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Springy oozy soufflés are easier to make than you think – follow these instructions to the letter and you won’t go wrong

Crab Souffle

CRAB SOUFFLÉ Serves 4

1½oz butter

1½oz flour

145ml single cream

145ml milk

1tbsp onion,

grated 2tbsp parmesan cheese,

grated ½tsp dry mustard powder

3tbsp parsley,

chopped 1½tsp anchovy essence

2tsp lemon juice

Cayenne pepper to taste

5 egg yolks

8oz cooked crabmeat

6 egg whites

Place a baking sheet in the oven and preheat to 200ºC. Melt the butter in a saucepan and stir in the flour, cook for 2 minutes. Add the cream and milk a little at a time, stirring after each addition. Bring to the boil and, still stirring, simmer for a minute or two.

Remove from the heat and stir in the rest of the ingredients except for the crabmeat and egg whites. Next add the crabmeat, and season well. Whisk the egg whites until stiff. Fold 1 tablespoon of egg white into the crab mixture with a metal spoon, then fold in the rest, a quarter at a time. Then, pour the mixture into a buttered 4-pint soufflé dish, and place the dish on the preheated baking sheet.

Bake for 45 to 50 minutes – if the soufflé is getting too brown after 30 minutes, cover it with foil.

BROCCOLI SOUFFLÉ

BROCCOLI SOUFFLÉ Serves 4

1lb broccoli

1oz butter

2tbsp plain flour

145ml milk

2oz cheddar cheese,

grated ¼ whole nutmeg, grated

Cayenne pepper to taste

4 large eggs

1tbsp parmesan cheese, grated

Place a large roasting tin, filled with 1½ inches of water, in the oven and preheat to 200ºC. Place the broccoli in a saucepan with 175 millilitres of boiling water. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes, until soft. Drain, then mash to a pulp with a large fork.

Melt the butter in a saucepan and stir in the flour, when it’s smooth gradually add the milk, stirring after each addition, to form a paste. Turn down the heat and mix in the cheddar. Combine the cheese mixture with the broccoli pulp, season, and add the nutmeg and cayenne. Separate the eggs, then mix the 2 yolks into the broccoli.

Whisk the 4 egg whites until they stand up in peaks; fold 1 tablespoon of egg white into the broccoli mixture with a metal spoon, then fold in the rest, a quarter at a time. Spoon the mixture into a buttered 2-pint soufflé dish and sprinkle with parmesan. Place the dish in the preheated roasting tin and bake for 30 to 35 minutes until risen and golden.

Chocolate Rum Soufflé

CHOCOLATE RUM SOUFFLÉ Serves 4

4oz plain chocolate

2tbsp rum

4 egg yolks

6 large egg whites

Place a baking sheet in the oven and preheat to 200ºC. Break the chocolate into a mixing bowl and add the rum. Place the bowl over a saucepan of water that has just boiled. Once the chocolate is soft, beat with a wooden spoon until smooth.

In a small basin, whisk the egg yolks and stir into the chocolate. In another bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff. Fold 1 tablespoon of egg white into the chocolate mixture with a metal spoon, then fold in the rest, a quarter at a time.

Pour into a buttered 2-pint soufflé dish and bake on the preheated baking sheet for 20 minutes, until the soufflé is springy to the touch.