Cheese Soufflé & Salad

📝 Ingredients

• 25 g unsalted butter (20 for the béchamel, 5 for the dish)
• 30 g plain flour (25 for the béchamel, 5 for the dish)
• 250 ml semi-skimmed milk
• 4 eggs
• 80 g grated Gruyère
• 1 pinch of nutmeg
• ½ lettuce (about 150 g)
• 2 tsp olive oil + 1 tsp red wine vinegar + ½ tsp Dijon mustard (for the vinaigrette)
• 2 slices of country bread (50 g each)
• Salt, black pepper

🍴 Utensils

• 16 to 18 cm soufflé dish (1 L)
• Saucepan
• Whisk
• Electric hand mixer
• Silicone spatula
• 2 mixing bowls (1 large one for the egg whites)

📖 Steps

1. Preheat the oven to 190 °C with the rack in the lower third. Butter the dish with 5 g of butter using vertical strokes from the bottom upwards, add 5 g of flour, turn the dish to coat it well, then tip it upside down to remove the excess.
2. Melt 20 g of butter in the saucepan over a medium heat, add 25 g of flour and whisk for 1 min without letting it colour. Gradually pour in the cold milk while whisking, then cook for 3 to 4 min until you have a very thick béchamel. Season with salt and pepper and add the nutmeg.
3. Remove from the heat and leave to cool slightly for 3 min. Separate the eggs, putting the whites into the large bowl, which must be perfectly clean and dry, with no trace of yolk. Stir the yolks into the béchamel one at a time, then the Gruyère, mixing until it melts.
4. Add a pinch of salt to the whites and beat them with an electric whisk, first at medium speed then high, until they form firm, glossy peaks that don't slide when you tilt the bowl. Don't beat them any longer: they would turn grainy.
5. Briskly mix ¼ of the whites into the béchamel to loosen it. Add the rest in two batches and gently fold in with a spatula, lifting the mixture from the bottom upwards while turning the bowl. A few white streaks are normal: it's better not to overmix.
6. Pour into the dish, smooth the top and run your thumb around the inside edge to make a small groove: the soufflé will rise nice and straight. Bake for 25 min without ever opening the door, until well risen and golden.
7. While it bakes, wash and spin the lettuce dry. In the bottom of the second bowl, mix the mustard, vinegar and a pinch of salt, then whisk in the oil. Only toss the salad with the vinaigrette at the last moment so it stays crisp.
8. Serve the soufflé straight from the oven, still slightly wobbly in the centre, as it sinks within a few minutes. Divide it at the table with a large spoon and serve with the salad and country bread.