French Food Friday...Double Baked Cauliflower Soufflés

 

Recipe and photo from here

 

 Bonjour mes belles,

 

The weather has starting to cool down  and I am thinking about recipes for Autumn using lots of seasonal recipes. What makes this one most appealing is that it has cheese in it and being a kiwi girl, I love anything that has cheese as part of the recipe. I also love butter but we will not go there today.

This has reminded me of when I was a child and my sister and I used to pick buttercup flowers and place them under our chins  to see if they glowed. If they glowed you loved butter, makes me smile.

 

Double Baked Cauliflower Soufflés

 

INGREDIENTS
200g cauliflower, cut into small florets (about 1/4 large cauliflower)
50ml white wine
150ml cream
1 clove garlic, crushed
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
25g butter
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 bay leaf
sprig of thyme
4 tablespoon plain flour
1/2 cup firmly packed Gruyere cheese
4 free range eggs, separated 
300ml cream
1/2 cup grated Gruyere cheese extra
6 x 1 1/2 cup capacity ramekins
 
 
METHOD

1. Put cauliflower florets in a medium frying pan and add wine, cream, garlic salt & pepper. Cook over a gentle/medium heat for 25 minutes or until cauliflower is soft and most of the cream has reduced. Cool for 10 minutes then whiz in a food processor until smooth.
2. Put milk into a medium saucepan with bay leaf and thyme; bring to a simmer over a gentle heat for 5 minutes then strain into a jug. (Alternatively heat in a microwave for two one-minute bursts and leave to stand for 5 minutes). Heat butter in the same pot over a gentle heat, and whisk in flour. Whisking continuously pour in half of the milk. Once it thickens add remainder of the milk, cook a few minutes more, whisking until thick and smooth. Stir in the Gruyere cheese, whisk well and remove from the heat. Whisk in the egg yolks, then combine with the cauliflower puree, stirring to incorporate well, set aside to cool.
3. Grease and line the bases of six1 1/2 cup capacity ramekins with baking paper. Preheat the oven to 180˚C. Whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt, to firm peaks. Add 1/3 of the egg whites to the cauliflower mixture, folding in to loosen the mixture slightly then add the rest of the egg whites, folding in gently.
4. Divide the mixture between prepared ramekins and place in a small roasting dish. Pour very hot water into dish, coming half way up the sides of the ramekins. Bake for 25 minutes until soufflés are risen and lightly golden. (Do not panic if they are slightly one-sided or have exploded at the top – they will be fine).
5. Remove ramekins from the roasting dish and allow to cool for an hour – they will deflate and settle down. Once cool run a small knife carefully around the inside of the ramekins to release the soufflés slightly, and tip out onto into another roasting dish or individual oven-safe dishes and store in the fridge until ready to finish and serve. Soufflés can be prepared to this point the day before serving.
6. Preheat oven to 200C. Sprinkle soufflés with remaining Gruyere and pour over the remaining cream. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the soufflés are lightly puffed, golden and delicious, switch the heat source to grill for the last minute (watch them closely) to ensure a golden bubbling top. Serve with remaining cream drizzled around the base and with a small bitter green salad.

très bonne fin de semaine à tous, Leeann x