1. Generously butter ramekins and
chill them. In a heavy-based saucepan, melt the butter, whisk in
the flour, and cook until foaming but not browned, about 1
minute. Whisk in milk, nutmeg, salt, and pepper and bring to a
boil, stirring constantly until sauce thickens. Simmer 2
minutes. Take from the heat and transfer about one-third to a
small saucepan. Pour in the cream and set aside.
2. Whisk the egg yolks one at a
time into the remaining sauce so they cook in the heat of the
sauce and thicken it slightly. Take the sauce from the heat and
whisk in the grated cheese and the chives, reserving 3 - 4
tablespoons of cheese and 1 tablespoon of the chives for
sprinkling. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning - the
mixture should be highly seasoned. Cover with plastic wrap or
rub the surface of the sauce with butter to prevent a skin from
forming.
3. Preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C.
Bring a roasting pan of water to a boil on the stove for a water
bath. Preferably in a copper bowl, beat egg whites until stiff.
Warm the cheese sauce gently until pan is hot to the touch.
Note: Do not overheat or cheese will become stringy. Add about a
quarter of egg whites to the sauce and stir until well mixed.
Fold mixture into remaining egg whites as gently as possible.
Fill remaining ramekins with mixture, smoothing tops with a
metal spatula. Run a thumb around the edge of each dish to
detach mixture so soufflé rises straight.
4. Set ramekins in water bath.
Bring back to a boil on the stove and transfer to heated oven.
Bake until soufflés are puffed, browned and just set in center,
15 - 20 minutes. They should rise well above the rim of the
dish. Remove from water bath and leave to cool - soufflés will
shrink back into ramekins, pulling away slightly from the sides.
5. Turn each soufflé out into a
gratin dish. Whisk the cream with reserved sauce until smooth
and bring just to a boil. Season to taste and pour on top of
soufflés, allowing it to pool around the sides. Sprinkle with
reserved cheese. The soufflés can be prepared to this point up
to 24 hours ahead and kept covered in the refrigerator.
6. To finish: Preheat the oven to
425°F/220°C. Bake the soufflés until browned, slightly puffed,
and sauce is bubbling, 5 - 7 minutes. Sprinkle with the reserved
chives and serve at once.
Quick Fix
If a cheese sauce lacks richness or
color, whisk in an egg yolk or two after adding the cheese, then
taste for seasoning. Do not reheat the sauce or it will curdle.
This Recipe of the Month
selection comes from Anne Willan's
Cook It Right (Reader's Digest,
1998). To order a copy of Cook It Right, call
1-800-788-6262.
