“Pure indulgence in the best way! You can make these simple mushroom and cheese soufflés well ahead of time, then reheat them in the creamy spinach sauce and they still stand tall,” says Mary Berry.
Makes: 6
Ingredients
- 75g butter, plus extra for greasing
- 200g button mushrooms, finely diced
- 50g plain flour
- 300ml hot full-fat milk
- 50g Gruyère cheese, grated
- 50g Parmesan cheese, grated
- 3 eggs, separated
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the sauce:
- 300ml pouring double cream
- 50g baby spinach, roughly chopped
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Method
You will need six size one (100ml) ramekins. Preheat the oven to 220°C/200°C fan and butter the ramekins generously. Lay a piece of kitchen paper in the base of a roasting tin – the paper stops the ramekins from slipping in the tin.
Melt 25g of the butter in a large, non-stick frying pan, add the mushrooms and fry over high heat for a few minutes. Cover the pan with a lid, lower the heat and cook for another four minutes, then remove the lid and fry over a high heat to reduce the liquid. Remove the mushrooms with a slotted spoon and set them aside.
To make the soufflé base, melt the remaining butter in a saucepan. Whisk in the flour to make a roux and cook for a minute. Gradually add the hot milk and whisk over a high heat until you have a thickened, smooth sauce.
Remove the pan from the heat and beat in the egg yolks, one at a time, until the sauce is smooth. Add the mushrooms and the cheese and season, then set aside to cool a little.
Whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form. Stir about a tablespoon of egg whites into the egg and mushroom mixture and carefully fold it in, keeping everything light and airy. Continue doing this until you’ve folded in all of the egg whites.
Divide the soufflé mixture evenly between the ramekins and sit them on the paper in the roasting tin. Pour enough boiling water into the tin to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake the soufflés for about 15 minutes until risen and lightly golden.
To make the sauce, pour the cream into a jug and add the spinach and mustard. Season with salt and pepper and stir to combine.
To serve, preheat the oven to 220°C/200°C fan. Carefully run a knife around the edge of each ramekin and remove the soufflés. Sit the soufflés, browned side up, in an ovenproof dish, then spoon the sauce around them. Reheat for about 12 minutes until piping hot. Serve with dressed leaves or some brown bread.
Simple Comforts by Mary Berry is published by BBC Books. Photography by Laura Edwards, available now.
Are you a fan of mushrooms? Why not share how the recipes works out for you in the comments section below?
Also read: Mushroom and Walnut Ragu
– With PA
