Twice-baked goats' cheese soufflés

A classic starter from the ‘70’s but one that our customers seem to enjoy every bit as much today. This version originally came from a book called Take Twelve Cooks and was one of Pru Leith’s recipes. However Stephen Bull attributes it to Peter Kromberg of Le Soufflé at the Intercontinental who was also featured in the book . . .

Anyway the beauty of them is that they can be made a couple of days ahead or frozen (see below) which makes them ideal for dinner parties. (This also explains the slightly larger than usual quantity. It is a recipe that’s tricky to scale down so you might as well make a few extra while you’re at it, borrowing some extra ramekins or dariole moulds from a friend or neighbour if you don’t have enough!)

Serves 8-10

Ingredients
6 medium eggs
55g (2oz) strong Cheddar
55g (2oz) Gruyère
110g (4oz) goats' cheese (from a goats’ cheese log)
425ml (3/4 pint) whole milk
a slice of onion
a bayleaf
85g (3oz) butter
85g (3oz) plain flour
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
Salt, pepper, cayenne pepper and nutmeg

You will also need 8-10 individual ramekins, dariole moulds or ovenproof coffee cups, lightly buttered.

Method
I prefer to do the preparation and weighing of the ingredients first, then the job can be done as a continuous process without having to stop and start all the time. Separate the eggs - the whites into a bowl for beating later and the yolks for adding to the soufflé mix. Grate your Cheddar and Gruyère and cut the goats cheese into cubes. Pre-heat the oven to 190°C/375°F/Gas 5.

Next heat the milk up with a slice of onion and a bay leaf. In another pan melt the butter and add the flour to make a roux (thick flour and butter paste) then gradually beat in the hot milk, returning the pan to the heat after each addition until the mixture is thick.

When all the milk has been added let the mixture cook over a low heat for a few minutes then beat in the Cheddar and Gruyère. Now take the pan off the heat and season with the mustard, cayenne pepper, salt, pepper and a pinch of nutmeg. The mixture needs to be quite highly seasoned because you are going to add a large amount of egg white.

Beat in the egg yolks one at a time, then mix in the goats cheese. Beat the egg whites until stiff then fold them lightly but thoroughly into the soufflé base using a large metal spoon.

Fill the buttered ramekin dishes or moulds with the mixture to just below the rim of each dish then stand them in a roasting tin lined with a tea towel. Pour hot water into the tray just under half-way up and cook in the pre-heated oven for 20-25 minutes or until well-risen and set.

Allow the soufflés to cool a little before turning them out. (They will sink slightly but don’t worry!) You can keep them wrapped with cling film for a couple of days in the fridge and even freeze them. (You will need to defrost and unwrap them before heating them.)

To serve reheat them in a hot oven at 200°C/400°F/Gas 6 for up to 15 mins until well risen.

If I’m serving them with a salad I put them on baking parchment on a baking sheet otherwise I put each one into an individual serving dish with a little double cream poured over and a sprinkling of grated Cheddar or Gruyère cheese.

* For the salad I use some roasted beetroot, walnuts, mixed leaves and a spoonful or two of salad dressing.

What to drink: Although the recipe title refers to goats' cheese it's also got Cheddar and Gruyère in it so I'd be inclined to serve a Chablis or other unoaked or lightly oaked Chardonnay rather than a Sauvignon Blanc. A blanc de blancs Champagne or sparkling Chardonnay would also be delicious. FB

Roast vegetable stacks

Another recipe for your World Cup celebrations from the Van Loveren family. It comes from the new Wines of South Africa cookbook Cape Wine Braai Masters but you could equally well cook it with a conventional oven and grill.

