Twice Baked Cheese Souffle

Cook Time 1.5 Hours

Servings 8

Ingredients

100g butter
100g plain flour
500ml milk
Sprig of thyme
160g Gruyere cheese
½ tsp. nutmeg
5 eggs, separated
50g Parmesan, finely grated
500ml cream
1 tbs. sherry
Salt and white pepper

Salad
1 cup of hazelnuts, roasted and skin removed and roughly chopped
2 ripe tomatoes, seeds removed and very finely diced
1 tbs. white wine vinegar
3 tbs. extra virgin olive oil
Chervil, garnish

Method

Preheat the oven to 180C and grease 8 dariole moulds with butter and dust with a little flour.

Heat milk and thyme 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 with a wooden spoon before slowly adding the hot milk (thyme removed). Use a whisk now to ensure there are no lumps in the white sauce. Whisk until thick and glossy. Cool for 5 minutes.

While cooling, beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt and firm peaks form. Now add the egg yolks to white sauce mixture and incorporate well. Now add ½ of the cheese, nutmeg and season with salt and pepper. Add one third of the egg whites to the white sauce and mix in. Add another third and fold in carefully. Finally add the last third and fold in.

Fill the dariole moulds with the soufflé mixture. Place the soufflés in a baking dish and fill with water to come half way up the sides of the moulds. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes.

Turn the oven up to 220C.

Cool for 15 minutes and then carefully remove from the moulds and place the soufflés in individual ovenproof earthenware dishes. Add the sherry to the cream and pour over the soufflés. Mix the remaining cheese with the Parmesan and sprinkle over. Bake again for 20 minutes.

For the salad, combine all ingredients. Spoon tomato salad over hot soufflés and garnish with chervil.