Double Baked Gruyère Soufflés (Bake-Along Part Two)

I do feel a little guilty after I cheated... Please don't be too imaginative as I'm referring to my "cheating" chocolate soufflés for our bake-along with Joyce from Kitchen Flavours and Lena, from Frozen wings and wish to persuade baking another soufflé again.

With all my soufflés reading and baking, I've learned that all soufflés can't wait. Even after less than a minute of cooling, they can shrink very quickly and lose their height, appeal, texture and taste. Although soufflés seems to be nerve-racking dish or dessert to bake and serve, its level of difficulty will guarantee to impress dinner guests when light and fluffy soufflés are eventually served.

Fear not! There are always twice baked soufflés recipes that can save the day! This double baked gruyère soufflé that I choose is from Gourmet traveller, based on Stephanie Alexander's The Cook’s Companion. This recipe is cleverly written in the way that I can bake the soufflés first (even a day or two before) and bake them again with a creamy and cheesy molten sauce when they are ready to serve.

Ironically, I wasn't baking these to impress any dinner guests... These were baked for my family and are they impressed?

Man: What is this?
Me: Cheese soufflés.
Man: You know that I don't like soufflés.
Me: This is double baked gruyère soufflé.
Man: hmm... not bad...

... LOL! Please note that this man is quite difficult to please.

Double baked gruyère soufflé

Ingredients to cook the béchamel base

Cooking béchamel base - seems technical but was fun cooking it.

This was what happened to the eggs...

The first bake

Good that this recipe produced pretty-stable soufflés

Assembling for the second bake

Very nice to eat with the creamy cheesy sauce...

Here's the recipe from Gourmet traveller based on Stephanie Alexander’s recipe in The Cook’s Companion.

Serves 6
80 gm butter, coarsely chopped
80 gm plain flour
380 ml warm milk
140 gm finely grated Gruyère
4 eggs, separated
500 ml (2 cups) pouring cream
(I used the light cream with 18% fat)

Preheat oven to 180°C (or 170°C fan forced). Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat, add flour and stir continuously until sandy coloured (2-3 mins). 

Gradually add milk, beating continuously until smooth, then stir continuously until thick (2-3 mins).

Add 80gm Gruyère, stir to combine, remove from heat and stand to cool slightly (2-3 mins)

Stir in egg yolks until smooth and combined, season to taste.

Whisk egg white and a pinch of salt until firm peaks form, then fold one-third of egg white into cheese mixture. Fold cheese mixture through remaining egg white and divide among 6 buttered and floured 200ml metal dariole moulds, smoothing tops.

Place moulds in a roasting pan, pour in enough boiling water to come halfway up sides, then bake until soufflés are puffed and golden (25-30 mins). Cool in moulds for 10 mins, then run a small knife around sides of moulds and turn out onto a tray lined with baking paper. Cover and refrigerate until required. Soufflés will keep refrigerated for 2 days. (I used mine after 3 hrs later.)

Transfer soufflés to heatproof bowls, pour over cream, scatter with remaining Gruyère and bake until risen and golden (20-25 mins). Serve hot. 

Note: Using 3/4 of the recipe, I've baked 4 of soufflés at 170°C fan forced for 30 mins and baked them again with the cream and cheese at 180°C fan forced for 15 mins.

Happy Baking
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Please note that the linky tool for bake-along is no longer available.