Minted Parsnip Souffle Recipes

CARROT-AND-PARSNIP SOUFFLE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees, with rack in lower third. Brush a 2 1/2-quart souffle dish with butter, then coat with sugar.
• Bring parsnips, carrots, and carrot juice to a boil in a medium saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, partially covered, until vegetables are very tender, 15 to 18 minutes. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup liquid. Puree vegetables, reserved liquid, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt in a blender until smooth. Transfer to a large bowl.
• Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium. Whisk in flour. Cook, whisking constantly, until mixture is golden and nutty-smelling, 2 to 3 minutes. Slowly whisk in milk (mixture will splatter) and cook, whisking constantly, until mixture thickens to a paste, about 1 minute. Stir into vegetable puree along with yolks, lemon juice, thyme, and allspice. Let cool completely.
• Beat egg whites on medium-low speed until foamy, about 1 minute. Increase speed to medium-high and slowly add sugar, beating until stiff, glossy peaks form, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir one-third of egg-white mixture into carrot mixture until thoroughly combined. Gently fold in remaining egg-white mixture just until combined. Transfer to prepared dish; gently smooth top.
• Bake souffle until puffed and golden brown on top and center is set, 50 to 55 minutes; serve.

MARBLED SOUFFLES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees, with rack in lower third. Butter six 6-ounce ramekins; coat with sugar. Place on a rimmed baking sheet.
• Whisk together flour, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan. Whisk together milk and egg yolks, then whisk mixture into saucepan along with vanilla seeds. Cook over medium-high heat until mixture comes to a boil; let boil 1 minute, whisking frequently. (Mixture should be very thick.)
• Remove from heat and divide mixture evenly between two bowls. Whisk chocolate into one half; let second half stand 5 minutes, then whisk in sour cream. Press plastic wrap directly onto surface of each; let cool to warm room temperature, about 10 minutes. (Or place over an ice-water bath and whisk until cool.) Souffle bases can be made ahead to this point and refrigerated up to 1 day. Bring to room temperature and whisk to loosen before proceeding.
• Whisk egg whites to break up a bit, then pour half (about 1/4 cup) into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until foamy; add cream of tartar and beat until soft peaks form. Gradually add 2 tablespoons granulated sugar; beat until peaks are stiff and glossy, 1 to 2 minutes. Spoon a dollop of mixture into chocolate base; whisk to lighten. Add remainder and gently fold in until combined (don't worry if some streaks remain). Repeat with other half of egg whites and vanilla base.
• Divide chocolate mixture among prepared ramekins, then spoon vanilla mixture into centers. For a marbled effect, swirl with a small spatula. Bake until risen and set, about 16 minutes. Serve immediately, dusted with confectioners' sugar and cocoa powder, with scoops of ice cream.

CREAMY ROASTED PARSNIP SOUP

Steps:

• Preheat an oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
• Place the parsnips and carrots into a mixing bowl, and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Toss to coat the vegetables with oil, then season to taste with salt and pepper. Spread the vegetables evenly over a baking sheet.
• Roast in the preheated oven until the parsnips are tender and golden brown, about 30 minutes.
• Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion and celery. Cook and stir until the vegetables have softened and the onion is beginning to turn golden brown, about 7 minutes. Reduce the heat to low, and stir in the butter, garlic, brown sugar, and the roasted parsnips and carrots. Continue to cook and stir until all of the vegetables are very tender and beginning to brown, about 10 minutes.
• Season with the ginger, cardamom, allspice, nutmeg, and cayenne pepper; stir for 1 minute. Pour in the chicken stock, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, partially cover, and simmer gently until all of the vegetables are very tender, about 15 minutes.
• Pour the soup into a blender, filling the pitcher no more than halfway full. Hold down the lid of the blender with a folded kitchen towel, and carefully start the blender, using a few quick pulses to get the soup moving before leaving it on to puree. Puree in batches until smooth and pour into a clean pot. Alternately, you can use a stick blender and puree the soup right in the cooking pot.
• Stir in the milk and cream. Return to a simmer over medium-low heat. Season to taste with salt and pepper before serving.

