A soufflé calls for setting the table before switching on the mixer. You can take time over the base; the whites and baking need everything ready. This version uses finely chopped cured ham and a cheese-free béchamel so the filling leaves room for the ham's flavour. It is designed for four individual ramekins of about 200 ml.
Prepare ramekins and oven first, let the béchamel cool to lukewarm and fold in the whites gently. Bake immediately and serve straight from the oven; some sinking afterwards is normal.
Ingredients and timing for 4 servings
4 starters · Preparation: 25 min · Baking: about 25 min · Approximate total: 50 min.
Approximate timings for this editorial recipe proposal, which has not been kitchen-tested. Adjust cooking to your ingredients and equipment.
- 4 eggs, whites and yolks separated
- 250 ml milk
- 30 g butter for the base, plus extra for the ramekins
- 30 g flour, plus extra for dusting the ramekins
- 80 g cured Spanish ham, very finely chopped
- Pepper and a pinch of nutmeg
- Salt only if the base needs it
- 4 ovenproof ramekins, about 200 ml each
Step-by-step method
- Preheat the oven to 190 °C, conventional heat. Butter the inside of the ramekins with upward strokes, dust lightly with flour and tap out excess. Place on a baking tray.
- Melt the 30 g butter, add flour and stir for a couple of minutes without browning. Whisk in milk gradually until the béchamel is thick and smooth.
- Take off the heat and cool until lukewarm, not hot. Add yolks, ham, pepper and nutmeg. Do not taste this raw-egg base to check salt: season cautiously.
- Whisk whites in a clean, dry, grease-free bowl to firm but flexible peaks. Stir a spoonful into the base to loosen it, then gently fold in the rest with a spatula without beating.
- Fill each ramekin about three-quarters full and bake immediately. Avoid opening for the first 20 minutes. From around 25 minutes, check that the centre is set: use a thermometer and reach 74 °C at the centre; exterior colour is insufficient.
- Carry the hot ramekins to the table with protection and serve immediately. Warn that they are hot. A soufflé loses height as it cools; it should not sit waiting on the plate.
Jamones Paco Heredia for this article
Current selection from the related collection. Check format, weight and directions on each product page.
Jamones Paco Heredia
Current selection from the related collection. Check format, weight and directions on each product page.
View the collection →Adapt the recipe to your kitchen
Can I use one large dish? It changes the baking behaviour. This proposal gives quantities for roughly 200 ml ramekins only; do not transfer the time without checking the centre again.
Why is it dense? A hot base can affect the whites; beating after folding removes air. Set the table first so the aerated mixture does not stand waiting.
For allergies, check eggs, milk, wheat and ham ingredients. Keep leftovers at room temperature for no more than 2 hours, refrigerate in shallow containers and reheat to 74 °C. The texture will differ from freshly baked soufflé.
Above 32 °C ambient temperature, refrigerate perishable food within 1 hour rather than waiting 2 hours.
Cooking temperatures: FoodSafety.gov · Hygiene and cooling: FoodSafety.gov.
The selection follows the Jamones Paco Heredia catalogue. Editorial photographs illustrate formats; check the collection for current products and their details.
Choose your ham and plan your purchase
You need 80 g of ham for the four suggested portions. Compare 80 g sliced ham packs and check that the listing is for ham if following these ingredients. The carousel may also include shoulder.
Cebo Iberian ham and 100% Iberian bellota ham are different categories; the recipe does not require the most expensive one. Check the specific product's ingredients and storage instructions. For other formats, explore ham to buy.