Cheddar and chive soufflé

Cheddar and chive soufflé

This cheese soufflé makes an impressive main course for a light, elegant lunch. Simply serve with a green salad.

Cheddar and chive soufflé

Have you tried our soufflé pancakes yet?

  • Serves icon Serves 4
  • Time icon Hands-on time 30 min. Oven time 25 min

This cheese soufflé makes an impressive main course for a light, elegant lunch. Simply serve with a green salad.

Have you tried our soufflé pancakes yet?

Nutrition: Per serving

Calories
433kcals
Fat
31g (18g saturated)
Protein
21g
Carbohydrates
17g (4.2g sugars)
Fibre
0.8g
Salt
1g

Ingredients

  • 50g unsalted butter, plus plenty extra to grease
  • 20g dried breadcrumbs
  • 20g parmesan (or vegetarian equivalent), finely grated
  • 50g plain flour
  • 1 tsp mustard powder
  • 350ml whole milk
  • ¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
  • 120g mature cheddar, coarsely grated
  • 4 medium free-range eggs, separated
  • Small bunch chives, very finely chopped

Specialist kit

  •  2 litre ovenproof straight-sided ramekin or round baking dish
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Method

  1. Heat the oven to 170°C fan/gas 5. Put a baking sheet in the bottom third of the oven to heat up (make sure there’s no rack above – it’s good to be optimistic about the rise of your soufflé). Grease the dish very generously with butter, dragging the butter upwards as you do so.
  2. Mix the breadcrumbs and half the parmesan in a small bowl, then tip this into the buttered dish and shake it around so everything is well coated inside. Tap out any excess.
  3. Melt the 50g butter in a small saucepan over a medium heat and, once melted, stir in the flour and mustard. Cook for a minute, then remove from the heat. Whisk in the milk, bit by bit, until all incorporated in a smooth sauce. Return to the heat, slightly lower than before, then stir with a wooden spoon until very thick and smooth (about 6 minutes) – it will be more like a paste than a sauce. Add the nutmeg, remove from the heat, then stir in the cheddar until melted. Scrape the mixture into a bowl, then beat in the egg yolks, one at a time (see Know-how). Stir in the chives, season with salt and pepper, then cover and set aside.
  4. In a scrupulously clean bowl, whisk the egg whites until they form stiff peaks but are not dry. Add about a quarter of the egg whites to the cheese sauce and stir in well to lighten the mixture. Gently fold in the rest with a rubber spatula, drawing the mixture up from the bottom of the bowl and gently folding it over until it’s combined.
  5. Spoon the mixture into the prepared dish. Gently smooth the top. Run the tip of a dinner knife around the edge – between the soufflé mix and the edge of the dish – then sprinkle the top with the remaining parmesan. Put on the oven sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes until the top is risen and golden – it should still have some wobble to it. Serve immediately.

Nutrition

Nutrition: per serving
Calories
433kcals
Fat
31g (18g saturated)
Protein
21g
Carbohydrates
17g (4.2g sugars)
Fibre
0.8g
Salt
1g

delicious. tips

  1. You can make the sauce (up to the end of step 3) up to a day in advance and keep it in the fridge – just make sure you bring it back to room temperature before folding in the egg whites.

  2. How to stop your soufflé flopping

    • Room temperature eggs work best, and slightly old ones too; it’s easier to whisk air into egg whites that aren’t super fresh.
    • Make sure the whisk and bowl for the egg whites are scrupulously clean. Choose a stainless steel or ceramic bowl (plastic can cling on to traces of grease).
    • Straight-sided dishes get the best rise. Butter generously with softened rather than melted butter. Drag the pastry brush in straight lines up the sides of the dish and dust the interior with fine breadcrumbs and/or finely grated cheese.
    • To get ahead, prepare the ramekin(s) and make the egg yolk base part of the soufflé up to the day before, then keep chilled. All you have to do at the last minute is whisk the egg whites, then fold them in. Bring the ramekin(s) and base up to room temperature so it isn’t so stiff before gently combining with the whisked egg whites.
    • A pre-heated baking sheet on the oven shelf gives an initial boost of heat to get the rise off to a good start.
    • Put the soufflés into the oven as quickly as possible so the heat doesn’t escape, and close the door gently – slamming can knock the air out of your mix.
    • Don’t open the oven door. You can check 5 minutes before the end of cooking time – as all ovens vary – but no earlier than that.

Buy ingredients online

Recipe By:

Debora Robertson

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