Twice Cooked Cheese Souffles
The beauty of these individual soufflés is that you don’t have to worry about them collapsing before they get to the table. You can prepare and cook them in advance (see Tip), then simply turn then out and reheat when required.
Ingredients
25g butter, plus extra for greasing
2 tbsp panko breadcrumbs
1 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
25g plain flour
½ tsp mustard powder
200ml milk
75g mature Cheddar cheese, finely grated
2 medium egg yolks
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 medium egg whites
1 tsp olive oil
Fresh herbs and mixed salad, to serve
1 Preheat the oven to 190C/170 fan/gas mark 5. Use the extra butter to thoroughly grease four 200ml ramekin dishes. Line the base of each dish with a circle of baking paper. Mix together the breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese and use to coat the inside of the dishes.
2 Melt the butter in a small pan, stir in the flour and mustard powder and cook for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and gradually stir in the milk. Cook, stirring, over a moderate heat for 2-3 minutes until the mixture forms a thick sauce. Stir in the Cheddar cheese.
3 Allow the mixture to cool for a few minutes then beat in the egg yolks and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Whisk the egg whites in clean grease-free bowl until stiff. Stir 1 tbsp of the whites into the mixture to loosen it slightly then gently fold in the rest of the whites.
4 Divide the mixture between the ramekins. Place in a roasting tin, half fill with boiling water and bake for 15-20 minutes until risen and golden.
5 Cool for 10 minutes then turn the souffles out onto a greased baking sheet and remove the lining paper (see Tip). Brush the tops with olive oil and return to the oven for 6-7 minutes until golden brown. Serve garnished with fresh herbs and with a mixed salad, if liked.
TIP
After turning out the soufflés onto the baking sheet they can be left to cool then covered and chilled for up to 12 hours. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until piping hot.