Lois serves these twice-baked soufflés on our creative courses, to universal acclaim. They are an ‘Italianised’ version of a Delia Smith recipe (Delia uses Roquefort instead of Gorgonzola), tasting delicately delicious and looking very impressive!

Ingredients (for four servings):

110g Gorgonzola ‘dolce’ (less salty than ‘piccante’), crumbled
225ml milk
1 small onion, peeled and cut in half
1 bay leaf
A grating of fresh nutmeg
A few whole black peppercorns
25g unsalted butter
25g self-raising flour
2 large eggs, separated

To serve:
100 ml single cream
A handful of cut chives (ours come fresh from the watermill walled garden)

You will also need four ramekins, well buttered, and a roasting tin.

Method:
Bring your milk to a simmer with the onion, bay leaf, peppercorns and nutmeg. Strain and throw away the soggy onions and seasoning. Melt butter in saucepan and blend in flour. Add the warm milk, stirring all the time to make a thick, smooth sauce. Then leave on a very low heat for five minutes to let the flour cook through.

Remove from heat and add egg yolks and 3/4 of the cheese.

Whisk egg whites separately and fold in. Fill ramekins with the mixture, and put in bain marie (roasting tin filled with 1cm boiling water) for 15 minutes, at 180°C.

 Remove from oven and leave to cool. Turn out individual soufflés onto greaseproof paper and, when you’re almost ready to eat, sprinkle with remaining gorgonzola and bake for a further 20 minutes at 200°C. (Just enough time for an aperitivo!)

Serve straightaway, garnished with cut chives and a splurge of cream and hear your guests cry ‘Wow’.