SV650.org - SV650 & Gladius 650 Forum - Blue cheese souffle recipe for Minimorcambe

Tested it a few times now, tweaked it to make it as easy as possible, but it's a souffle, it's not rocket science.

You'll need:-

4 8oz ramekins
4 egg yolks and 5 egg whites (save the spare egg yolk, covered in the fridge)
110g crumbled blue cheese (if Stilton, make it a good creamy one)
3tbsp plain flour
1/2tsp cream of tartare (or 1tsp corn flour will do the same)
3tbsp grated parmesan for the souffle
2tbsp grated parmesan for the ramekins
1/2 pint milk
40g butter, with spare for the ramekins
salt and pepper to season
1tsp dry mustard powder OR a pinch of paprika

Firstly, put a baking tray in the oven and preheat to 180c/gas 4.
Then using a pastry brush, line the ramekins with butter. Be sparing, use upward strokes on the sides and make sure that the entire surface is covered. Then take 1tbsp of the parmesan and pour it into one of the ramekins. Holding that ramekin over the next one to be dusted, spin the ramekin around on its side so that the parmesan covers the base and all of the sides, then tip what's left into the other ramekin. Repeat this process for the other ramekins and then chill in the fridge.

Now, melt the butter over a low heat and add the flour. Stir well with a wooden spoon and keep stirring over the low heat for 2-3 minutes to cook out the flour and the raw taste. Then add the milk, little bit at a time. When you first start adding the milk, the paste will thicken a lot, just keep stirring it and if you need to, use a whisk to work out any lumps. When you have added all the milk, keep stirring and cook until you have a thick gloopy white sauce. Remove from heat and whisk in the egg yolks, one at a time, then the parmesan, plus what's left after dusting the ramekins. Stir in the mustard powder or paprika, blue cheese and 1/4tsp salt and 1/2tsp pepper. Leave to cool completely.

When the sauce has cooled, you can whip your egg whites. Place them in a large bowl and whisk until they come together. Now add the cream of tartare or corn flour and continue to whisk until you have a soft peak consistency.

Put 1/3 of the egg whites into the sauce and at this stage, forget folding, just whisk it in to loosen the mixture. Then add the next 3rd of egg whites and fold in, followed by the last third until they are all incorporated. You don't want big lumps of egg white, but you need to be light with your hands when folding, so as not to beat out the air. Use a large metal spoon or a rubber spatula. Turn the bowl as you fold the mixture.

Turn the oven up to 190c/gas 5 (to prevent the temperature dropping too much when you put the souffles in).

Now fill your ramekins with the mixture. First, add 1tbsp of mix into the bottom of each ramekin and tap each down on the work surface to ensure there are no air pockets which will effect the way it rises. Then fill right to the top and use a pallet knife to run across the top of the ramekin, leaving a clean flat surface. When they are all filled and topped, run the tip of your thumbaround the edge of the ramekin, just going inside. This means that the top of the souffle is not in contact with the side of the ramekin and so, will not stick and prevent rising.

Place on the baking tray in the oven, close the door and turn the oven back down to 180c/gas 4. Bake for 25 minutes. When done, the souffles should have risen well above the rim of the ramekin (I said rim...snigger) and the top should be a nice golden brown.

Top tips for souffles:-

Make sure the ramekins are buttered and dusted thoroughly otherwise the souffle will stick and not rise.
Set the dusted ramekins in the fridge for 10 minutes
Make sure your oven temp settings are correct
Wait for the blue cheese sauce to cool completely before whisking and adding the whites.
When adding the whites, work with a light hand and only fold enough to incorporate the whites, no more.

DO NOT under ANY circumstance, open the oven door during cooking. They will immediately collapse and never recover.

Hope you enjoy and if you have any questions, ask away. I've tried this a few times now and had it tested yesterday :-), so it should work fine.

Souffles are not scary, they are in fact easy, so long as you make sure you adhere to the tips above. It's supposed to be a posh thing, I think it's just a great way of using up leftovers!

Oh...if you want something to do with your spare egg yolk, why not use it to make an nice egg fried rice? :-)