#EggCentric Recipe

Today’s recipe for Twice Baked Cheese & Chive Breakfast Soufflés is the last in my series of #EggCentric recipes, that I have been developing with British Lion Eggs and The British Egg Information Service; twice baked soufflés have been around for some time now, and I think we can credit Delia Smith with the idea of them, or at least the revival of them, with her recipe for Twice Baked Goats’ Cheese Souffles with Chives being a firm favourite of mine.

Twice baked soufflés have the advantage of being very “well-behaved” and if you are a soufflé virgin, then these are the ones for you to cut your teeth on before progressing to a classic soufflé recipe. If you can make white sauce and meringues, then you can make a light and airy soufflé…….a soufflé is basically white sauce mixed with egg yolks, seasonings and whisked egg whites, and you really DON’T have to be scared of making one!

A Soufflé (pronounced Soo-Flay) is a baked egg-based dish which originated in early eighteenth century France, and the word soufflé is the past participle of the French verb souffler which means “to breathe” or “to puff up”, which a good soufflé will do! (wikipedia) I love soufflés, in all their forms, whether they be sweet or savoury, and I am very pleased with today’s recipe, which uses three types of cheese, chives and a white sauce made with wholemeal flour instead of white flour, for extra taste and texture.

My recipe for these light and airy cheese soufflés is shared below and I am always very perplexed as to why soufflés aren’t served for breakfast more often, as they have eggs and cheese in the, which are two of the most popular breakfast ingredients. I hope you have enjoyed my EggCentric recipes over the year, and if you need any more eggcellent ideas for egg recipes, then why not pop over to see them here, on the EggCentric website: Egg Recipes. See you soon with more traveller’s tales and some new seasonal recipes and kitchen chat! Karen 

Disclaimer: Commissioned work with British Egg Industry Council.

Twice Baked Cheese & Chive Breakfast Soufflés

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Serves	4
Prep time	30 minutes
Cook time	40 minutes
Total time	1 hours, 10 minutes
Allergy	Egg, Milk, Wheat
Dietary	Vegetarian
Meal type	Appetizer, Breakfast, Lunch, Side Dish, Snack, Starter
Misc	Freezable, Gourmet, Pre-preparable, Serve Hot
Occasion	Birthday Party, Casual Party, Christmas, Easter, Formal Party, Thanksgiving, Valentines day
Region	French
By author	Karen S Burns-Booth

These delightful little Twice Baked Cheese & Chive Breakfast Soufflés are easy to make and take the stress out of last minute cooking, as they can be made days in advance, and are also suitable for the freezer too. Perfect for a leisurely weekend breakfast or brunch, as well as a classy and elegant starter for any celebratory meal.

Ingredients

• 60g finely grated mature Cheddar cheese
• 60g soft goat's cheese, crumbled
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh chives
• 225ml full fat milk
• freshly grated nutmeg
• 4 or 5 whole black peppercorns
• 1 bay leaf
• 25g butter
• 25g wholemeal self-raising flour
• 2 large eggs, separated
• extra finely grated mature Cheddar cheese and Parmesan cheese (for the second baking)
• extra finely chopped fresh chives (to garnish)
• salt and pepper to taste

Note

These delightful little Twice Baked Cheese & Chive Breakfast Soufflés are easy to make and take the stress out of last minute cooking, as they can be made days in advance, and are also suitable for the freezer too. Perfect for a leisurely weekend breakfast or brunch, as well as a classy and elegant starter for any celebratory meal.

Directions

Step 1	Pre-heat oven to 180C/350F/Gas mark 4 and liberally grease 4 x 150ml ramekins with butter. Place the milk in a pan with the nutmeg, black peppercorns and bay leaf with some salt and bring to a gentle boil, then allow to simmer for 2 to 3 minutes; allow to infuse for 5 to 10 minutes and then strain the milk into a heatproof jug.
Step 2	Wipe the pan and add the butter, melt the butter over a medium heat and then add the flour, stiffing all the time to make a dry "roux"; add the milk bit by bit, mixing well after each spoonful and keep on adding the milk until it has all been used, stirring well all the time. Allow the sauce to thicken for 2 minutes over a low heat, and then remove it from the heat.
Step 3	Pour or spoon the sauce into a mixing bowl and add the egg yolks, cheese and the chopped chives - mix well.
Step 4	Now whisk the egg whites in a clean (and fat-free) bowl with a hand whisk until the soft peak stage. Take a large metal spoon and add some of the egg whites to the cheese and egg mixture to loosen it. Then add the remaining egg whites spoon by spoon, using a cutting and folding motion as to try to keep the air in the mixture.
Step 5	One all the egg whites have been used up, divide the mixture into the prepared ramekins, place the ramekins into a shallow roasting tray and place it in the oven on the middle shelf; add freshly boiled water to the tray so it comes up half way around the sides of the ramekins and bake for 15 to 20 minutes until the soufflés are well risen and feel set in the centre.
Step 6	Remove them from the oven and allow to cool in the ramekins before storing them in the fridge, or freezing them, until you need to serve them. (You can keep them in the fridge for up to 3 days)
Step 7	To serve them: Pre-heat oven to 200C/400F/Gas mark 6 and butter or line a baking sheet with baking paper.
Step 8	Turn the soufflés out of the ramekins, so they sit the right way up, and scatter the finely grated cheeses over the top of them. Place them into the pre-heated oven on the middle shelf and bake again for 20 to 25 minutes until they are golden brown, well risen and puffy.
Step 9	Remove them from the oven and serve immediately with finely chopped fresh chives as a garnish, and lightly buttered toast for breakfast, or with seasonal side salad and bread and butter for for a light luncheon dish or starter.

More EggCentric Recipes:

Gluten Free Crustless Quiche Lorraine

Egg Hoppers for Breakfast

Coddled Eggs with Smoked Salmon & Dill