Twice baked Cornish Yarg soufflé

50g butter, melted
1 small onion
275ml/10fl oz whole milk
1 bay leaf
3 peppercorns
40g plain flour
150g Yarg
1 tsp English mustard
6 tbsp double cream
salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon of thyme leaves

Preheat oven to 200C/Gas 6. Brush butter into small ramekins, make discs of baking parchment to pop in the bottom, brush butter over the discs. Place on baking tray. Heat  onion, milk, bay leaf and peppercorns gently for 5 minutes and set aside. Stir flour into the remaining melted butter, return to the heat and cook for a minute, stirring. Add strained milk to make a smooth and thick sauce.

Add Yarg and mustard, cook until cheese melts. Stir in thyme and season to taste. Cool for five minutes, then beat in egg yolks one at a time until thoroughly mixed.Whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks are formed. Stir dollops into the cheese mixture quite rapidly to slacken the mix, then fold the rest in gently, trying to preserve as much volume as possible while ensuring the white is properly folded in. Spoon the soufflé mixture into the ramekins until it almost reaches the top. Bake in the centre of the oven for 15-20 minutes until very well risen and golden-brown on top.

Remove the tray from the oven and leave the soufflés to cool in their ramekins. When the soufflés are cold, release them from their ramekins with a knife and turn them into your hand. Place them in an ovenproof  dish upside down. Cover with cling film and chill in the fridge until needed. When ready to serve, preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6. Take the cling film off, sprinkle with Yarg, spoon a tablespoon of cream over the top of each souffle.  Bake for 10 minutes until the soufflés are hot and the Yarg topping has melted. Serve immediately.

Go on, you can do it!