Twice Baked Blue Cheese Soufflé

Cook Time 1 hour and 30 minutes

Servings 4

Ingredients

50g butter + extra for greasing
50g (¼ cup) plain flour + extra for dusting
250ml milk
1 small sprig of rosemary
150g mild blue cheese
½ tsp nutmeg
5 eggs, separated
300-400ml cooking cream
2 tbsp dry sherry
20g Parmesan, freshly grated
Salt and white pepper
Chives, chopped to serve (optional)

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 180°C and grease 4 dariole moulds with butter and dust with a little flour.

Heat milk and rosemary in a pot. In a medium saucepan melt the butter then add the flour to make a roux. Stir the roux continuously for 2 minutes over a low heat with a wooden spoon and then with a whisk slowly add the hot milk, discarding the rosemary. Ensure there are no lumps in the white sauce. Turn the heat up and bring to simmer, constantly whisk until thick and gluey. Remove from the heat, cool for 5 minutes and then whisk in the nutmeg and half of the blue cheese until combined. Incorporate the egg yolks, pour into a bowl and allow to cool to room temperature.

While cooling, beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt and until peaks form.

Add one third of the egg whites to the cheese mixture and stir together until combined. Add another third and this time, fold in carefully. Finally fold the last third in until the mixture is smooth.

Fill the dariole moulds evenly with the soufflé mixture. Place the soufflés in a baking dish and fill with water to come halfway up the sides of the moulds. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes.

Cool for 15 minutes (they will deflate – this is ok) and then carefully remove from the moulds and place the soufflés in a large, greased gratin dish.

To make the cream sauce, bring the cooking cream to the boil with the sherry. Once thick, remove from the heat and whisk in the remaining blue cheese until melted.

Pour the sauce over the soufflés, sprinkle over Parmesan and bake again in the oven at 180°C for 20 minutes or until golden. Garnish the soufflé with chopped chives and serve with a light rocket salad on the side, if desired.