Double Soufflés with English Cheddar and Sticky Toffee Bacon

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Double Soufflés with English Cheddar and Sticky Toffee Bacon.jpg

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • ¼ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
  • 3 leeks, white and light green part only, thinly sliced (about 2 ½ cups)
  • 4 cups packed baby spinach
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 5 tablespoons butter
  • 5 tablespoons flour
  • 2 cups milk
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried
  • 1 teaspoon dried mustard powder
  • 1 ½ cups English cheddar, grated
  • 6 eggs, separated
  • About 1 cup whipping cream
  • ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Method

Preheat oven to 375 F. Use 1 tablespoon butter to grease six 1-1/4-cup soufflé dishes and dust with Parmesan to coat.

 

Heat remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add leeks and sauté for 3 minutes or until limp. Add spinach and cook for 1 minute or until wilted. Season with salt and pepper, scrape into a large bowl and reserve.

Heat the other 5 tablespoons butter in a pot over medium heat. Slowly stir in flour and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Slowly whisk in milk. Add thyme and mustard powder and bring to boil, whisking for 1 minute or until smooth and thick. Remove from heat, add cheddar and stir until melted and combined. Add soufflé base to leek mixture and stir to combine. Cool slightly and stir in beaten yolks. Season with salt and pepper.

Whisk egg whites until they hold soft peaks. Stir one quarter egg whites through cheese base to lighten it. Then fold in remaining whites.

Divide soufflé mixture between prepared dishes. Place soufflé dishes into a roasting pan and fill pan with hot water halfway up the sides of soufflé dishes. Place in oven and bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until well risen and golden on top.

Remove roasting pan from oven and carefully lift soufflés onto a rack to cool for 10 minutes. Loosen sides of soufflé with a sharp knife, then turn out on to a shallow gratin dish or parchment-lined baking tray. Cover loosely and refrigerate for up to one day. Return soufflés to room temperature before baking.

To reheat, preheat oven to 400 F.

Pour about 2 tablespoons of the whipping cream on top and around sides of each soufflé. Sprinkle tops with the 1/2 cup of grated Parmesan and bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until puffed and golden. Serve immediately with Sticky Toffee Bacon (recipe below).

 

STICKY TOFFEE BACON

My royal wedding menu tries to conform to the couple's likes and dislikes: Kate Middleton loves sticky toffee pudding, the inspiration for this sticky toffee bacon.

 

Prep Time: 2 minutes

Cooking Time: 20 minutes

Ready In: 22 minutes

 

1 pound (500 grams) thickly sliced bacon, separated into strips

¼ cup maple syrup

1 tablespoon ground black pepper

 

Preheat oven to 425 F.

Lay bacon on a rack over a parchment-lined baking sheet with sides and brush with 2 tablespoons of maple syrup. Dust with pepper. Bake for 10 minutes or until fat has rendered. Turn bacon over and brush with remaining 2 tablespoons maple syrup and bake another 10 to 12 minutes, or until bacon is crisp and slightly caramelized. Serve on top of soufflés.