Liz's fail safe souffle

We went on a bit of a road trip early in the New Year which involved staying with good friends in various regions in the lower North Island. Not only did we have great catch ups, it was also a rather lovely opportunity to see some of their 'new' homes and say goodbye to their 'old' ones.
It's always such a pleasure for me to stay with people I love and share their space. I get such great ideas about home decor, source new recipes (we all seem to have the common fondness for eating and drinking good wine!) and admire their flower and vegetable gardens.
This holiday I had no interest in sightseeing which is not like me. For this holiday I was very content to just relax and share good quality time with friends, it was a nice way to unwind....
While in Tauranga our hostess (Liz) made a fabulous souffle for dinner. Her souffle was made with such ease, served with a lovely salad and warm crusty bread, washed down with great wine, I was in heaven. It was so perfectly cooked and delicious.
I really can't remember when I last had one or made one, probably one of those things I tried once and failed.... so it was with a bit of trepidation I used Liz's recipe and made one earlier this week for a special meal with family member visiting from New York.
Liz's fail safe souffle lived up to its name. It was perfect!
This photo doesn't really do it justice, you really need to be able to smell it!
Instead of adding the cheese to the egg whites I added little pieces of smoked salmon into my souffle, along with chopped chervil, chives and parsley. I then used the breadcrumbs and the cheese to the top.
I have converted her recipe from imperial measurements to metric, hence the odd measurements.
We had a few souffles left over, they are just as gently lovely (brought to room temperature) and heated in the oven for a meal the next day.

Liz’s fail safe soufflé

85 g (3oz) butter

57 g (2oz) plain flour

236ml of milk (1/2 pint)

Make thick roux sauce with the above ingredients and put aside to cool

Add pepper, salt and a little mustard to taste

85-140 g grated cheese (a mixture of cheddar and parmesan)

5 very large eggs - separated

Beat yolks into a cooled mixture

Whisk egg whites to soft peak stage – do not over whisk or they won’t fold in.

Fold sauce/yolk mix, and cheese very lightly into the egg whites and turn into 2 pt (about 1,000 mls) soufflé dish or 6 large ramekins. You may like to line the base with baking paper).

Sprinkle the top with breadcrumbs or use Liz's idea and sprinkle the buttered sides and base with the breadcrumbs.

Place very gently into a preheated oven at 190 - 200°C for 35 – 45 minutes or for small soufflé 15 - 20 minutes. (I lowered the temperature to 190 for a fan oven and for ease of removal I placed my ramekins on a preheated oven tray).

Strongly resist the temptation to open the oven door. If you do, open and shut very gently.

If you want a soft top, stand the soufflé dish in a pan of hot water.

For a sweet soufflé use 57g castor sugar (57g) + flavourings