This recipe for a twice-baked make-ahead cheese souffle with a green salad with brown butter and raisin vinaigrette is inspired by one of my favourite restaurants, the Table at De Meye. We eat there at least once a year and a cheese souffle is often on the menu as a starter. It’s twice-baked and served with a vibrant green salad dressed with buttery plumped-up sultanas and is so delicious.
I have attempted to recreate this here.
If you have my ebook you will know I shared the actual recipe from the Table from the previous owner Jessica Shepherd which is utter perfection. This recipe is different but also very delicious.
The salad with sharp vinaigrette and sweet sultanas is the perfect pairing against this rich cheese souffle. I borrowed the concept of frying sultanas in brown butter and turned this into a vinaigrette. The savoury flavour from the sizzled rosemary adds so much to the mix.
Twice-baked cheese soufflés are always crowd-pleasers. This is the perfect starter for a fancy dinner party where parts can be made in advance eliminating any stress. Who wants to be the host that is frantically whisking egg whites while your guests wait for you?
Any souffle is at its best and most puffy immediately as it comes out of the oven, so bake them off just before serving.
Smothered in a cheesy cream sauce that has started caramelising, these light and fluffy cheese souffles are a total winner.
What cheese to use for twice-baked cheese soufflé
Since cheese is the most important component of this dish, try to use a really good quality option here.
Any hard strong cheese is good to make souffle. If you can afford Gruyere it’s great for this recipe. Alternatively, a very mature Cheddar will work well as one of the cheeses. Parmesan being the other. I like to use two types of cheese.
Dalewood Fromage Hugeonot is one of my favourites and I always have this ready and grated in my freezer for cooking and baking. This award-winning cheese is available at Woolworths.
I used Dalewood Fromage Huguenot in the recipe and Parmesan for the cream topping.
How to make twice-baked cheese soufflé
First make a bechamel then add the cheese, allowing it to melt into a smooth sauce. Flavour the cheese sauce with Dijon, nutmeg, rosemary and white pepper.
Separate the egg and whisk the whites in a separate bowl with an electric mixer until stiff.
Using the same beaters you used to mix the egg whites, mix the egg yolks into the cooled cheese sauce until well combined.
Gently fold the egg whites through the mixture in two parts, spoon the mixture into buttered ramekins and place them in a roasting tray filled halfway with hot water.
Bake for 15-20 minutes until puffed up and golden. Larger ramekins will take 20 – 25 minutes. Smaller ones will take 15 minutes.
Remove from the oven, wait a few minutes until they have cooled down enough and then remove from the tray. Set aside before running a knife around the edge to loosen the soufflé. These can be made in advance and stored in the fridge up to a day in advance or in the freezer for a week or two.
To thaw, simply remove and allow the souffle to come to room temperature and then continue to bake as per the recipe. The souffle puffs up more than they do in the first bake and is really quite magical.
20 minutes before you are ready to serve, preheat the oven again to 200C/400F and place the decanted soufflés into a buttered serving dish (or two if you are making 8). Pour over the cream and top with the reserved Cheddar/Gruyere and finely grated Parmesan cheese.
Bake for 15 – 20 minutes until puffed and the cream has thickened and caramelized.
Other cheese recipes you might like
My best ruffle mac n cheese
Air fryer zucchini and cheese phyllo pies
I like to use golden sultanas for this salad but raisins will work too.
The recipe makes 4 large or 8 medium soufflés. Larger soufflés are perfect for a light lunch, whilst 8 smaller soufflés are good for a starter portion.
Twice-baked cheese souffle
A delicious twice-baked cheese souffle with a salad with brown butter and raisin vinaigrette is the perfect light lunch or starter at an elegant dinner or lunch party.
Print Recipe
Prep Time:20 minutes mins
Ingredients
For the soufflés:
- 50 gms butter plus extra for the ramekins
- 50 gms flour plus extra for the ramekins
- 250 ml ml milk
- 150 gms mature Cheddar or Dalewood Fromage Huguenot
- 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp finely chopped rosemary
- A pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
- Season with a little salt and white pepper
- 3 large free-range eggs
- Aprox 30 – 40gms Parmesan cheese finely grated
- 250 ml cream
For the vinaigrette:
- 40 gms butter
- 100 ml golden sultanas
- 1 sprig rosemary
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 2 Tbs good quality red wine vinegar or Sherry vinegar
- 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp honey
- Sat & pepper
For the salad:
- 4 cups handfuls mixed green leaves such as watercress, micro greens, rocket (add more if you want bigger side salads)
Instructions
To make the souffle
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F.
In a medium pot, melt the butter, then add the flour, and cook for a minute.
Gradually add the milk and if necessary, use a whisk to prevent any lumps from forming. Cook for a few minutes until the sauce is smooth and thick.
Add the cheese (Cheddar/Gruyere reserving the Parmesan), Dijon, nutmeg, and rosemary and season with salt and freshly ground white pepper. Once incorporated take off the heat to cool.
Separate the egg and whisk the whites with an electric mixer until stiff.
Mix the egg yolks into the cooled cheese sauce until well combined. You can use the same beaters you beat the egg whites with.
Gently fold the egg whites through the mixture in two parts. Spoon the mixture into buttered ramekins and place them in a roasting tray filled halfway with hot water.
Bake for 15-20 minutes until puffed up and golden. Larger ramekins will take 20 – 25 minutes. Smaller ones will take 15.
Remove from the oven, wait a few minutes until they have cooled down enough and then remove from the tray. Set aside before running a knife around the edge to loosen the soufflé. These can be made in advance.
20 minutes before you are ready to serve, preheat the oven again to 200C/400F and place the decanted soufflés into a buttered serving dish. Pour over the cream and top with the reserved Cheddar and the finely grated Parmesan cheese.
Bake for 15 - 20 minutes until puffed and the cream has thickened and caramelized.
To make the brown butter vinaigrette:
While the soufflés are baking, make the vinaigrette.
Melt the butter with the rosemary in a small pot. As it starts to brown add the sultanas. Keep constantly stirring until the sultanas have plumped up and the butter is nutty and brown. Take it off the heat.
Add the Dijon and whisk to combine. Add the vinegar and stir to combine. Add the olive oil and honey and check the seasoning adding a little salt and black pepper. Set aside to cool.
To serve, make a salad with mixed greens such as watercress, wild rocket, and micro greens. Toss the vinaigrette and sultanas through the greens and serve this on a plate with the baked cheese soufflé.
Serve bread on the side to mop up the cheese cream.
Notes
You can make the souffle in advance and store in the fridge. Decant and bake for the second time just before serving.
Servings: 4 -8
Author: Sam Linsell
