coat, put the cheese in the ramekin and turn it around the ramekin on its side so it sticks to the butter evenly.

Next up, it’s béchamel time! Béchamel sauce is one of the French mother sauces and is formed by making a roux, and then adding milk, or, in this case, cream. So add your butter to a small pot and start melting it gently — low heat only. When the butter is melted add in the flour (notice how there are equal amounts of flour and butter? That’s not a coincidence, that’s the definition of a roux.), stir to combine, and allow the paste to cook out. You want to get rid of the harsh raw flour taste, so let it cook for a minute or so.

Once the roux has cooked out add in the cream. This is the part where everything can go very wrong if you aren’t careful. You want to add the cream in a little bit at a time — too fast and you’ll split the sauce or end up with lumps. So slowly add in the cream (⅓ at a time) and stir constantly.