DAILY DINNERS

For the white sauce

1. Melt 25g of butter in a heavy pan. Stir in an equal amount of flour and cook the roux for 2 or 3 mins. Add milk (approx 300ml) to the roux, whisking briskly to prevent lumps from forming. Cook the sauce, uncovered, over a very low heat, for about 10 mins, stirring it from time to time. Let it cool slightly.

For the souffle

1. Separate the eggs (equal no of egg yolks and whites) and transfer the whites to a large bowl. Off the heat, drop all the yolks but one into the sauce, but reserve the final yolk for another use. Whisk the yolks into the sauce and stir in the grated cheese as well.

2. Season the sauce with salt, pepper and grated nutmeg. Using an electric beater, beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks. To lighten the sauce and to make it easier to incorporate the bulk of the whites, gently mix about a quarter of the beaten egg whites into the sauce with a wire whisk. Spoon the sauce gently into the bowl containing the remaining beaten egg whites.  use a spatula to gently fold the whites into the sauce. Do not over-mix: a few streaks of unmixed egg whites are preferable to a heavy souffle.

3. Filling the tin: butter a shallow baking tin and line the bottom and sides with buttered greaseproof paper. Pour the souffle mixture into the tin, spreading it evenly with a spatula.

4. Bake the souffle for 15 minutes at 180C/Fan 160C/Gas4. Remove the tin from the oven and cover it with a towel big enough to overlap the tin generously on all sides. Grasp the towel-covered tin and reverse it so the souffle rests on the towel. Using another towel to protect your hands, carefully lift the tin off the souffle.

The filling & finish

1. Allow the souffle to cool on the towel for a few minutes. Carefully strip off the greaseproof paper lining. Since the edges of the souffle tend to be more brittle than the rest, and might crack when rolled, trim about 1 cm off the two shorter sides. Prepare the filling: 250g ricotta with a few tbsp of double cream. Transfer the filling onto the souffle and spread it out evenly with a spatula. Leave a margin of about 2.5 cm on all sides so that the filling does not ooze out when the souffle is rolled.

2. Sprinkle the top of the filling with chopped parsley and chunks of sweet red peppers that have been grilled on all sides, left to cool in a plastic bag, peeled, deseeded & chopped.

3. Roll up the souffle, using the towel to protect it from direct pressure. Start the roll with as tight a fold as possible to avoid leaving a gap in the centre of the roll.

4. When the souffle and the filling have been completely rolled up, lift the roll, still on its towel, onto an ovenproof, buttered gratin dish. Carefully slide the roll onto the dish, positioning it so that the open side is underneath.

5. Melt some butter and spoon it over the roll, grate some Parmesan cheese on top, distributing evenly so that it will form a uniform crust)

To serve: return to the oven 180C/Fan 160C/Gas 4 to heat the souffle and its filling through and a light crust has formed on top: about 10-12 mins.  Serve hot, sliced.