Savory Bergkäse Soufflé | Fluffy from the Oven

Preheat the oven to 190 °C top/bottom heat. Thoroughly grease four ovenproof ramekins (approx. 200 ml capacity) evenly from bottom to top with approx. 10 g of softened butter. Then coat the ramekins with the breadcrumbs, tap out any excess crumbs, and chill the ramekins in the refrigerator until ready to use.

In a small saucepan, melt the remaining 40 g of butter over medium heat. Stir in the plain wheat flour and sauté lightly for about 1 minute while stirring constantly. Gradually pour in the cold whole milk while whisking vigorously to prevent any lumps from forming. Bring to a brief boil until a creamy, thick béchamel sauce forms.

Remove the saucepan from the heat. Stir the finely grated Bergkäse into the hot béchamel sauce until completely melted. Season the mixture generously with a pinch of salt, freshly ground black pepper, and a pinch of ground nutmeg. Allow to cool to lukewarm for about 5 minutes.