Cheese Soufflé
The Holiday season brings added pressure to have the perfect home and be the perfect host. With two small children and a chaotic family calendar I think it is time for me to let go of this illusion.
As someone who blogs online I am loathe to admit I often check social throughout the day with little-to-no balance. I find myself viewing the content thrown at me by the social media algorithms and feeling less than, especially at this time of year. As I watch talented hosts and hostesses holding their holiday parties I am transfixed, yet increasingly I also have a lingering sense of discontent. Most recently I found myself caught spiralling into a tunnel of Thanksgiving content - this is despite being a Brit who has never celebrated a traditional Thanksgiving. (Any American friend reading this to feel free to invite me to your fabulous Thanksgiving bash… it would be a first). I feel increasingly that many of us might feel like a failed hostess at this time of year.
In the newly launched M&S Christmas TV advert Dawn French is saved from any such failure by a small Christmas fairy (also played by Dawn) who magics together a beautiful Christmas home, food and drinks for her to entertain a large gathering of friends who have mysteriously appeared at her door. I find myself longing for my own Dawn French fairy. There are in my mind two ways in which to host: either to be the planner sending out invitations long in advance and organising decorations, impressive drinks and delicious food. Conversely one can by a cool and unfazed natural host who spontaneously invites friends and family for a thrown together affair, which I feel is all the more charming. Perhaps pulling seasonal sloe gin from the cupboard for an impromptu cocktail and assembling a rustic sharing platter.
I find myself having to concede I am more of a planner by nature; needing ample time to prepare for guests and friends. But having failed to make plans by this point in the year perhaps it is now for me to embrace my natural hostess and go with the flow. It could be an impromptu night cap and mince pie, or asking parent friends in from the cold park for Christmas movies and kids tea. Nothing need be perfect we can still enjoy precious moments with friends and loved ones.
My mother was definitely a natural host and she was used to pulling together big lunches, with adults and kids tables to accommodate everyone. She also had a hugely efficient larger and freezer system which meant she genuinely could rustle up meals with ease. A habit which demonstrates peak adulthood for me. There are certain dishes that I can recall her making for friends that had dropped in for an evening meal and one them is a cheese soufflé with a beautifully dressed green salad and a glass of good wine. She would have been rifling through the fridge for leftover cheese to add to it. For the natural host is unflappable and not to be defeated by a lack of freshly ordered ingredients, or pre-planning.
Recipe of the Week
Cheese Soufflé
Serves 2
4 rounded tbsp grated cheese
1 tablespoon extra fine breadcrumbs
40g butter
1 rounded tbsp plain flour
pinch of sea salt
cayenne pepper
180ml whole milk
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
4 organic egg yolks*
5 organic egg whites*
*Use the best quality eggs you can buy and start with them at room temperature to make this.
Preheat the oven 180C. Prep a soufflé dish with butter and fine breadcrumbs. (I am using a round ceramic white oven dish measuring about 7 inches across that belonged to my mother).
In a saucepan make a roux by melting the butter, removing the pan from heat and stirring in the flour. Season well, blend in milk. Put pan back on heat, stir until boiling then draw aside. Add mustard and beat in the grated cheese and an egg yolk at a time. The basic sauce must be well-flavoured.
Next whip egg whites into firm peaks, stir 2 tablespoons of the whites into the sauce using a metal spoon. Then stir in the remaining parts, lifting the sauce well over the whites from the bottom of the pan. Do not over-mix you want to retain all the air.
Turn lightly into a prepared soufflé dish. Bake for 30 minutes in a preheated oven until golden and firm to the touch. Serve immediately (it will drop fast) with a green salad. Bon appetit.
Weekly Edit
The Host
If you are looking for inspiration and want a quick browse here is my pick of the week’s best and beautiful finds.
The Vintage List Champagne Saucers are full of nostalgia and charm.
Cherry Garnish Stainless Steel Cocktail Sticks from Anthropologie are quirky and fun.
Zara Cocktail Napkins with Hemstitch detail, look incredibly chic and expensive.
Lockdown Liquor’s bottled cocktails to take the hassle out of making drinks - simply serve in beautiful glassware and over ice.
Summerill & Bishop handblown jugs in pink and green are absolutely beautiful and perfect for pouring water and drinks.
Soho Home’s Pangbourne Rattan Ottoman Tray in large, is a statement piece which works for hosting or for artfully arranging books, candles and trinkets.
Rebecca Udall’s set of tapered candles come in beautiful colour options and would create a wonderful atmosphere.
The Hostess Book from Cabana with seating charts and menus to decoration and conversation topics.
Tom Dixon’s Puck Ice Bucket comes with a lid and is the one I use.
Sharland England’s Conor Serving Platter is an heirloom in the making.
Products are not affiliate linked.