Delia Smith Cheese Souffle Recipes

CHEESE SOUFFLé IN 4 EASY STEPS

Steps:

• Preparing the soufflé dish: Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6 and place a baking sheet on the middle shelf. Butter a 15cm soufflé dish generously, then sprinkle in the breadcrumbs and rotate the dish to ensure the butter is evenly coated. Tip out any excess breadcrumbs.
• Making a thick white sauce: In a pan, melt the butter over a medium heat; stir in the flour and mustard. Cook, stirring, for 1 min. Take off the heat and gradually stir in the milk, mixing it in thoroughly before adding more. Return to the heat and stir continuously until very thick (around 10 mins). Transfer to a bowl and allow to cool. Crack the eggs, placing the whites into a clean bowl and stirring the yolks into the sauce. Stir in cheddar and season well.
• Adding the egg whites: Use a clean whisk to beat the egg whites until peaks form that just hold their shape (electric is best as it will make the job much quicker). Then take a metal spoon and gently stir the whipped whites into the white sauce in a figure of eight.
• Top-hatting: Spoon the mixture into the dish. Run a cutlery knife around the edge to create a 'top hat' effect; this ensures the soufflé rises above the rim and doesn't stick. Place on the baking sheet and bake for 25-30 mins until the top is golden and risen and has a slight wobble. Serve immediately.
• EQUIPMENT: 15cm soufflé dish, saucepan, 2 large mixing bowls, wooden spoon, spatula, baking sheet, large metal spoon, measuring jug, grater, electric whisk, cutlery knife.

LEEK, POTATO AND CHEESE SOUFFLé

Steps:

• Begin by heating the butter in a small saucepan, then stir in the sliced leek and cook gently for 5 minutes. Then add the soured cream, give it all a good stir and cook on a very low heat for a further 5 minutes to soften the leek and flavour the sauce. Then take the pan off the heat and let it cool for about 5 minutes. Now beat the egg yolks into the cooled sauce, and grate the potatoes straight into the pan and beat into the sauce. Lastly beat in all but 1 tablespoon of the grated Cheddar. Season with a little salt and cayenne pepper, then transfer to a large bowl. In a separate (grease-free) bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff and stir one heaped tablespoon into the cheese mixture to slacken it and make it easier to fold in the rest. Taste for seasoning before carefully folding in the remaining egg white. Pour the whole lot into the soufflé dish and sprinkle the top with the reserved Cheddar, Parmesan and a sprinkling of cayenne pepper. Place on a baking tray and bake on the centre shelf for 30 minutes or until well risen and golden brown. Serve as soon as possible (it will shrink a bit on the way to the table but even when shrunken and cold it still tastes good!). Ther are more souffle recipes to watch being made in the Cookery School Video on this page. Nutrition 607kcals/26.8g protein/13.6g carbohydrate/4.4g sugars/49.5g fat/26.2g saturated fat/1.2g fibre/1.9g salt per serving Eggs: for the latest guidelines, visit food.gov.uk. Recipes containing semi-cooked or raw egg are not suitable for pregnant women, elderly people, or those with weak immune systems. Delia's spoons: a useful point to remember is 2 teaspoons equates to 1 dessertspoon and 2 dessertspoons equates to 1 tablespoon

SOUFFLED MACARONI CHEESE

Steps:

• Begin by having all your ingredients weighed out and the cheeses grated. Fill a large saucepan with 4 pints (2.25 litres) of water containing a level dessertspoon of salt and put it on the heat to bring it up to the boil. Then, in a small saucepan, melt the butter over a gentle heat, add the onions and let them soften, without browning and uncovered, for 5 minutes. Then add the flour to the pan, stir it in to make a smooth paste, then gradually add the milk, a little at a time, stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon. Then switch to a balloon whisk and keep whisking so you have a smooth sauce. Then add some salt and freshly milled black pepper, as well as the nutmeg, and leave the sauce to cook gently for 5 minutes. After that, turn off the heat and whisk in the mascarpone and egg yolks, followed by the Gruyère and half the Parmesan. Next place the baking dish in the oven to heat through, then drop the macaroni into the boiling water and, as soon as the water returns to a simmer, give it 4-6 minutes, until al dente (it's going to get a second cooking in the oven). When it has about 1 minute's cooking time left, whisk the egg whites to soft peaks, you can watch how to do this in our Cookery School Video on this page. Drain the pasta in a colander, give it a quick shake to get rid of the water, then tip it back into the pan and stir in the cheese sauce, turning the pasta over in it so it is evenly coated. Then lightly fold in the egg whites, using a cutting and folding movement so as to retain as much air as possible. Remove the warm dish from the oven, pour the pasta mixture into it, give it a gentle shake to even the top, then scatter the reserved Parmesan over and return the dish to the oven on a high shelf for 12 minutes or until the top is puffy and lightly browned. Serve it, as they say in Italy, presto pronto.

CLASSIC CHEESE SOUFFLE

Steps:

• Mix 50g butter and flour into a paste (known as beurre manié, see notes, below). Chill to firm for about 30 mins. Heat milk to boiling point with the onion, spices and bay leaf, then simmer gently for 5 mins. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Taste milk for flavour.
• Strain the milk into a large pan, pressing down on the onion to extract the maximum of flavour. Place the pan back on the heat and gradually whisk in the butter paste, adding in small pieces until you have a thick sauce.
• Season, then leave to cool for 3-4 mins. Whisk in egg yolks, grated gruyère and cheddar, plus two-thirds of the parmesan. Add the Worcestershire sauce and mustard. Check seasoning, leave to cool. Can be made 2 days ahead - bring to room temperature before continuing.
• Brush the insides of a soufflé dish (approx 20 x 8cm deep) with the remaining 25g butter, using upward brush strokes. Coat the base and sides evenly with some parmesan and freshly ground black pepper. Chill to set. Cut the gruyère slice into diamond shapes.
• Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Coat a large, grease-free bowl with the lemon juice (see tip, below). Whisk the egg whites in the bowl, then whisk a third of them into the cheese mixture, to loosen. Carefully fold remaining egg whites into cheese mixture until well mixed, but still light.
• Spoon half the mixture into prepared dish. Dot with brie and top with remaining mixture. Gently level the top. Arrange gruyère on top, scatter with remaining parmesan. Bake for 10 mins. Reduce oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4, bake for 15-20 mins. The soufflé should be evenly risen and slightly wobbly. Serve immediately - the centre will be soft, but will thicken slightly when served.