Crab Souffle

Cook Time 1 hour

Servings 4

Ingredients

40g butter, plus extra for greasing

40g plain flour

400ml milk

pinch nutmeg

4 eggs, separated (4 egg whites, 4 yolks)

100g grated gruyere cheese

250g picked uncooked crab meat

½ bunch of chives, finely chopped

Salt & pepper

Method

Preheat the oven to 200°C. Generously butter a 22 cm dish.

To make the béchamel, melt the butter in a saucepan over a medium, add the flour and stir thoroughly to form a smooth paste (roux). Whisk in a quarter of the milk to ensure there are no lumps. Pour in the rest of the milk and whisk over medium–high heat for 3-4 minutes or until the sauce becomes very thick.

Take off the heat and cool.

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

Now add nutmeg to the béchamel followed by the egg yolks. Next add the cheese, the chives and crab meat. Stir to combine.

Fold through the egg whites, one-third at a time. Fold gently to keep as much air in the mixture as possible. Then pour into the dish and bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes, or until puffy and well browned on top.

Remove and serve immediately.