My first Soufflé

Beginner's luck.  I saw it on 2 Hairy Bikers Best of British TV show.  They said we shouldn't fear it.  It's easy.  So today I was going to have omelet for lunch and thought, well souffle is like an omelette so I just did it from memory.  I can't believed it worked without even remembering the exact ingredients - I made a roux of oil (had no butter/marg left)  and plain flour, milk and cheese.  Add 2 beaten egg yolks then folded in 2 beaten egg whites and cooked for 30 mins - suppose to be at 220 deg but i started off at 160 by mistake for first 10mins till i checked.  So it must be easy if i can do it.

I am adding to this post as a friend has been dying to try a souffle and just this morning the wonderful Eric Landlard on channel 4, who i just discovered in the last few months,  a fantastic French chef, maker of incredible fancy cooking especially deserts and has started a new series of Glamourous Puds.   Yes, get rid of the stubble.  The strong French features are enough.

This series is about the influence of Careme, starting off in Russia and today he made his mock non cook iced Soufflee which I must try.  See it here http://www.channel4.com/programmes/glamour-puds/episode-guide/series-2.    He makes things seem possible but they look amazing - eg: chocolate/chocolate mouse bejeweled Faberge eggs. I loved the film with Gerdard Depardieu playing the 17th century chef François Vatel and Careme introduced the Russian idea of eating food in courses so you got hot not cold food, to the rest of Europe.

Below is the recipe by the Two Hairy Bikers (which I will actually follow next time) and I will add Eric's when it comes up on the site - yes together in the same place.  I will post when I have tried both of these, then I will know if it was beginners luck.

Two Hairy Bikers  Goats' cheese and chive soufflé

·       300ml/10fl oz full-fat milk

·       1 onion, quartered

·       1 bay leaf

·       1 small bunch thyme

·       300g/10oz goats’ cheese

·       50g/2oz butter

·       50g/2oz plain flour

·       4 free-range eggs, separated

·       3 tbsp finely snipped chives

·       10g/¼oz finely grated Parmesan

·       sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

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1.     Cut a 42cm/16in piece of baking parchment in half lengthways. Fold one half in half again and tie around a 13cm/5in soufflé dish using kitchen string. Lift the paper so it creates a collar that rises around 5cm higher than the dish. Butter the inside of the soufflé dish and the paper generously.

2.     Put the milk in a small non-stick pan and add the onion, bay and thyme. Bring to a gentle simmer then remove from the heat and set aside to infuse for 15 minutes.

3.     Preheat the oven to 220C/425F/Gas 7.

4.     Place a baking tray in the oven to heat. Strain the flavoured milk through a fine sieve into a jug. Cut the rind off the goats' cheese and cut the cheese into 2cm/¾in pieces. (You should end up with 200g/7oz cheese.)

5.     Melt the butter in a heavy-based saucepan over a low heat. Stir in the flour, cook for a few seconds then gradually start adding the milk, a little at a time, stirring well between each addition. When the sauce is smooth and very thick, continue to cook for a further two minutes, stirring constantly then remove from the heat and stir in half the goats' cheese.

6.     Whisk the egg yolks lightly and stir into the milk mixture until smooth. Season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Pour into a large mixing bowl and cover the surface with a sheet of cling film to prevent a skin forming.

7.     Whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff but not dry. They are ready when you can turn the bowl upside down without them sliding out.

8.     Stir the chives into the cheese sauce. Fold in the remaining cheese. Fold in a large spoonful of the egg white until combined, then fold in the remainder.

Watch technique0:35 mins

9.     Pour the mixture slowly into the prepared soufflé dish. Sprinkle with the parmesan and freshly ground black pepper. (Keep the parmesan towards the centre of the soufflé so it doesn’t melt and hinder the rise by sticking to the paper.)

10.   Bake on the preheated baking tray in the oven for 23-25 minutes or until golden-brown and risen. Remove from the oven, remove the string and serve the soufflé immediately.