A summer time favourite: courgettes souffle
What a summer! 38.7 º C was the temperature recorded here in Cambridge. My vegetable garden has been enjoying this weather though, especially my courgettes. As usual, I got a bit carried away when I planted them and now have a bit too many of them. As well as giving many away, I've had to find different ways of cooking them. So, here is my summer time favourite: courgettes souffle. Warning, this is a recipe you can't rush or rustle-up in minutes, you need a bit of patience. But if you do give it a go, trust me it is worth the effort.
Ingredients:
120 g of cheddar grated
350 ml of milk
4 small courgettes grated (they will cook quicker if you do so)
one table spoon of olive oil
1 small onion finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic finely grated
4 large eggs
60 g of butter,
60 g of plain flour
6 ramekins buttered and floured
Step one: cook the courgettes
In a pan add the olive oil and the onion finely chopped, cook the onions until soft, then add the garlic and stir for a minute or so. Then add your grated courgettes, a bit of salt and pepper and stir, lid on, let them cook on a low heat for 10 to 15 minutes until they are soft.
Step two: make a bechamel sauce
In a pan melt your butter, once melted add the flour and stir constantly for a good minute or so. Off the heat, using a whisk, slowly add your milk and stir until all the milk is incorporated. Then put it back on the heat and stir constantly until your bechamel thickens. Off the heat add your cheese and your cooked courgettes and stir. Separate the egg yolks, keep the whites. Add the yolks to the mixture and stir.
Step three: the final stage
Pre-heat your oven at 180° C
Whisk your egg whites into stiff peaks. Gently fold your whites into your bechamel, courgettes sauce, one spoonful at a time. It is very important to take time to do this correctly. Once all your whites are incorporated fill your ramekins to the top. Pop them in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes.
