Edited and re-posted from my old blog Where’s My Parade?!
Originally posted October 2012.
Adapted from Lorraine Pascale’s recipe-not sure which book, I borrowed it from a colleague. I’ll edit when I find out….
Like Sardinia, drinking frequently and arsey faced cats, I have made no secret of my love for Gorgonzola.
Just FYI, in my head I say it in extended Kanye All Caps.
Lets get over-enthusiastic about food together- GORGONZOOOOLLLAAAAA!
Since the Gorgonzola panna cottas can’t be whipped up and eaten right away, I had to look for an alternative for last weekends starter. Gorgonzola soufflé with port poached pears. Mmm and mmmm!
I don’t think I ever made souffle before, and was less inclined after watching lips purse and eyes sparkle when contestants on Come Dine With Me would find one on their hosts menu. ‘Oooh’, they’d say, ‘Risky. It could all go wrong very easily’. And then you’d see a thought bubble above their head of them rocking back and forth cackling wildly at the likelihood that their competitor will flop faster than their souffle.
But since how else are you going to learn unless you practice, it went down on my menu (Snigger. Sorry.).
It was fine to make, although next time I wouldn’t bother with the pears, they added nothing to the dish, despite being well soaked in lovely port. It was a waste of bleedin’ port which bothered me most. Booo…
I’ll put down the measurements as I used it, and note in italics where I’d make changes for next time to see if that works a little better as I was left over with a good bit of mixture and breadcrumbs.
Ingredients
2 Medium Pears, peeled, cored and cut into large chunks. Use 3-4 med. pears. Or none.
150ml (5fl oz) port I used tawny port. Drink it yourself instead.
Salt & freshly ground black pepper
40g (1.5oz) unsalted butter
75g (3oz) bread crumbs Two slices of bread did the job, although half that would suffice.
40g plain flour
150ml (5fl oz) milk
75g (3oz) GORGONZOOOLAAAA
1tsp mustard powder
5 eggs, separated
Squeeze of lemon juice
Equipment
1 large (like, rilly large) soufflé dish, 4 soufflé dishes or 8 ramekins
Put the prepped pears in a pan with the port and black pepper. Add a little water if the pears are not fully covered. Bring to just under the boil and turn down the heat so only a couple of bubbles break the surface of the liquid. Cook until the pears start to go soft, remove from the pan from the heat and leave the pears to infuse for a few minutes.
Preheat the oven to 200 deg C/ 400 deg F/ Gas Mark 6 and place a baking tray in the oven. You need direct bottom heat to give the eggs a good upward boost in the oven.
Prep your souffle dish/es/ ramekins. Butter the sides and base, in an upward motion on the sides. Tip some breadcrumbs into each mould and tip the moulds to coat the insides. The breadcrumbs will give a crispy crunchy crust.
Remove the pears from the port and put them into the dish/es, distributing evenly.
Separate your eggs. Put the whites into a mixing bowl and the yolks can go into a cup or whatever will hold them until you need them.
Heat the butter in a medium pan (what I call medium you may not, just be aware that you need space to fold in the whipped egg whites later in this dish) over a low heat, add the flour and stir to combine well. Remove the pan from the heat and gradually add the milk, bit by bit, stirring all the time. if it all goes in at once, it will get lumpy. If it goes lumpy, whisk like a mad yolk (dadum dum tishhh) to get rid of the lumps.
Turn up the heat until the mixture is boiling and cook for a further 2-3 minutes. The sauce will begin to thicken. Remove the pan from the heat and add the GORGONZOOOLAAA. Cut up a bit and nom as you go along. Pour a bit more port. G’wan ye good thing ye.
Also add the mustard powder and season with salt and pepper. Season more than you think you’ll need as the eggs will dilute the flavour a little.
Add the egg yolks and stir well.
Add a squeeze of lemon to the egg whites and whisk. Start slowly and then pick up speed. The whites should be whisked to a shiny and stiff peak (lawd have mercy) so it will hold their shape in the bowl. Add one big spoonful of whites to the cheese mix (called a panade, ooh, foncy) to loosen it up and make it easier to fold in the rest. Using a large metal spoon, slowly fold in the egg whites keeping as much air in the soufflé as possible.
Remove the hot baking tray from the oven and place the dish/es on it, and pour in the mix. Run a finger along the edge of the dish/es to ensure the mixture is not coming over the side.
Use a palette knife to level the top of the soufflé so it rises evenly.
Bake immediately, 20-25 mins for a large soufflé dish, 10 minutes for the small ones.
Try not to open the oven door while it’s baking or it might collapse.
So, that’s it. Pretty easy. It was a touch too liquid-y in the centre for my liking and there was a good bit of mix and breadcrumbs left over. I’ll make individual ones later and see how much further that stretches and will edit the ingredient amounts if needed. I served it with salad…and more port.
I give this recipe three Grumpy Cats out of five
Alright, edit time-
There was enough left over for three little soufflés. Much nicer without the pears.
Goes great with a glass or two of port, if you insist, like.
Insist, damn you. *shakes fist*
popandglug.com 