There are lots of recipes for twice baked cheese soufflé which also require less effort than this one. However, one of the reason for starting this recipe site is to share the dishes that I have served over the years to guests in the restaurant.This starter has been on the menu at various times over the last 13 years and always impresses and being twice baked means that you can get it prepared up to 2 days ahead and simply reheated.
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Ingredients
- 20 g unsalted butter softened to coat oven dishes
- 20 g Plain flour
Soufflé mix
- 40 g unsalted butter
- 2 banana shallots very finely diced
- 2 tsp thyme leaves chopped
- 35 g plain flour
- 250 ml whole milk
- 40 g gruyere cheese grated
- 2 eggs separated
- whole nutmeg for grating
Cheese sauce
- 80 ml double cream
- 40 g gruyere grated
Salad
- 100 g mixed micro herbs or baby leaf salad
- 45 g roasted hazelnuts roughly chopped
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
Equipment
- 4 ramekins
- Mini Blender
- Electric whisk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 160C fan and boil a full kettle. Brush 4 ramekins dishes with butter (or I use dariole moulds as I don't have any ramekins). When brushing the sides, brush from the base upwards, then dust with flour, shaking out any excess.
- Melt 5g of the butter in a pan over a medium heat, add the shallots and thyme. Cook for 5 minutes until soft. set aside to cool.
- Melt the remaining butter in a pan over a medium heat. Add the flour and cook whisking for 1-2 minutes. remove from the heat and add the milk a little at a time, whisking constantly until smooth. Return to the heat and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon until smooth. Add half the cheese and stir until melted. Remove from heat.
- In a mini processor combine the cooled shallot mixture with the egg yolks and process until well combined - it doesn't have to be smooth. Stir this into the cheese sauce. Grate in a little nutmeg and season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a bowl and allow to cool slightly.
- Whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt to soft peaks. Stir 1/3 of the cheese sauce to loosen then carefully fold in the remaining two-thirds. Gently spoon or pipe the filling into the moulds. Gently tap on the work surface to remove any air bubbles. Place in a roasting tin and pour in enough boiling water to come half way up the sides of the dishes. Bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes until set. Remove the soufflés from the water bath and put in the fridge until cold.
- When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 180C fan and line a baking tray with baking paper. Turn out the soufflés out onto the tray, top with the remaining half of cheese and bake for 5-7 minutes until golden.
Cheese sauce
- Season the cream with some salt and pepper (remember there is salt in the cheese), add the cheese and stir over a medium low heat until it melts.
Salad
- Put the leaves and nuts in a bowl. Whisk the mustard and vinegar together, gradually add the oil whisking constantly until the dressing has emulsified then season. Spoon a little dressing over the leaves to coat.
Serving
- Place the soufflé on a warm plate, spoon over a little warm cheese sauce and top with salad. Serve with any leftover sauce and dressing
Nutrition
Calories: 372kcalCarbohydrates: 13gProtein: 13gFat: 30gSaturated Fat: 18gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 170mgSodium: 151mgPotassium: 208mgFiber: 1gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 1128IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 313mgIron: 1mg
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