TWICE-BAKED GOAT’S CHEESE SOUFFLÉ

Soufflés are often a cook’s nemesis – they rise, they fall, they are wonky. But by baking twice you avoid them flopping. Any strong cheese can be used – try Cheddar or blue cheese if you prefer.

Makes 6-8

60g (2¼oz) butter

100g (3½oz) Parmesan cheese, finely grated

50g (1¾oz) plain flour

250ml (9fl oz) milk

1tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley

1tsp wholegrain mustard (or any other mustard)

200g (7oz) soft-rind goat’s cheese, crumbled

6 eggs, separated

150ml (5fl oz) double cream

Salad leaves and warmed red onion marmalade,

to serve (optional) Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/gas 4 and boil the kettle. Melt the butter in a pan. Brush the insides of 6-8 x 5cm (2in) ramekins with some of the butter, then divide half the Parmesan between them, swirling so it sticks to the butter. Tap out any excess.

Add the flour to the remaining butter and mix well. Cook over a low heat for 2 minutes, then take the pan off the heat and stir in the milk, a little at a time to stop lumps from forming. Put the pan back on the heat and stir until the mixture bubbles. Pour into a bowl and leave it to cool for 5-10 minutes.

Stir in the parsley, mustard, goat’s cheese and egg yolks. Whisk the egg whites until they form stiff peaks, then add a big spoonful of the whites to the milk mixture and stir it in. Fold in the remaining egg whites. Spoon the mixture into the ramekins – they should be almost full. Place in a deep roasting tin, pour boiling water in the tin so it comes halfway up the sides of the ramekins, and bake for 15 minutes.

Remove the ramekins from the tin and leave to cool. The soufflés will drop and deflate. At this point you can chill them in the fridge for up to 2 days or freeze (see below).

Run a knife around the edge of each ramekin, then tip the soufflés into individual ovenproof dishes or one large ovenproof dish. Mix the cream with threequarters of the remaining Parmesan and pour over the soufflés. Sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan, then bake for 10 minutes. Serve immediately with salad leaves and red onion marmalade, if liked.