Interesting fact: “53% of Irish people are curious to discover more cheeses while only 26% French are interested to do the same,” so I hope this recipe will introduce you to a cheese you didn’t know, wherever you might be from.
I was challenged to create a cheese soufflé recipe using one Irish and one European cheese from the content of a Sheridans Cheesemongers cheese hamper. I knew straight away what I’d use, I had to make a Franco-Irish cheese soufflé.
First of all I used Templegall, which is produced by Hegarty’s. It’s a Swiss-style cheese made from raw cow’s milk in Whitechurch Co. Cork. It has a wonderful nutty and sweet flavour and reminds me of a young Comté cheese (a great French cheese). I also used a cheese that is dear to my heart, Bleu d’Auvergne, a semi-soft creamy blue cheese made with cow’s milk in the Auvergne region of France.
A soufflé may sound a bit ‘cheffy’ due to the French name but it’s actually easy enough to make. I hope you enjoy my recipe, check out the website www.cheeseyourway.ie for more cheese recipe inspiration and use #cheeseyourway #atastymessagefromeurope #enjoyitsfromeurope if you’re posting cheesy dishes on social media.
Recipe: A Franco-Irish Cheese Soufflé
Makes about 10-12 mini soufflés in individual ramekins of 7cm diameter or you can use a large soufflé dish
Ingredients
50 g Bleu d’Auvergne cheese, chopped into small pieces
50 g Templegall cheese, grated
40g butter
40g flour + some for dusting
200 ml milk
4 eggs (separated)
Salt
Pepper
Nutmeg
Method
Pre-heat your oven to 200C (180C fan)
Butter your ramekins and dust them with a little flour
In a saucepan, melt the butter over a medium heat and stir in the flour for a minute or two until combined
Whisk in the milk until you obtain a thick white sauce (it should take about 4-5 minutes) and remove from the heat
Season the white sauce with salt, pepper and a pinch of nutmeg
Stir in both cheeses and whisk in the egg yolks
Whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff in a large bowl
Add a little bit of the stiff egg whites into the cheese white sauce and mix
Carefully fold in the rest of the egg whites with a spatula
Fill up the ramekins and bake in the oven for about 12 minutes (when using small ramekins / 20-25 minutes if using a large soufflé dish) until the top is golden and the soufflés have risen and are slightly wobbly.
Serve straight away, preferably with a green salad!
Disclaimer: This post was sponsored by the National Dairy Council as part of the Cheese Your Way EU campaign.