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Kaassoufflé
Dutch snack-bar cheese pocket: melting Gouda in crisp breadcrumbs
Despite the French-sounding name, a Dutch kaassoufflé has nothing to do with a baked soufflé. It is a snack-bar classic, fried in the frituur of every cafetaria from Groningen to Maastricht: a rectangle of thin pastry wrapped around a slab of young Gouda, coated in breadcrumbs and deep-fried until the cheese inside goes molten. It is the vegetarian's answer to the kroket, eaten at lunch or on the way home from football, with a squeeze of mayonnaise or sweet chilli sauce. Chef's tip: chill the filled, breaded pockets for at least 30 minutes before frying; cold pastry and cheese stay sealed in the hot oil, while warm ones burst and leak.
- Total time
- 40 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Cut 11 ½ oz puff pastry into 8 rectangles of about 10 x 14 cm. Lay a slice of 8 ½ oz young Gouda on one half of each, leaving a 1 cm border.
Step 2: Brush the border with a little of ⅜ eggs, fold the pastry over and press the edges hard with a fork to seal on all three sides. Any gap will let cheese escape in the fryer, so check each one.
Step 3: Set out three plates: 1 ⅜ oz plain flour, the rest of 1 ⅝ eggs, and 3 ½ oz fine dried breadcrumbs. Dust each pocket in flour, dip in egg, then press firmly into the crumbs on every side, including the edges.
Step 4: Lay on a tray and refrigerate for 30 minutes, or freeze if making ahead.
30 minStep 5: Heat 6 ¼ cups sunflower oil in a deep pan to 350°F. A cube of bread should turn golden in 40 seconds. If the oil smokes, it is too hot and the crumbs will burn before the cheese melts.
Step 6: Fry 3 or 4 at a time for 3–4 minutes, turning once, until deep golden and crackling and you hear the sizzle quieten. Lift onto kitchen paper.
4 minStep 7: Rest for 2 minutes (the cheese is scalding) and serve with 4 tbsp mustard or mayonnaise.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 360 kcal
- Protein
- 12 g
- Carbs
- 25 g
- Fat
- 24 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does kaassoufflé take?
- About 40 minutes in total: 25 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of eggs?
- 1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp water per egg, left for 5 minutes (baking only; vegan).
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