A classic soufflé. The secret is to cook it so that it is ready when guests sit down as it sinks almost immediately. Serve as a casual lunch together with a simple mixed leaf salad. Alternatively serve as a starter in individual ramekins, and bake for 15 to 20 minutes.

1 cup milk
40g butter
1/4 cup flour
3 egg yolks
1T crème fraîche
Freshly ground pepper and salt
Freshly ground nutmeg
4 egg whites
Salt
100g Emmenthaler cheese, finely grated

1. Preheat oven to 220°C. Grease a 16cm ovenproof soufflé dish.
2. Place the milk in a small saucepan and bring to the boil and set aside.
3. Make a white sauce by melting the butter in a saucepan, add the flour and stir in over low heat. Remove from the heat and slowly pour in the milk, whisking continuously. Return to a low heat and simmer, stirring continuously, until it is the consistency of heavy cream.
4. Remove from the heat and whisk in the egg yolks one at a time. Add the crème fraîche, pepper, salt and nutmeg, and stir in. Transfer to a bowl.
5. Beat the egg whites, with a good pinch of salt until firm, taking care not to over beat.
6. Beat 1T of egg whites into the egg yolk mixture, and then carefully fold in the remaining egg whites, together with the grated cheese.
7. Immediately pour the mixture into the prepared soufflé dish (it should be approximately 3/4 full).
8. Place in the oven and bake for about 30 minutes, or until the soufflé has risen and is golden on top.
9. Transfer immediately to the table and serve from the dish.

Serves 4

Wickedfood Cooking School

Sunninghill – (011) 234-3252 sunninghill@wickedfood.co.za

Wickedfood cooking school runs Johannesburg cooking classes throughout the year at its purpose-built cooking studios. Cooking lessons are run in the mornings and evenings 7 days a week (subject to a minimum of 12 people). The venue is also popular for corporate events and private functions – team building cooking classes, birthdays, kitchen teas, and dinner parties with a difference.

Our cookery classes are hands-on, where every person gets to participate in the preparation of the dishes. They are also a lot of fun where you not only learn new skills, but get to meet people with similar interests. For corporate groups and teambuilding cooking classes these events are a novel way of creating staff interaction or entertaining clients.

The Spanish tapas menu contains a number of deep-fried fritters, usually little morsels of meat or vegetables, mixed into a choux pastry dough and deep-fried. For this dish the Spanish use a firm goats’ milk cheese, but halloumi works very well, as it softens, but does not melt.

Choux pastry dough

1 cup water
1/4 cup butter
1/4t freshly grated nutmeg
1/2t salt
110g flour
2 eggs

Filling

±200g) chourizo sausage, cubed to ±1cm
±200g halloumi, cubed to ±1cm, same as chourizo

Oil for deep-frying

Choux pastry dough

1. Combine the water, butter, nutmeg and salt in a small high-sided saucepan. Bring to the boil.
2. Once the butter has melted and the water is boiling briskly, add the flour, all at once and stir with a wooden spoon over a high heat, until the dough leaves the side of the pan, to form a ball. Cook for a further 2 minutes.
3. Remove the saucepan from the heat, add eggs one at a time, beating vigorously as each is added – the dough may separate, but will re-form as you continue to beat.

Filling

1. Fold the chourizo and cheese into the choux pastry and mix well.
2. Heat the oil for deep-frying to 190°C, drop a few fritters into the oil (do not overcrowd the pan), turn continually until they are puffed and golden. Drain on paper towels, and keep warm in a pre-heated low oven. Serve immediately.

Makes ±24.

Wickedfood Cooking School

Sunninghill – (011) 234-3252 sunninghill@wickedfood.co.za

Wickedfood Cooking school runs cooking classes throughout the year at its purpose-built Johannesburg cooking studios. Cooking lessons are run in the mornings and evenings 7 days a week (subject to a minimum of 12 people). The venue is also popular for corporate events and private functions – team building cooking classes, birthdays, kitchen teas, and dinner parties with a difference.

Our cookery classes are hands-on, where every person gets to participate in the preparation of the dishes. They are also a lot of fun where you not only learn new skills, but get to meet people with similar interests. For corporate groups and teambuilding cooking classes these events are a novel way of creating staff interaction or entertaining clients.