Post by kickingfrog on Feb 17, 2011 11:26:48 GMT
Nigel’s Cheese and chive puddings
A soft, tender savoury pudding - a flourless souffle if you like - with a crisp top and a creamy, almost liquid centre. I use a shallow pasta bowl to bake these in, but a soup plate works well, too. Partnered with a crisp green salad, it makes a light yet rich lunch for two.
I suggest a very mature farmhouse cheese for this. If you use plastic-wrapped 'supermarket' cheese then your pudding will lack any real clout. Serves 2.
a little butter
70g freshly grated Parmesan
200g mature farmhouse Caerphilly
3 large eggs
12 chives
4 tbsp double cream
Set the oven at 200C/gas mark 6. Lightly butter two shallow dishes or soup plates, then sprinkle them lightly with grated Parmesan.
Remove the rind from the Caerphilly, put the cheese in a bowl and mash it with a fork. Separate the eggs, putting the whites into a bowl and the yolks in with the Caerphilly. Mash the yolks and cheese together. Season with black pepper, then finely chop the chives and stir them in.
Beat the egg whites till stiff and fluffy. Gently but firmly fold them into the cheese mixture, using a metal spoon. Try to mix thoroughly without knocking the air out. Fold in all but two tablespoons of the grated Parmesan.
Divide the mixture quickly and tenderly between the two buttered bowls. Scatter over the remaining Parmesan, put the dishes on a baking sheet and bake for 12-16 minutes, until they are puffed and golden, the top lightly crisp and the inside creamy. I test simply by inserting a spoon gently into the centre. If there is any sign of liquid I return it to the oven for a few minutes longer.
Remove from the oven and eat immediately.
nigel.slater@observer.co.uk
Observer magazine 4 June 2006
*********
A soft, tender savoury pudding - a flourless souffle if you like - with a crisp top and a creamy, almost liquid centre. I use a shallow pasta bowl to bake these in, but a soup plate works well, too. Partnered with a crisp green salad, it makes a light yet rich lunch for two.
I suggest a very mature farmhouse cheese for this. If you use plastic-wrapped 'supermarket' cheese then your pudding will lack any real clout. Serves 2.
a little butter
70g freshly grated Parmesan
200g mature farmhouse Caerphilly
3 large eggs
12 chives
4 tbsp double cream
Set the oven at 200C/gas mark 6. Lightly butter two shallow dishes or soup plates, then sprinkle them lightly with grated Parmesan.
Remove the rind from the Caerphilly, put the cheese in a bowl and mash it with a fork. Separate the eggs, putting the whites into a bowl and the yolks in with the Caerphilly. Mash the yolks and cheese together. Season with black pepper, then finely chop the chives and stir them in.
Beat the egg whites till stiff and fluffy. Gently but firmly fold them into the cheese mixture, using a metal spoon. Try to mix thoroughly without knocking the air out. Fold in all but two tablespoons of the grated Parmesan.
Divide the mixture quickly and tenderly between the two buttered bowls. Scatter over the remaining Parmesan, put the dishes on a baking sheet and bake for 12-16 minutes, until they are puffed and golden, the top lightly crisp and the inside creamy. I test simply by inserting a spoon gently into the centre. If there is any sign of liquid I return it to the oven for a few minutes longer.
Remove from the oven and eat immediately.
nigel.slater@observer.co.uk
Observer magazine 4 June 2006
*********