PARSNIP AND CHEDDAR SOUFFLé

Steps:

• Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 400°F. Combine parsnips, water, salt and bay leaf in medium saucepan. Cover and simmer until parsnips are very tender, about 15 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup cooking liquid; discard bay leaf. Puree parsnips in processor until smooth. (Can be made 4 hours ahead. Cover; let stand at room temperature.)
• Butter 8-cup soufflè dish; dust with flour. Melt 1/4 cup butter in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add 1/4 cup flour and stir 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in 1 cup cooking liquid. Boil until smooth and thick, whisking frequently, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in cheese, sage and parsnip puree. Season with salt and pepper. Whisk in yolks.
• Using electric mixer, beat egg whites and cream of tartar in large bowl until stiff but not dry. Gently fold into parsnip mixture in 3 additions. Transfer to prepared dish. Bake until soufflè is puffed and top is golden brown, about 40 minutes. Serve immediately.

PARSNIP AND SHARP CHEDDAR SOUFFLé

Steps:

• Butter the bottom and sides of a 2-quart soufflé dish. Coat evenly with the bread crumbs.
• Slice the parsnips into 1/2-inch-wide pieces and put them in a 3-quart saucepan with the water, salt, and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer over moderate heat, reduce the heat to low, and simmer gently until the parsnips are tender, about 20 minutes. Strain, reserving the water but discarding the bay leaf. Puree the parsnips in a food processor. You should have about 1 1/2 cups puree.
• Melt the butter in a 2-quart saucepan over moderate heat. Add the flour and whisk for 2 to 3 minutes to cook the flour; do not allow the mixture to brown. Whisk in 1 cup of the parsnip cooking liquid. Bring to a simmer and cook gently, whisking often and scraping the sides of the pan, for about 5 minutes. Whisk in the parsnip puree and simmer, whisking often, for 1 minute longer. Remove from the heat and whisk in the egg yolks, cheese, parsley, thyme, and pepper. Transfer to a large bowl. Put a piece of plastic wrap on top of the mixture to keep a skin from forming, and let cool to room temperature.
• Preheat the oven to 400°F. Put a baking sheet in the bottom third of the oven to heat. With an electric stand mixer or handheld beaters, or by hand with a whisk, whip the egg whites and a pinch of kosher salt until the whites are stiff but not dry. Gently fold one-third of the beaten whites into the parsnip mixture to lighten it, then fold in the remaining whites. Transfer to the prepared soufflé dish. With the tip of a rubber spatula, trace a circle about 1/2 inch deep and 1 inch from the rim of the dish; this tracing will produce a top-hat effect when the soufflé rises.
• Set the soufflé on the preheated baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes, then reduce the oven heat to 375°F and continue cooking until the soufflé is nicely browned on top, well risen, and firm to the touch, 45 to 50 minutes longer. Serve immediately.
• Enjoy with Cakebread Cellars Chardonnay Reserve or another rich and silky white wine.

CHOCOLATE MINT SOUFFLES

Steps:

• Separate eggs. Place whites in a small bowl; let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Place yolks in another bowl; set aside., Coat two 10-oz. ramekins or custard cups with cooking spray and lightly sprinkle with 1 teaspoon sugar; place on a baking sheet and set aside., In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine 2 tablespoons sugar, cocoa, cornstarch and salt. Gradually stir in milk. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until thickened. , Remove from the heat; stir in chocolate chips and extract until chips are melted. Transfer to a small bowl. Stir a small amount of hot mixture into egg yolks; return all to the bowl, stirring constantly. Cool slightly., Beat egg whites on medium speed until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in remaining sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, on high until stiff peaks form. With a spatula, fold a fourth of the egg whites into chocolate mixture until no white streaks remain. Fold in remaining egg whites until combined. , Transfer to prepared ramekins. Bake at 375° for 18-22 minutes or until tops are puffed and centers are almost set. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar. Serve immediately.

TRUFFLED PARSNIP & PARMESAN BRUSCHETTA

Steps:

• Heat a griddle pan and toast the bread for about 2 mins on each side until golden and marked. Rub the cut side of the garlic clove over each piece.
• Heat the butter in a large frying pan. Add the parsnips, season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, then cook over a medium heat, shaking regularly until golden and softened, about 20 mins. Add a splash of water if you need to. Remove from the heat and whizz to a purée in a food processor with both of the oils. Season to taste. Set aside at room temperature if serving on the day. Can be chilled up to two days ahead.
• To serve, top the toasts with the truffled parsnip mix (it should be room temperature), scatter with rocket leaves and parmesan shavings, then drizzle with a little more olive oil or truffle oil.