Double Baked Cheese Soufflé
I’m sure I’ve mentioned how much I like eggs. Well cheese is pretty great (grate) too, and this dish combines them beautifully. This is a superb starter for a dinner party because you can prepare in advance and needs very little done before serving. The soufflés will shrink when you cool from the first stage but don’t worry: the final result looks good and is big on taste and texture.
Step 1 - First bake
Preheat the oven to 200 C.
Grease three ramekins and place a circle of baking parchment at the bottom of each. Place in a deep oven tray with water to half way up the ramekins.
In a small saucepan warm the milk with the onion to a gentle simmer for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile melt the butter in another small saucepan and add the flour, beating to a roux and cooking a little further.
Slowly decant the milk onto the roux, a tablespoon at a time, while continuing the stir vigorously. The mixture should become a thick paste like a thick custard.
Top Tip: stop adding milk if it becomes too thin but add a little fresh milk if it is too hard to stir.Add the Gruyere and a few gratings of nutmeg. The mixture should be a thick cheese sauce. Leave it to stand for a few minutes.
Meanwhile, separate the eggs. Add the yolks to the cheese sauce along with the chives and stir. Beat the whites with a whisk until it forms peaks.
Gently fold the whites into the slightly cooled cheese mixture taking care to avoid knocking air out of the whites.
Add the mixture to the ramekins (they should be filled to about halfway) making sure the very top of the dish is clean.
Bake in the oven for 20 minutes until risen and golden.
The souffles should easily come out of the ramekins by sliding a knife around the edge.
Discard the baking parchment and store covered in the fridge until needed (up to 24 hours).
Top Tip: you can of course serve them as they are, or devour one right away: that’s why we make three…
Step 2 - Second bake
Preheat the oven to 200 C.
In an oven dish place the souffles, dollop on the double cream and sprinkle the grated Parmesan over the top.
Bake for 10 minutes until bubbling and the cheese has melted.
Ingredients
1 onion, peeled, and cut into quarters
150 ml whole milk
20g butter
20g plain flour
60g Gruyere cheese, grated
1 tsp wholegrain mustard
Freshly grated nutmeg
2 eggs
1 tbsp chopped chives
3 tbsp double cream
20g Parmesan cheese, grated