You can use any vegetables of your choice in whatever quantities required such as

Aubergines (eggplants), baby marrows (zucchini), green, red and yellow bell peppers and whole mushrooms
Garlic butter
Mozzarella cheese
Mixed fresh herbs of your choice
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar
Freshly ground salt and black pepper

Cut the aubergines into thick rounds. Salt the slices and stand in a colander for about 30 minutes. Rinse thoroughly in water and dry with kitchen towel. Season the aubergines, drizzle with olive oil and roast or grill them on both sides. Roast the peppers under the grill until the skins blister and blacken. Wrap with clingfilm for 5 minutes. Peel away the skins and quarter the peppers. Fry the baby marrows in a griddle pan in some olive oil. Slice the mushrooms and fry them in garlic butter. Stack the vegetables in layers on top of the aubergine rounds, drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, season with salt and pepper, and top with a slice of mozzarella cheese and some herbs. Bake at 200°C for about 15 minutes. Pop under the grill for a few minutes to brown the cheese if you like.

Wine note: It would obviously depend what else you were serving at the barbecue. The Van Loverens recommend their Cramond, a blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay but if you were serving the vegetables as an accompaniment to lamb, they suggest you go for their Wolverine Creek Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon

Can Can chicken

Continuing with our series of South African Braai recipes to celebrate the World Cup, here’s winemaker Paul Cluver’s version of beer-can chicken made with apple juice rather than beer.

This is a fantastic way of cooking chicken for any of you who haven’t tried it. You need a barbecue with a domed lid like a Weber.

Serves 4–6 (You can double up the recipe for two chickens)

One large free-range chicken, giblets removed

For the marinade
100g butter
125ml red wine vinegar
100ml olive oil
Handful of Italian flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
3–5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 red onion, finely chopped
Freshly ground salt and black pepper
1 can Appletise (or any unsweetened sparkling apple juice or good cider)

Melt the butter, then add all the other ingredients except for the Appletise. Marinate the chicken in a large bowl – leave it for at least an hour. This will also give you time to prepare the barbecue. You need to place the charcoal on the sides and make sure you have a drip tray in the middle. Open the can of Appletise, pour off half the contents, put the chicken over it and place it in the middle of the barbecue. It takes about an hour to cook.

You can obviously cook this on a gas barbecue too FB

Wine note: Paul recommends the Paul Cluver Pinot Noir with the chicken but you could also drink a Chardonnay - or, obviously, apple juice or cider if you don’t want to drink wine.

This recipe comes from Cape Wine Braai Masters published by Wines of South Africa

Warm smoked eel with carrots, marjoram and apple sauce

Smoked eel is not so difficult to find but most retailers sell it vacuum packed*: the problem with this technique, whilst keeping the fish admirably, is that it tends to express the oil from the meat. It is worth drying the fillets on kitchen paper before slicing. Most people don’t peel young baby carrots: I prefer to because I like to see them look smooth and glossy but I see the point of those who don’t.

1 large cooking apple
1 lemon
Cinnamon stick, 4 cloves, nutmeg
500 grams bunched baby carrots
750 grams smoked eel
1 teaspoon chopped fresh marjoram
2 tablespoons olive oil

Peel and core the apple, chop coarsely and mix with the juice of the lemon in a small saucepan. Add a small piece of the cinnamon stick, the crumbled heads of the cloves and a grating of nutmeg. Add a couple of tablespoons of water and simmer on a gentle heat until the apple disintegrates. Remove the cinnamon, blend in a mixer until completely smooth, adding a little water if necessary to produce a light and smooth puree.

Wash the carrots and remove all but an inch of the stalks. Peel the carrots with a fine peeler and place them in a saucepan with just enough water to cover, a generous pinch of salt, likewise of sugar and a tablespoon of the olive oil. Cover with greaseproof paper and simmer briefly until the carrots are tender and enrobed in a syrupy glaze. Keep warm.

Slice the eel thinly and distribute, without overlapping on six plates. Place them in a warm oven or plate warmer just long enough so that the eel is warm but not hot. Distribute the carrots on each plate and dribble the apple sauce (no more than a dessertspoon per plate) artfully over each dish. Mix the marjoram with a tablespoon of oil and spoon a very small amount over each dish, equally artfully. Serve.

Suggested pairing: a German Kabinett Riesling

* If you can't find smoked eel locally you can order it online from the admirable Brown & Forrest which specialises in smoked eel FB

Rowley Leigh is chef at Le Cafe Anglais and cookery writer for the Financial Times in which this recipe was first printed.