4 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for ramekins
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus more for ramekins
1 1/4 cups half-and-half
3 sprigs thyme
1 dried bay leaf
2 shallots, coarsely chopped
1 cup Roasted Squash Puree made with orange Hokkaido squash
4 large egg yolks
3/4 teaspoon finely chopped fresh marjoram
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
4 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated on the large holes of a box grater
6 large egg whites
Preheat oven to 375. Butter four 12-ounce ramekins and line bottoms and sides with parchment paper. Dust with flour; tap out excess. Set aside.
In a small saucepan, bring the half-and-half, thyme, and bay leaf to a simmer. Remove from heat; let stand, covered, 10 minutes. Straining through a fine sieve into a small bowl. Cover and keep warm.
In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add shallots; cook, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add flour and cook, stirring, 3 minutes more. Whisking, add hot half-and-half in a slow stream; cook, whisking, until mixture has thickened, about 2 minutes.
Place the mixture in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat in the squash puree, followed by the egg yolks and marjoram. Season with salt and pepper and fold in the cheese, set aside.
In the clean bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt just until stiff peaks form. Gently fold into squash mixture in three additions. Spoon batter into ramekins. Bake until souffles stop rising and a cake tester inserted gently in the centers comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Serve immediately.
