Don’t be afraid of making soufflés, they are easier to master than you might think. My advice is to be bold and just go for it. The variations suggested below are all delicious, but this Parmesan version is certainly the lightest of them all.
SERVES 8
For the dishes
75g butter, softened
50g Parmesan, freshly grated
For the soufflés
40g butter
40g plain flour
500ml cold milk
2 pinches of cayenne pepper
10 medium free-range eggs, plus an extra 2 yolks
180g Parmigiano Reggiano, freshly grated
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Generously grease 8 individual soufflé dishes, 10cm in diameter and 6cm tall, using the softened butter. Add the grated Parmesan to one of the buttered dishes, then rotate the dish, tilting it over a second dish so that you coat the insides of the first dish and the excess drops into the second. Repeat this process with the remaining dishes until they are all coated.
To prepare the soufflés, melt the butter in a small pan. Add the flour and cook, stirring with a small balloon whisk, for 2 minutes to make a roux. Gradually stir in the cold milk and, still stirring with the whisk, bring to the boil over a medium heat. Simmer for 1 minute, then pour the béchamel into a bowl. Add a little salt and pepper and the cayenne, then whisk in the 12 egg yolks. Cover with cling film and set aside in a warm place.
Preheat the oven to 200°C/Gas 6. In a very clean bowl, whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt to semi-firm peaks. Without delay, whisk one-third of the whites into the warm béchamel. Now, using a spatula or large spoon, very gently fold in the rest of the whites, while showering in the grated Parmesan with your other hand; stop mixing as soon as the mixture is just combined.
Using a spoon, generously fill the dishes to 1.5cm above the rim. Gently smooth the tops using a small palette knife, then run the tip of a knife around the inside of each dish to detach the mixture from the side and allow for a good rise.
Line the base of a roasting tray with baking parchment and stand the soufflé dishes in the tray. Pour near-boiling water from the kettle into the tray to come halfway up the side of the soufflé dishes and bake in the oven for 8 minutes.
Remove from the oven and lift the soufflé dishes out onto warmed plates. Serve immediately… they don’t like to sit around.
For Cheddar soufflés, replace the Parmesan in the soufflé mixture with 200g Cheddar and use 80g for lining the dishes. For Gruyère or Comté soufflés, use 240g cheese for the mixture, and 80g for the dishes.