Really Useful Twice Baked Soufflé Recipe

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Twice Baked Cheddar Soufflé

Cornish Rattler

On Sunday last we went to the Allen Valley to look at the bluebells although, of course, a visit to the pub was on the cards too.  Sadly a busy road runs through the road along the side of the narrow strip of bluebell invested woodland but still all very beautiful and the bluebells were stunning.  

We had a little walk along a track to get a better look at them, there is a footpath through the wood but as we would have had to crush flowers underfoot, so thickly do they grow, we decided just to admire from afar.    We took over 30 pictures none of which to any justice to the wonderfulness of it all.

After standing about in the woods for a while with silly rapturous looks on our faces we sloped off to The St. Kew Inn at, appropriately enough, St. Kew which is one of our absolute favourite pubs. It has a lovely garden full of birdsong,  is next to a big old church and I've heard it does really good food too.  Real man, however, doesn't like eating out so we just had a drink – my first Cornish Rattler of the year, as good as I remember.

When got home it was not much trouble to have ourselves a cheese soufflé; a twice baked soufflé I had prepared (suddenly) the day before.  This is a Seriously Useful Recipe ...

Twice Baked Cheddar Soufflés - makes 6

60g butter plus a bit

60g plain flour

300ml milk

120g grated good strong cheddar

1 level tbsp wholegrain mustard

salt and freshly ground pepper 

3 large eggs

~    Preheat oven to 200°C/400°F/180ºC fan/gas 6.

~    Butter 6 x 200ml ramekins.

~    Melt the butter in a small saucepan.

~    Stir in the flour to form a smooth paste (a roux in fact).

~    Cook over low heat for a minute or so then whisk in the milk.

~    Bring to a boil whisking constantly till you have a thick and smooth sauce.

~    Stir in the mustard, cheddar, salt and pepper and keep stirring till cheese has melted into the sauce.  (Incidentally, if you stop here you have a tasty cheese sauce which will probably just need diluting with a little more milk.)

~   Set aside off the heat whilst dealing with the eggs.

~   Separate the eggs and stir the yolks into the cheese sauce.

~   Whisk the egg whites (making sure the bowl and whisk are utterly, utterly grease free and that there is not the slightest trace of yolk in the whites) till thick and fold into the cheese sauce.

~   Divide between the ramekins.

~   Stand the ramekins in a roasting tin or similar, and carefully pour in enough boiling water to come half way up their sides (this is a bain  marie) and bake till just set and golden – 15-20 minutes.

~   Cool in the ramekins.

~   Run a knife round the edge of each soufflé, turn out and, when completely cold, wrap in cling film and keep in the fridge till needed.

To serve ...

 1 tbsp double cream per soufflé

a little grated mature Cheddar per soufflé

~   Preheat oven to 220ºC/425ºF/200ºC fan/gas 7.

~   Unwrap the soufflés and stand them in a shallow buttered dish.

~   Pour the cream over the top of each soufflés.

~   Sprinkle with grated Cheddar.

~   Bake till risen and the cream and cheese are bubbling – about 10 minutes.  No need for a bain marie on the second cooking. 

We ate them  al fresco!