Spring Souffle Recipes

BASIC SOUFFLé

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375° F (190° C).
• Melt butter in medium saucepan over low heat. Stir in flour, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is smooth and bubbly. Stir in milk all at once. Continue stirring until mixture boils and is smooth and thickened.
• Separate eggs. Beat yolks well and add ¼ cup (50 mL) of warm sauce mixture to egg yolks.
• Combine yolk mixture with remaining sauce, blending thoroughly. If desired, add finely chopped filling ingredients, stirring into white sauce until blended (see variations). Set sauce aside to cool slightly.
• Beat egg whites and cream of tartar in large bowl, until stiff but not dry. Fold some of the egg whites into sauce to make it lighter, then gently but thoroughly fold the sauce into the remaining egg whites.
• Carefully pour into 4-cup (1 L) soufflé or casserole dish.
• Bake in preheated 375° F (190° C) oven until puffed and lightly browned, 20 to 25 minutes or until done. Serve immediately.

SPRING SOUFFLE

Steps:

• Leave a bit of moisture on the spinach and watercress after cleaning. Place in a saucepan; stir over medium heat until leaves are wilted, about 3 minutes. Drain well and squeeze in a kitchen towel to release moisture. Chop coarsely and set aside.
• Preheat oven to 400-degree F. Butter or coat with non-stick cooking spray a 2-quart round soufflé dish.
• Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan over low heat. Add the flour and whisk until smooth. Next, whisk in the milk, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Raise heat to medium and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes or until the mixture is thick and slightly boiling. Add the goat cheese and whisk until smooth. Remove from heat and cool slightly.
• Beat egg yolks in a medium bowl until lemon-colored and whisk a 1/4 cup cooled sauce into them. Whisk the egg yolk mixture a bit at a time into the cool sauce. Stir in the spinach-watercress mixture along with parsley and chives.
• With an electric mixer, begin to beat the egg whites with the lemon juice until frothy, then continue beating until stiff but not dry.
• With a rubber spatula, gently fold one-quarter of the egg whites into the sauce. Quickly and gently fold the remaining whites into the sauce until well combined. Transfer to the prepared soufflé dish.
• Bake for 30 minutes or until soufflé is golden and puffed, yet still moist.
• Serve immediately.

SPINACH SOUFFLE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Place the spinach in a colander to drain, pressing out as much excess liquid as you can.
• Make the bechamel sauce: Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat; add the flour and stir until it becomes a thick paste. Add the milk 1/2 cup at a time, whisking well after each addition, until you have a smooth sauce. Remove from the heat and whisk in the salt, nutmeg and pepper. Taste for seasoning. Set aside to cool slightly.
• Beat the egg whites until just frothy with an electric mixer. Add the cream of tartar and beat on high speed until it forms firm peaks. Set aside.
• Whisk the egg yolks in a large bowl until they are pale yellow, then add the warm bechamel sauce a bit at a time. Switch to a large rubber spatula; gently mix in the spinach, Parmesan and 1/2 cup Romano. Fold in a third of the egg whites to lighten, then gently fold in the remaining egg whites until thoroughly combined but still light and fluffy.
• Lightly grease a 2-quart souffle dish with cooking spray or softened butter, then add the remaining 1/2 cup Romano and rotate the dish to coat the bottom and sides with the cheese. Pour in the souffle batter, then bake until puffy and golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Serve immediately.

CHEESE SOUFFLE

Steps:

• Use room temperature butter to grease an 8-inch souffle mold. Add the grated Parmesan and roll around the mold to cover the sides. Cover with plastic wrap and place into the freezer for 5 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• In a small saucepan, heat the butter. Allow all of the water to cook out.
• In a separate bowl combine the flour, dry mustard, garlic powder, and kosher salt. Whisk this mixture into the melted butter. Cook for 2 minutes.
• Whisk in the hot milk and turn the heat to high. Once the mixture reaches a boil, remove from the heat.
• In a separate bowl, beat the egg yolks to a creamy consistency. Temper the yolks into the milk mixture, constantly whisking. Remove from the heat and add the cheese. Whisk until incorporated.
• In a separate bowl, using a hand mixer, whip the egg whites and cream of tartar until glossy and firm. Add 1/4 of the mixture to the base. Continue to add the whites by thirds, folding very gently.
• Pour the mixture into the souffle. Fill the souffle to 1/2-inch from the top. Place on an aluminum pie pan. Bake in the oven for 35 minutes.

GOAT'S CHEESE, SPRING ONION & PARSLEY SOUFFLéS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5. Butter four 200ml ramekins or ovenproof dishes, or six 150ml ones. Set the dishes on a baking tray to make them easier to remove from the oven. Melt the butter in a heavy-based pan, stir in the flour and cook, stirring, for 1 min. Slowly mix in the milk to make a thick sauce. Simmer for 2 mins to cook the flour. Remove from the heat and stir in the parsley, spring onions, goat's cheese, egg yolks, threequarters of the parmesan and seasoning.
• Whisk the egg whites until they are stiff, then fold into the sauce in three batches, cutting through the mixture each time to incorporate the egg white without losing too much air from the mix. Divide between the prepared dishes and sprinkle with the remaining parmesan. Bake for 20 mins for the small dishes and 25 mins for the larger ones until risen and golden. Serve without delay.

