Recipe - Cheese Souffle

When I decided to make a souffle, I was super super nervous!!  I read about eighteen recipes at least a dozen times.  Then I realised, there isn't a great deal to it. Make roux, beat eggs, oven bake.  Well, there's a little more to it than that but you get the idea.  I guess the reason souffles are made out to be really scary and easy to get wrong is that there are a lot of little things that can effect the final result.  The best thing to do it follow the recipe to the letter because there is a reason for every instruction.  If you wanna know why you have to do something just ask below.  I hope you have as much success with this recipe as I did. 

Ingredients

50g butter, softened

1/4 cup plain flour

300mL milk

150g King Island Dairy Netherby Blue Cheddar, grated

2 tsp dijon mustard

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

4 eggs, separated

Step 1 - Preheat oven to 200°C.  Place a flat tray in the oven.

Step 2 - Using 20g of the butter, grease 4 x 1 1/4 cup capacity ramekins. Set aside. 

Step 3 - Place remaining butter in a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat and melt until butter is frothing.  Add flour and cook, stirring constatly, until roux darkens slightly and easily comes away from the sides on the pan.

Step 4 - Remove pan from heat and pour in milk.  Whisk with a balloon whisk until smooth, then return to heat and stir until sauce thickens.  Remove from heat and stir through cheese, mustard and paprika until well incorporated. When mixture has cooled slightly, add egg yolks and stir until well combined.

Step 5 - Whisk egg whites in a clean bowl until soft peaks form.  Use a spatula to gently fold 1/4 of the eggs into the cheese mixture.  When just incorporated, add remaining egg whites and fold until just mixed through.

Step 6 - Pour mixture into ramekins and run a finger around the top, between the ramekin and the souffle mixture, about 0.5cm deep.  Bake for 25-30 minutes until souffle has risen and is golden.
Step 7 - Serve immediately with a simply green leafy salad.

Notes:

Ensure all ingredients have been prepped prior to commencing this dish.

Recipes - Creme Brulee

Creme Brulee, which literally means 'burnt cream' in French, is a classic dessert that is coming back into fashion.  Traditionally, it is a vanilla flavoured set custard with a thin layer of hard toffee on top but can also be flavoured with chocolate, coffee, liqueur, lemon or orange.  I have not had many creme brulees in my time, so it was never something I really wanted to make.  But, when a friend posted on my facebook page asking me to make it, a lot of other people jumped on board the idea so I thought I would give it a crack.  For my first attempt I have held tradition and made a vanilla custard, however, I am very keen to try a coffee creme brulee in the future!

Ingredients

600mL thickened cream

6 egg yolks

1/3 cup + 2 tbs caster sugar

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

Step 1 - Preheat oven to 150°C.  Place a folded tea towel in the bottom of a baking dish and evenly space 6 x 3/4 cup capacity ramekins on top. Put a kettle full of water on to boil.

Step 2 - Place cream and vanilla in a small-medium saucepan and heat over low for 5-8 minutes or until cream just starts to simmer.  Do not boil.

Step 3 - In a large bowl, whisk yolks and 1/3 cup sugar until combined.  Pour cream into mixture in a slow and steady stream, whisking constantly.  Carefully skim any frothy bubbles from the top of the mixture and discard.  

Step 4 - Strain mixture through a fine sieve into a large jug then evenly distribute between ramekins.  Pour boiling water into dish until it has risen to 1/2 way up the ramekins.  Carefully place tray in oven and cook for 35-40 minutes, until custard has just set.

Step 5 - Remove ramekins from tray and set aside for 30 mins to cool, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight.

Step 6 - Turn grill onto high heat.  Sprinkle the 2 tbs sugar over custards, about 1 teaspoon on each.  Place under grill for 2-3 minutes, until sugar has melted, turned golden and is bubbling slightly.  Cool for 5 minutes at room temperature, then return to fridge for half an hour to harden toffee and reset custard.