Twice baked parmesan, herb soufflé
Ingredients
For the soufflés
1 small onion, peeled, cut into wedges
275ml/10fl oz. whole milk, plus extra for topping up if needed
1 bay leaf
40g/1½oz butter, plus extra for greasing
40g/1½oz plain flour
100g/3½oz rennet free hard cheese if it’s for vegetarians or parmesan coarsely grated
1 table spoon wholegrain mustard
freshly grated nutmeg, to taste
salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 free-range eggs (from Old Leckie Farm if you can!), separated
1 heaped tbsp. chopped chives, plus extra for garnish
Method
Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6. Generously butter 6x150ml/5fl oz. ovenproof ramekins and line the bases with a disc of baking parchment. Place on a baking tray.
Put the onion milk and bay leaf into a saucepan & bring to a gentle simmer over a low heat. Cook for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Melt the butter over a low heat. Remove from the heat and stir in the flour with a wooden spoon. Once combined, return to the heat and cook for a minute, stirring as it cooks and begins to bubble. Remove from the heat.
Strain the milk through a sieve into a jug. You will need around 250ml/9fl oz. of the onion & bay leaf infused milk for the soufflé so put any extra aside or top up with fresh milk if there isn’t enough.
Stir the milk into the flour and butter paste off the heat. Once mixed, return to the heat and cook for 2 minutes, bringing to the boil, stirring constantly. You want the sauce to become smooth and thick. Once it does, add the parmesan, mustard and a grating of nutmeg and continue to cook for 1–2 minutes or until the cheese melts.
Stir in the chives and season – don’t be shy as the egg whites will soak up the seasoning so you want to add more than you usually would. Put the cheese sauce into a heatproof bowl and leave to stand for 5 minutes to cool.
Once cool, beat in the egg yolks one by one.
Whisk the egg whites in a bowl until stiff. Gently, fold a fifth of the egg whites, to start with, into the cheese, using a metal spoon Then, add the rest of the egg whites just as gently to maintain the consistency.
Spoon the soufflé mixture into the ramekins. Bake in the centre of the oven for 15-20 minutes until very well risen and golden-brown on top. DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN WHILST THEY ARE COOKING! Once cooked to cool in the ramekins.
Once they are cold, line a baking tray with baking parchment and slide a knife around the edge of each ramekin. Carefully turn the soufflés out onto your hand. remove the baking paper disc from the base. Place on the tray upside down. The soufflés can now be covered with cling film and chilled for up to 24 hours before being baked again.
For the second baking, preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6. Fifteen minutes before serving, remove the cling film from the soufflés. Bake for 10 minutes until the soufflés are hot. Serve immediately with roasted golden beetroot, salsify and fresh tomato sauce
The Wee Vine 