Cheese soufflé

Instructions

1. 1

   Preheat the oven to 180°C fan/200°C conventional. Generously butter two 350 ml ramekins using about 15 g of the unsalted butter, then shake the 10 g of grated mature vegetarian Cheddar around each ramekin to coat the base and sides; tap out any excess.

2. 2

   Separate the eggs into two bowls: place the yolks in a small bowl and the whites in a large, perfectly clean mixing bowl. Set both bowls aside.

3. 3

   Make the béchamel: melt 25 g of the unsalted butter in a medium saucepan over a medium heat. Add the plain flour and cook, stirring, for 1–2 minutes to remove the raw flour taste.

4. 4

   Gradually whisk in the full-fat milk, a little at a time, then bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 3–4 minutes until the sauce coats the back of a spoon and is thick and smooth.

5. 5

   Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the Dijon mustard, 120 g of the mature vegetarian Cheddar, sea salt, ground black pepper and ground nutmeg. Let the sauce cool for 30 seconds off the heat, then whisk in the egg yolks one at a time until fully incorporated.

6. 6

   Whisk the egg whites with the cream of tartar to soft peaks, then continue whisking to stiff, glossy peaks (about 3–5 minutes with an electric whisk, longer by hand).

7. 7

   Stir a large spoonful (about one third) of the whipped whites into the cheese sauce to loosen it, then gently fold in the remaining whites in two batches using a large metal spoon or spatula. Fold using a cutting-and-lifting motion to keep as much air as possible.

8. 8

   Spoon the mixture into the prepared ramekins, filling to just below the rim and smoothing the top with the back of a spoon. Sprinkle the reserved 10 g of mature vegetarian Cheddar over the surface.

9. 9

   Bake on the middle shelf for 14–16 minutes until well risen, golden and with a slight wobble in the centre. Do not open the oven door during baking.

10. 10

    Serve immediately straight from the oven — soufflés begin to fall after a minute or two.

Tips

• Use clean, dry bowls and a grease-free whisk for the whites — even a speck of yolk will stop them from whipping.
• Temper the yolks: if the béchamel is hot, whisk a spoonful into the yolks before adding them back to the pan to avoid scrambled egg.
• Do not open the oven while baking; the sudden temperature change will make the soufflé collapse.
• Make the béchamel up to 1 hour ahead, cool and refrigerate; warm gently before folding in the whites. Do not use a hot sauce on cold whites.
• Soufflés are best the moment they leave the oven; if you must prepare in advance, prepare the sauce and whip the whites separately but assemble and bake at the last minute.

Substitutions

• mature vegetarian Cheddar → Gruyère or Comté, same quantity

  Stays close

• plain flour → gluten-free plain flour blend, same quantity

  Noticeably different

• full-fat milk → semi-skimmed milk, same quantity

  Noticeably different

• cream of tartar → a few drops of lemon juice or 1 tsp white wine vinegar

  Stays close

Nutrition

Per serving · estimated

650

Calories

32 g

Protein

19 g

Carbs

50 g

Fat

1 g

Fibre

7 g

Sugar

1050 mg

Sodium

FAQ