Soufflé Suissesse

Preheat an oven to 200°C/gas mark 6

Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan, then whisk in the flour and cook, stirring continuously, for about 1 minute. Whisk in the milk and boil for 3 minutes, whisking all the time to prevent any lumps from forming. Beat in the yolks and remove from the heat, then season with salt and pepper. Cover the mixture with a piece of buttered baking paper to prevent a skin forming

Whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt until they form firm – but not stiff – peaks. Add a third of the egg whites to the yolk mixture and beat with a whisk until evenly mixed, then gently fold in the remaining egg whites

Very generously butter 4 8cm-diameter dariole or tartlet moulds and spoon the mixture into them. Place in the oven for 3 minutes, until the tops begin to turn golden

Meanwhile, season the double cream with a little salt, warm it gently in a saucepan and pour into a wide gratin or deep baking dish. After cooking the soufflés for 3 minutes, turn them out directly into the dish with the cream, sprinkle the grated cheese over the soufflés, then return the whole dish to the oven for 5 minutes. Serve immediately, either bringing the dish to the table or carefully lifting the soufflés onto serving dishes and spooning the cream around them