Make sure to prepare all the ingredients before starting to mix together the souffle. When separating the eggs, do it one egg at a time and make sure not even a single drop of yolk gets in your egg whites. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Add olive oil to a medium pan over medium heat and add onions and corn. Season with salt, pepper, and paprika. Add a pinch of cayenne if you want it spicier. Cook until veggies are soft, about 4 minutes. Then transfer mixture to a small food processor and pulse a few times. Set corn mixture aside for later.
Wipe pan clean and then add butter to a saucepan over medium-high heat until butter is melted and then whisk in your flour. Cook for three or four minutes, whisking constantly.
Slowly whisk your milk into the roux (flour and butter). Work slowly so no lumps form in the sauce. It helps if your milk is warm for this so feel free to microwave it quickly.
Once your milk is whisked in, continue to cook the sauce so it thickens. Add your grated cheese and corn mixture to the sauce.
Whisk about 1 cup of the hot cheese sauce into your whisked egg yolks. Go slowly so your yolks slowly rise in temperature. Once that’s done, whisk your yolk mixture back into your cheese mixture.
To whip egg whites, make sure your bowl and whisk are VERY clean. If you’re using the same whisk that you used for your yolks, make sure it’s sparkling clean. Even a single drop of fat (yolk) will kill your whites.
Beat the whites until they form stiff peaks, about 5 minutes if you’re a good whisker. I recommend using a stand mixer for this.
Now the hard part. Take about 1/6 of your whites and stir them into your custard base. Don’t worry about maintaining volume at this point. This will just lighten the base a bit.
Now add the rest of your egg whites and gently FOLD the whites into the sauce. Use a flat spatula and gently fold the base over the whites. Don’t stir it in or you’ll destroy the volume in the egg whites.
As soon as the mixture is combined, pour it into a buttered 2 1/2 quart dish (or individual ramekins) and bake for 30 minutes (15-20 with ramekins) at 375 degrees.
Test the middle of the souffle to make sure it’s cooked through and serve immediately.