Cheese soufflé recipe
Pull this recipe off and you will be rewarded with an amazingly deleicate golden brown cheese souffle that will win over any dinner party guests you are entertaining.
Ingredients
- 60 g butter, softened
- 50 g plain flour
- 300 ml milk
- 1 Bouquet garni
- 1 pinch Freshly grated nutmeg
- 4 Eggs (separated)
- 100 g Cheddar cheese (grated
- 100 g Hard cheese, such as Comté, plus extra for sprinkling
- 1 pinch Cayenne pepper
- 60 g Mild, crumbly goat's cheese, diced
- 1 pinch Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Details
- Cuisine: French
- Recipe Type: Starter
- Difficulty: Hard
- Preparation Time: 60 mins
- Cooking Time: 45 mins
- Serves: 4
Step-by-step
- Mix 50g/ 1 1/4oz of butter with the flour until the mixture forms a smooth paste. Transfer to a small dish, cover with cling film and chill for 20 minutes.
- Put the milk, bouquet garni and nutmeg in a small saucepan and bring to the boil over a high heat. Remove from the heat and set aside to infuse and cool down for about 15 minutes until warm.
- Strain the milk mixture into a large saucepan and season with salt and pepper. Reheat gently over a medium-low heat to a simmer, then add the butter and flour paste bit by bit, stirring until the milk thickens. It should have a very smooth texture without any lumps. Continue to cook the milk mixture for a further 5 minutes, then add the egg yolks one by one, stirring until combined after each addition.
- Add 80g 2 3/4oz/ 2/3 cup each of the Cheddar and Comté cheeses and stir well. Season again with salt and pepper and set aside.
- Grease four individual 9x5cm/ 3 1/2x2in ramekins (or one round 18x8cm deep/ 7x3 1/4in deep soufflé dish) with the remaining butter, then coat the inside of the dishes with the remaining Cheddar and Comté cheeses, sprinkle a little cayenne pepper over and chill to set while you finish preparing the soufflé mixture.
- Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F/gas 5 and rub a large clean bowl with lemon juice, then wipe dry. Put the egg whites in the bowl and beat with a whisk or electric mixer until medium to stiff peaks form. Avoid overbeating of the mixture will split and the soufflés will collapse.
- Whisk half the egg whites into the cheese mixture, then carefully fold in the rest, using a spatula, until smooth and firm but light. Spoon half the mixture into the ramekin dishes, add the goat's cheese and then top with the remaining soufflé mixture. Smooth the tops and wipe the inside borders of the dishes clean with your thumb. Finally, sprinkle a little extra Comté over.
- Bake the soufflés in the preheated oven for 10 minutes (12 minutes if you are making one large soufflé), then lower the temperature to 170°C/ 325°F/ gas 3 and bake for a further 15-20 minutes until well risen, golden brown and slightly trembling. Switch the oven off and leave the soufflés in the oven for a further 2-3 minutes, then remove from the oven. Serve immediately.
Extracted from French Brasserie Cookbook by Daniel Galmiche published by Duncan Baird Publishers, London
Still hungry for more?
Eric Lanlard's gingerbread soufflé