Baked cheese soufflés
These three-cheese soufflés are served with a decadent cheesy cream sauce.
Ingredients
For the soufflé
- 425ml/¾ pint milk
- 1 garlic clove, smashed
- ½ onion, cut into wedges
- small bunch fresh thyme, roughly chopped
- 1 bay leaf
- 85g/3oz butter, plus extra for greasing
- 85g/3oz plain flour
- 55g/2oz mature cheddar, grated
- 55g/2oz ³Ò°ù³Ü²âè°ù±ð, grated
- 110g/4oz fontina, grated
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 6 free-range eggs, separated
- fine semolina, for lining the ramekins
For the cheese cream
- 200ml/7fl oz double cream
- 100g/3½oz fontina, grated
- 50²µ/¾´Ç³ú Parmesan, grated
- wilted spinach, to serve (optional)
Method
To make the soufflé, preheat the oven to 210C/190C Fan/Gas 6½.
Heat the milk, garlic, onion, thyme and bay in a saucepan and then strain the infused milk, discarding the garlic, onion and herbs.
Make a roux by dissolve the butter in a pan and add the flour. Stir until the mixture forms a smooth paste which leaves the sides and base of pan cleanly. Cook for a minimum of 2 minutes to cook out the taste of the flour. Then gradually whisk in the warmed milk, simmer and stir for 5 minutes.
Add the grated cheeses and mustard and stir until the cheeses are melted. Remove from the heat and beat in the egg yolks.
Whisk the egg whites in a clean bowl to stiff peaks and fold into the soufflé mixture.
Line 3 ramekins with butter, a circle of parchment paper and a coating of fine semolina, shaking off the excess. Half-fill a roasting tin with boiling water to make a bain-marie. Spoon the mixture into the ramekins and sit the ramekins in the bain marie. Bake for 25 minutes or until risen.
Meanwhile, to make the cheese sauce, heat the cream in a small saucepan and add the cheeses. Stir until the cheeses are melted and keep warm.
To serve, turn the soufflés out and spoon over the cheese cream. Serve with wilted spinach.
Recipe Tips
Once the soufflés are cooked, you could turn them out, wrap, chill and reheat on another day.