CHEF JOHN'S ASPARAGUS SOUFFLE

Steps:

• Cook asparagus in a saucepan of boiling water until bright green but still crisp, about 2 minutes. Transfer asparagus to ice water to stop the cooking process. Drain and set aside.
• Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk in flour and stir until mixture becomes paste-like and light golden brown, about 2 minutes.
• Whisk milk into butter-flour mixture; bring to a simmer and cook until thick, 2 to 3 minutes. Season with salt and cayenne pepper.
• Place milk mixture, garlic, and asparagus in a blender and puree until smooth.
• Pour asparagus mixture into a large bowl; stir in egg yolks and Cheddar cheese.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C)
• Generously butter 4 (6-ounce) ramekins
• Beat egg whites in a large glass or metal mixing bowl until soft peaks form. Lift your beater or whisk straight up: the egg whites will form soft mounds rather than a sharp peak
• Stir half of egg whites into asparagus cheese mixture until just combined. Gently fold remaining egg whites into mixture.
• Fill prepared ramekins about 3/4 full and place on a baking sheet; bake in the preheated oven until edges are golden brown, about 20 to 25 minutes

GARLIC SOUFFLE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
• Set aside three cloves of garlic for the basic sauce. Put the remaining garlic cloves in a small, shallow baking dish and add the olive oil, water, one-half teaspoon thyme, one bay leaf, salt and pepper. Cover closely and place in the oven. Bake one and one-half hours or until the garlic is totally tender. Baste the garlic pieces occasionally as they cook.
• Meanwhile, melt the six tablespoons butter in a heavy saucepan and add the flour, stirring with a wire whisk. Bring the half-andhalf and heavy cream to the boil in a small saucepan and add it to the flour and butter mixture, stirring rapidly with the whisk. When thickened and smooth, add salt to taste. Set the saucepan in a basin of simmering water.
• Tie the quartered onion, the reserved garlic cloves, one-half teaspoon thyme, the remaining two bay leaves, parsley sprigs and peppercorns in a small square of cheesecloth. Bring up the ends and tie them to make a bag. Add this to the sauce. Cover closely and let the sauce cook in simmering water about one hour, stirring the sauce occasionally. Remove the saucepan from the water and let it cool briefly. Remove and discard the cheesecloth bag.
• Increase the oven heat to 450 degrees.
• Put the baked garlic through a food mill, pressing to extract as much pulp and liquid as possible from the solids. Or press it through a sieve, using a pestle. There should be about one and one-half tablespoons. Add this to the cream sauce and stir.
• Add the egg yolks, the Gruyere or Swiss cheese and two-thirds cup of the Parmesan and beat well to blend. Add the cayenne, salt and pepper and blend well.
• Beat the egg whites until stiff. Add half of them to the cheese sauce and beat them in. Add the remaining whites and fold them quickly until well distributed.
• Generously butter a 12-inch oval, ovenproof platter. Pour in the souffle mixture. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese and thyme. Place on the top rack of the oven and bake 10 minutes until well browned.

CARROT PUDDING SOUFFLES WITH BUTTERED SPRING VEGETABLES

Steps:

• Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add shallot, chopped carrots, bay leaf, and 1 teaspoon salt. Cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until carrots are tender, 20 to 25 minutes. (Reduce heat to medium-low after 15 minutes if needed to prevent carrots or butter from browning.)
• Stir in cream. Bring mixture just to a simmer, and immediately remove from heat; discard bay leaf. Using an immersion blender or a food processor, puree mixture (use caution when pureeing hot liquids in a food processor). Transfer carrot puree to a small bowl; set aside.
• Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in flour with a wooden spoon; cook, stirring constantly, 3 minutes. Whisk in milk gradually. Use a rubber spatula to scrape bottom and corners of pan.
• Reduce heat to low. Cook, stirring often to prevent lumps from forming, 15 minutes. Whisk in carrot puree, and remove from heat. Stir in nutmeg, ginger, and 1 teaspoon salt; season with pepper. Transfer to a large bowl; let cool completely, about 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly butter eight 6-ounce ramekins; set aside.
• Add yolks, one at a time, to carrot mixture, whisking well after each addition.
• Using a clean whisk or an electric mixer, beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Fold into carrot mixture.
• Ladle mixture into prepared ramekins, filling almost to the rims. Place ramekins in a roasting pan, and transfer to oven. Pour enough boiling water into pan to come about three-quarters of the way up sides of ramekins. Bake until souffles are puffed and set, and tops begin to brown, about 35 minutes. Using tongs, carefully transfer the souffles to a wire rack, and let cool 10 minutes.
• Before serving, bring a medium pot of water to a boil; add 2 teaspoons salt. Add carrots; cook 2 minutes. Add peas; cook until carrots are tender and peas are bright green, about 2 minutes more.
• Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Drain vegetables; toss with the melted butter.
• Invert each souffle onto a metal spatula, and then invert again onto a serving plate. Arrange carrots and peas on each plate. Garnish with pea shoots.

EASY SPINACH SOUFFLE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• In a medium bowl whisk together egg, milk, cheese, garlic, salt and pepper. Fold in spinach. Place in a small casserole dish.
• Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until lightly set.
• NOTE: If you are in a hurry, use a microwave safe casserole dish, cover with plastic wrap, and cook on high for 3 minutes. Release the steam, recover, and cook on high for another 3 minutes. Enjoy!