Sheep’s Gouda Soufflé

Special Equipment: 2 ramekins or small oven-safe mugs with straight sides

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and grease your ramekins with 1 tsp of the butter. Coat the butter-rubbed ramekins with the breadcrumbs and tap out the excess.

In a saucepan, melt the remaining 2 tbsp of butter over medium heat and add the flour, stirring for 1 minute and not letting it take on any colour. Add the milk and whisk constantly until the milk boils, appearing bubbly. Remove from the heat and stir in the Gouda cheese until melted. You may need to set it back on the burner, with the heat turned off, just to warm it enough for all the cheese to melt if it’s being difficult. Sprinkle in the nutmeg and stir until incorporated. Whisk in the egg yolks one at a time and set aside.

In a very clean metal or glass bowl (plastic holds on to too many traces of oils even when clean) whisk your egg whites with a pinch of salt until you achieve stiff peaks, or until you can turn the whisk upright and the little tail of egg whites stays pointed to the sky.

Scoop out a quarter of the egg white mixture and gently stir into the cheese sauce to loosen and lighten it so it doesn’t drown all the lovely air out of the rest of the whites. Fold in the remaining egg whites very gently with a spatula. Be careful with this step, or you’ll lose your fluffy soufflés already!

Divide the mixture between the two prepared ramekins and bake until puffed and golden, about 20 minutes. Serve immediately alongside a peppery green salad of arugula, nuts such as almonds or walnuts, dried fruit like apricots or figs, and a drizzle of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Talk about romance.

Note: Once the soufflés have baked, ensure you are gentle while handling them as setting them down on the counter abruptly can smack all the air out of them in an instant.