This technique is similar for all hot soufflés – savoury and sweet.
10 medium egg whites
salt and freshly ground pepper
50g (3½ tbsp) softened butter, to grease dishes
50g (1¾oz) Gruyère, grated, to coat dishes
20g (1½ tbsp) butter
20g (2½ tbsp) plain (all-purpose) flour
250ml (1 cup) milk
pinch of cayenne
6 medium egg yolks
240g (8½oz) Gruyère or Comté, finely grated, plus 8 or 4 thin discs
Preheat the oven to 200°C/400ºF/Gas 6. Beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until soft peaks form.
Generously grease the insides of 8 standard 8 cm (3¼in) ramekins (or four 10 cm/4in soufflé dishes) with the softened butter. Put about 50 g (1¾in) grated Gruyère into one dish, rotate it to coat the inside, then tip the excess into another ramekin. Repeat to coat them all.
To make the béchamel, melt the 20 g (1½ tbsp) butter in a pan. Add the flour and cook for 2 minutes, stirring with a whisk, to make a roux. Still stirring, add the cold milk and bring to the boil over a medium heat. Let bubble for a minute or two, then pour the béchamel into a bowl. Season lightly with salt, pepper and cayenne, then whisk in the egg yolks. Cover the bowl with cling film (plastic wrap) and let cool slightly.
Immediately mix one-third of the egg whites into the warm soufflé mixture with a whisk, then, using a large spoon, fold in the rest with one hand while showering in the grated Gruyère with the other. Stop as soon as the mixture is amalgamated.
Spoon the mixture into the ramekins to come 5 mm (¼in) above the rim. Smooth the surface with a palette knife, then use a knife tip to ease the mixture away from the side of each ramekin to help it rise.
Stand the ramekins in a deep ovenproof dish lined with a sheet of greaseproof paper and pour in enough almost-boiling water to come halfway up the sides. Bake the soufflés for 4 minutes (or 6 minutes for 10cm/4in dishes). Meanwhile, trim the Gruyère discs to the same diameter as the dishes and cut into 4 segments. Quickly position a segmented Gruyère disc on top of each soufflé and immediately return to the oven for 1 minute (or 2 minutes for 10 cm/4in dishes). Put the cooked soufflés on individual plates and serve at once – they won’t wait!
Roquefort & walnut soufflés
Follow the recipe for classic Gruyère soufflés, coating the dishes with fine white breadcrumbs rather than grated cheese. Replace the 240 g (8½oz) Gruyère or Comté with 160 g (5¾oz) chilled Roquefort, cut into small pieces. (This should not be too soft or over-ripe.) Fold into the béchamel with the egg whites, then fold in 12 coarsely chopped walnuts, and finally 4 finely diced fresh, very ripe figs. Bake as directed (see above) and serve immediately, with a salad of mâche (lamb’s lettuce) and thick batons of apple (preferably Granny Smith), dressed with a well-seasoned vinaigrette.
These classic soufflés are perfect starters. If I’m serving a three-course meal, I make them in individual 10cm (4in) soufflé dishes. If they are going to be followed by a number of courses, I use ramekins, which offer just 4 or 5 delicious mouthfuls. Comté cheese has a fuller, stronger flavour than Gruyère and can be used instead. The choice is yours.
For all sweet soufflés (chocolate, vanilla, mango, etc), whisk the egg whites with a pinch of sugar rather than a pinch of salt.
I always allow generous quantities of mixture for my individual soufflés, so don’t worry if you have some left over after filling the ramekins – better safe than sorry!