My grandmother’s cheese soufflé

Serves 4 Starters and mains

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Method

Lightly grease the base and sides of the soufflé dish with the extra butter until well coated. Put the dish in the freezer for 5 minutes to set the butter, then brush again with a small amount of butter and sprinkle with the breadcrumbs. Rotate until the dish is well coated, then turn upside down and tap to remove any excess. The breadcrumbs help the soufflé grip the sides of the dish and rise evenly, and form a lovely crust.

Preheat the oven to 180°C/ 350°F/Gas 4. Put a baking sheet on the lowest shelf in the oven, removing all the other shelves (preheating the baking sheet provides instant heat on the base of the soufflé and will help it to rise quickly and evenly).

Put the cheese, mustard, ½tsp salt and ½tsp freshly ground pepper in a heatproof bowl and leave to one side.

Heat the butter in a saucepan over a medium heat until foaming. Add the flour and stir with a whisk for 1 minute. Continue whisking the mixture until it forms a roux and starts to leave the sides of the pan, but does not colour. Remove from the heat and add half the milk, whisking continuously until smooth. Gradually add the remaining milk, stirring until smooth. Return to a medium heat, stirring continuously until the sauce thickens and boils. Reduce to a low heat and simmer, uncovered, for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thickened. Pour the sauce over the cheese mixture and mix together. Add the egg yolks. Mix until thoroughly combined.

Whisk the egg whites in a clean bowl until soft peaks form, taking care not to over-whisk (or they will become dry and stiff, which makes them difficult to fold in and gives the soufflé a grainy texture). Using a large metal spoon, fold a quarter of the egg whites into the cheese sauce until just combined. Pour this mixture into one side of the bowl containing the egg whites, then fold in until just combined. It should be spongy with streaks of egg white throughout, but no large clumps. Pour the mixture into the soufflé dish and gently level the surface with a spatula. Run the back of a teaspoon around the inside rim of the dish and just into the soufflé mixture, creating a shallow furrow to help the soufflé rise evenly.

Put the soufflé dish on the preheated baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes, or until the soufflé is well risen and slightly wobbly, and a skewer pushed through the side comes out clean and slightly moist. Serve immediately.