Prue & John’s Cheese Souffle two ways

Prep Time – 22 minutes

Cook Time – 25 minutes

Serves 2

1. Cheese Souffle with Tomato Sauce (see tomato sauce recipe)
2. Cheese soufflé with cream.

Ingredients:

• 15g unsalted butter plus extra for greasing
• 15g plain flour
• 150ml whole milk
• 45g mature cheddar
• 20g vegetarian Parmesan-style cheese, grated
• ½ teaspoon of English mustard powder
• ½ teaspoon of cayenne pepper
• 2 large eggs, separated
• Black pepper

Cream version:

• 150ml double cream
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard if desired
• Salt and Peppe

Cheese Soufflé Method

1. Heat the oven to 210˚C/fan 190˚C/gas mark 6-7.
2. Melt the butter in a saucepan over a medium heat, then add the flour and stir briskly for a few minutes. The roux (flour and butter mix) should look like wet sand.
3. Take the pan off the heat and gradually whisk in the milk, then return the pan to a medium heat and whisk for a couple of minutes until very thick, glossy and smooth.
4. Remove from the heat, then beat in the grated Cheddar, Parmesan-style cheese, mustard, cayenne pepper, egg yolks. Season with pepper but not salt (the cheese provides enough salt).
5. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg whites until they thicken and become fluffy.
6. Stir in a tablespoon of whisked egg white to the main souffle mixture to soften it up, before combining both mixtures in one bowl.
7. Using a spatula, fold the mixture together, taking care not to knock the air out of the whites too much – a few pockets of unmixed egg white are better than losing the air.
8. Fill the individual souffle pots, ready for the oven.

Cream version

1. Generously grease two small ramekin dishes with butter.
2. Transfer the mixture to the greased soufflé dishes, then bake in the middle of the oven for 20 minutes. It should be very well risen and golden brown on top. Remove from the oven and let it collapse.
3. Warm the cream on the hob and stir in the mustard if desired and season.
4. Tip the souffles out their own small ovenproof serving bowl, pour over the warmed mustard cream and return to the oven for a further 5 minutes.

Tomato version (see tomato sauce recipe)

1. Generously grease a small soufflé dish (about 15cm/6in in diameter) with butter.
2. Transfer the mixture to the greased soufflé dish, then bake in the middle of the oven for 25 minutes. It should be very well risen and golden brown on top.
3. Heat the tomato sauce about 5 minutes before it is ready to come out.
4. Remove from the oven and cut open middle and pour hot tomato sauce into middle and serve.