A souffle is one of the most impressive things a cook can place on the dinner table. Reputation has them to be complex to make, and simple to spoil. Don't be fooled, there are only two secrets with souffles; firstly, ensure you capture enough air into the mixture, and don't knock it out, and secondly, serve them immediately, after 5 minutes out of the oven they aren't looking so impressive! This recipe is delicious and surprisingly simple, and is ideal served with either a green or a tomato salad, and new potatoes. For best results with the souffle use a strongly flavoured cheese, a mature cheddar, or blue cheese would be ideal. The quantities shown serve 2.

Ingredients

• 25g Butter
• 25g Flour
• 125ml Milk
• 100g Cheese
• 1 Egg, separated

Method

1. Grease an oven-proof serving dish and set aside. Heat the oven to 180 degrees C.
2. Melt the butter over a low heat. Stir in the flour to form a thick paste.
3. Add the milk slowly to the paste, stirring constantly, to form a smooth sauce.
4. Add half the cheese and the egg yolks, and stir until the cheese has melted. Remove from the heat.
5. Whisk the egg whites until they form stiff peaks.
6. Add the whisked egg whites to the cheese sauce, by folding in. At this stage it is important to ensure that as much air as possible remains in the sauce, it is better to have the sauce not fully mixed, rather than have it well mixed with no air.
7. Crumble the remaining half of the cheese into the bottom of the serving dish and cover with the sauce.
8. Place in the oven and bake for approximately 15 minutes, or until the souffle is golden brown and well risen.