Gruyere Cheese and a wonderful Soufflé Suissesse

There are so many wonderful cheeses ‘out there’. To be honest I tend to stick with the few I’ve grown to love over the years … and yes English Cheddar still remains my favourite.

Some years ago now … And I am going way back … I can remember having ‘Domestic Science’ lessons at school, as they were called back then, basically cookery plus the science of foods the reaction whilst cooking, nutrition etc. I used to really enjoy them and gained an ’A’ Grade in my final results. One of my favourite recipes was a cheese soufflé. The thing I found about souffles is whisking the air into the mix is very important and also,when it’s cooked serve immediately - because if you don’t, you get a sinking feeling as the soufflé collapses before your eyes !

Surfing around the net I found this lovely recipe for a Soufflé Suissesse, made by that brilliant chef Michel Roux Jr. There is also a video which goes with it, well worth watching.

Soufflé Suissesse

This light-as-air soufflé served in a creamy Swiss-cheese sauce makes an impressive winter starter. It takes less than 30 mins preparation time, and approx 10 to 30 mins cooking time. Please note it does contain a very small amount of flour, so if you are a diabetic, this may need to be taken into account - use your meter to check blood sugar reading.

Ingredients
serves 4 as a starter or 2 as a main

45g/1½oz butter
45g/1½oz plain flour
500ml/17fl oz cold milk
5 free-range eggs, separated
salt and freshly ground white pepper
600ml/20fl oz double cream
150g/5oz Gruyere cheese grated
150g/5oz cheddar cheese grated

Preparation method
Heat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6. Melt the butter in a heavy-based saucepan, then whisk in the flour. Cook, stirring continuously, for about a minute. Slowly whisk in the milk and bring to the boil, whisking all the time to prevent any lumps from forming.

Quickly whisk in the egg yolks and remove from the heat; season with salt and pepper. Cover with a piece of buttered greaseproof paper to prevent a skin from forming.

Whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt until they form stiff peaks.

Add a third of the egg whites to the yolk mixture and beat with a whisk until evenly mixed, then gently fold in the remaining egg whites. Spoon the mixture into four well-buttered 8cm/3in diameter tartlet moulds and place in the oven for six minutes, or until the tops begin to brown.

Meanwhile, season the cream with a little salt and white pepper, warm it gently and stir in 100g/3½oz of each cheese until melted.

Place a layer of the cream mixture into each of four heatproof serving bowls then turn the soufflés out into the cream, sprinkle the grated cheese over the top, then place them under a pre-heated grill for 2-3 minutes.

Serve immediately ... and WOW they do taste great.

Recipe and video can be found here

All the best Jan