Twice-baked smoked salmon souffle with horseradish cream recipe

Serve up this salmon souffle as a festive starter for Christmas dinner or at a dinner party. Twice-baked for extra flavour, this dish is sure to impress

Ingredients

• 50g (1¾oz) butter
• 50g (1¾oz) plain flour
• 300ml (½ pint) milk
• 100g (3½oz) full-fat cream cheese
• 1 level tbsp chopped fresh dill
• 200g packet smoked salmon
• 3 large eggs, separated
• Zest of ½ a lemon
• Freshly ground black pepper

To serve

:

• 1-2 tbsp horseradish sauce
• 3 tbsp crème fraîche
• Sprigs of dill
• Lemon slices, quartered
• Caviar or fish roe
• Salad leaves
• Olive oil, for drizzling
• 6-8 ramekin dishes, well buttered and base-lined with baking parchment

Method

1. Set the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4.
2. Melt the butter in a pan and add the flour, then gradually add the milk, beating well between each addition to give a smooth sauce. Simmer the sauce for a few mins, then remove the pan from the heat and stir in the cream cheese and dill.
3. Cut 6-8 narrow strips of smoked salmon, long enough to wrap around the ramekin dishes, and reserve them, then chop the rest of it.
4. Whisk the egg whites until stiff. Beat the egg yolks, one at a time, into the sauce, then fold in the egg whites, chopped salmon, lemon zest and pepper.
5. Place the ramekin dishes in a roasting dish and pour boiling water around them, to come about halfway up the sides of ramekins. Bake in centre of the oven for about 15-20 mins, until the soufflés have puffed up and just set.
6. Remove the soufflés from the oven and leave them to cool for a few minutes. Turn them out on to a board, or plate, and leave to cool.
7. Spread some horseradish sauce over one side of the smoked salmon strips, and wrap one around each soufflé, with the horseradish sticking them to the soufflés.
8. Set the oven to 190°C/375°F/Gas Mark 5. Place the soufflés on a baking sheet lined with baking parchment and bake in the oven for 12-15 mins, or until they start to puff up.
9. Meanwhile, stir the remaining horseradish sauce into the crème fraîche.
10. Remove the soufflés from the oven and serve each with some horseradish crème spooned on top and garnished with a sprig of dill, a quartered slice of lemon and a little caviar or fish roe. Serve immediately with salad leaves drizzled with olive oil.