Cheese souffle

Gipsy Spread is a master soufflé-er. If there is such a word? If not, I have just invented in. It had been some time since he had made a cheese soufflé and strangely, prompted by my act of buying a couple of ready-made cheese soufflés at Waitrose the previous week, he set about proving his superiority in the soufflé stakes. This soufflé recipe is relatively simple and works pretty much every time. The focus is on getting the egg whites whipped just right and ensuring the soufflé mix remains full of air.

 

What you will need
3 eggs
70g cheddar
20g parmesan cheese
2 spring onions
fresh chives
40g butter
80g flour
300ml milk
1/2 tea spoon cayenne pepper

Begin by melting the butter in a saucepan. The first stage of the soufflé is to make a roux. So, once the butter has melted, slowly add the flour to bind with the butter and then slowly add the milk, stirring all the time to remove any lumps. Keep adding the milk until you have a lovely smooth roux and then add in the chives and chopped spring onions. Take the roux off the heat.

 

 

Next separate the egg yolks from the egg whites and grate the cheddar and parmesan.

Whisk the egg whites until they are light and fluffy and form soft peaks.

 

Next, carefully stir the egg yolks into the roux mix, it should have cooled slightly (you don’t want to scramble the eggs) and add the grated cheese.

Season well with salt and pepper and add the cayenne pepper.

Finally carefully fold in the egg white, making sure it is mixed through the roux.

Pour into 4 medium sized ramekins and fill right to the top and place in a preheated oven at 180C for 20 minutes. Do not open the door, but watch them rise through the glass.

 

Serve alongside some crusty bread and a fresh crisp green salad.