Pasta Cheese Soufflé

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, gotta love that name, is featured chef of the moment at IHCC (I Heart Cooking Clubs); especially focusing on recipes with eggs in them this week, since it's that time of year.  I have a cookbook on order, but for now am going with something found at his BBC site: Spaghetti Cheese Souffle.  So, for Happy Resurection Sunday, we had this - risen eggs!  How appropriate.  I think so anyway.

Spaghetti Cheese Soufflé

  by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, from the BBC site

Serves 4 , prep. Time 30 min. cooking 1-1/2 hr.

Ingredients

• 250g/9oz spaghetti
• 75g/3oz flour
• 75g/3oz butter
• 250ml/8fl oz. hot milk
• 100g/3½oz mature Caerphilly
• 100g/3½oz strong cheddar, grated
• pepper
• 3 eggs, separated
• 1 extra egg white
• black pepper

Method

1. Break the spaghetti into lengths of about 5cm/2in and boil in salted water until al dente. Drain and toss in a few drops of olive oil to prevent sticking.
2. Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan and add the flour to make a roux. Cook for a minute or so, then add the hot milk, stirring until you have a thick, smooth béchamel. Allow to simmer gently for just a minute. 
3. Remove from the heat, add the cheeses and mix until melted. Beat in the egg yolks. Stir in the cooked spaghetti until thoroughly incorporated. Season well with black pepper
4. Whisk the egg whites until stiff and fold gently and thoroughly into the mixture. Divide between four small soufflé dishes (or two medium, or one large) and cook in a preheated oven at 170C/325F/Gas 3 for about 20-25 minutes until well risen and golden.

I didn't have the Caerphilly cheese, so substituted the remainder of a brie, to go with my nice strong cheddar.  Also, I don't know if it's my wonky oven, but I did end up cooking it longer - about 30 min., and as we waited, sipped a lovely Riesling ( Frisk) ate salad and nibbled on bread, but it didn't get really golden brown or well risen.  Just golden, but tasted just fine, good texture and cooked enough.  However, I went back and noted on the BBC site, it does say at the top - Cooking time: 30 min. to 1 hour.  So, maybe you should allow an hour, though souffles are not supposed to be kept waiting.  Hummmm.  Don't think we would have held out an additional 30 min.

Just as a sort of P.S. note, the left-overs of this dish were way better than expected.  Cut the remaining souffle into fat slices, blanketed them in a savory tomato sauce, and voila!

Will add this contribution to the I Heart Cooking Clubs site, and to Beth Fish Reads for her Weekend Cooking event.