Classic French Spinach Soufflé Recipes

SPINACH SOUFFLE

Steps:

• Wash and trim spinach, leaving the water that clings to the leaves. Place in a large skillet and steam just until wilted, about 3-5 minutes. Drain and chop; set aside. Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Blend in flour and pepper; cook and stir until bubbly. Slowly add milk; bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Cook and stir 1 minute. Remove from the heat. Stir in onion, salt and nutmeg. In a large bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form. In another bowl, beat egg yolks until thick and lemon-colored; stir into white sauce. Gently fold into egg whites along with spinach. Pour into a greased 1-1/2-qt. casserole or souffle dish. Place casserole in a larger pan; fill larger pan with 1 in. of water. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 50-60 minutes or until a knife inserted halfway between the center and edge comes out clean. Serve immediately.

ANNE'S TWICE-BAKED SPINACH SOUFFLéS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400°F. Generously butter six 8-ounce ramekins or one 6-cup jumbo muffin tin or silicone muffin mold.
• To prepare the spinach, in a skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the shallot and cook until soft and translucent, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, 45 to 60 seconds. Add the well-drained spinach and season with cayenne, salt, and pepper. Continue cooking, stirring, until the mixture is well combined and all the moisture has evaporated, 2 to 3 minutes. Set aside.
• To prepare the béchamel sauce, in a heavy-bottomed saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour, and cook until foaming but not browned, about 1 minute. Whisk in the warmed milk. Bring to a boil over high heat. Once it is at a boil, continue cooking, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens, about 2 minutes. Season with nutmeg, salt, and pepper.
• You will use two-thirds of this sauce as the base for the soufflés. The remaining one-third will be the coating sauce at the end. Transfer one-third of the sauce to a small saucepan. Add the half-and-half and stir to combine. Set aside.
• Stir the spinach into the larger amount of sauce; taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Add the egg yolks one at a time, stirring between each addition. Set aside.
• To make the soufflés, in the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer fitted with the whisk, beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt on medium speed until foamy. Increase the speed to high and whip until stiff peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes.
• To lighten the soufflé, add about one-fourth of the beaten egg whites to the spinach-sauce mixture and whisk until well mixed. Pour this mixture over the remaining whites and fold together until smooth.
• Fill the prepared ramekins with the mixture. Place them on a baking sheet and bake until the soufflés are puffed and browned, 12 to 15 minutes. Leave the oven on.
• Transfer the soufflés to a rack and cool slightly. Turn out each soufflé into a large gratin dish or casserole. If the soufflés stick, release them by running a butter knife or offset spatula around the rims. Set aside.
• To finish the soufflés, bring the reserved cream sauce to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the mustard and 1/4 cup of the Gruyère cheese. Stir to combine, then taste and adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper. Spoon the sauce over the soufflés to coat, then sprinkle each evenly with the remaining 1/4 cup Gruyère. (The dish may be made to this point and held at room temperature for up to 1 hour or covered in the refrigerator for up 24 hours. However, it is important to bring the dish to room temperature before browning.)
• Bake the sauce-covered soufflés in the gratin dish until browned and bubbling, 7 to 10 minutes. Serve immediately.
• béchamel sauce
• Whether called béchamel (French), balsamella (Italian), or white sauce, this classic sauce is based on a thickener (a roux) made of butter and flour that is whisked together with milk. Simple seasonings include nutmeg, salt, and pepper, but the flavor is improved if the milk is first infused with aromatics like bay leaf and peppercorns. It is as simple as making tea: place the milk and aromatics in a pot and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Remove from the heat and let rest for about 10 minutes; strain out and discard the aromatics.
• Béchamel sauce is the workhorse of cuisine. You can change its consistency by varying the proportions of roux to milk. The more roux, the thicker the sauce, and vice versa. Thin sauces are used as bases for soups and other sauces. Add cheese, for example, and it's Sauce Mornay. A medium béchamel sauce is used for coating and in vegetarian lasagna. Thick béchamel is the base for savory soufflés.

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.

BEST EVER SPINACH SOUFFLE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°F.
• Cook onions and garlic with butter in small skillet.
• Beat onion mixture, cream cheese, farmer's cheese, salt, and pepper with electric mixer.
• Add eggs one at a time. Stir in spinach. Pour into a greased baking dish and sprinkle paprika on top.
• Bake in oven for 40-45 minutes.

SPINACH SOUFFLé

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400°F. Position the rack in the center of the oven. Coat a 2-quart soufflé dish or 6 individual 8-ounce dishes with cooking spray. Coat with bread crumbs. Tap out excess; set aside.
• Fill a bowl with ice and water; set aside. Place a steamer basket in a large saucepan; fill with 1 inch water. Bring to a boil, and add the spinach. Cover, and steam until wilted, about 3 minutes. Drain, and plunge into the ice bath to stop the cooking. Let cool, and squeeze out excess water. Place the spinach in the bowl of a food processor; pulse until finely chopped; set aside. You should have about 1 cup.
• Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour, and cook, stirring constantly, for 3 minutes. Gradually whisk in the milk, and bring just to a simmer. Cook, stirring constantly, until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Stir in salt and pepper. Remove from heat, and set aside.
• In a large bowl, whisk 2 egg yolks until blended. Whisk in a little white sauce to temper the eggs, then add the remaining sauce, whisking until combined. Add the cooked spinach and grated cheese.
• Place the 4 egg whites and cream of tartar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on low until soft peaks begin to form. Increase speed to high; beat until stiff peaks form and the egg whites are smooth.
• Using a rubber spatula, transfer one-third of the egg whites to the spinach mixture; gently fold in until blended. Add the spinach mixture to the remaining egg whites; gently fold in until just combined. Pour into the prepared dish or dishes.
• Place the soufflé in the oven; reduce heat to 375°F. Bake until puffed and golden, 20 to 30 minutes. Serve immediately.
• (Per serving)
• Calories: 149
• Fat: 7g
• Cholesterol: 85mg
• Carbohydrate: 11g
• Sodium: 488mg
• Protein: 11g
• Fiber: 2g

SPINACH SOUFFLé WITH ROASTED RED PEPPER SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F. Butter 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish. Blend creamed spinach, grated Swiss cheese, salt and pepper in medium bowl; whisk in egg yolks. Using electric mixer, beat egg whites in large bowl until stiff but not dry; fold into spinach mixture. Gently transfer to prepared dish.
• Bake soufflé until beginning to color at edges and center is puffed and softly set, about 18 minutes.
• Meanwhile, purée half of roasted red peppers, 1 tablespoon reserved red pepper juices and balsamic vinegar in processor until almost smooth. Add remaining roasted red peppers and shallot and chop, using on/off turns, until chunky purée forms. Transfer sauce to small saucepan. Stir over medium heat until warmed through; season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Spoon soufflé onto plates. Serve, passing sauce separately.

SPINACH SOUFFLé WITH SHALLOTS AND SMOKED GOUDA CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 11 x 7 x 2-inch glass baking dish. Bring milk to boil in medium saucepan. Remove from heat. Melt 4 tablespoons butter in heavy medium saucepan over low heat. Add flour; stir 3 minutes. Gradually whisk in warm milk. Increase heat to medium; whisk constantly until mixture is thick and smooth, about 4 minutes. Remove sauce from heat. Whisk in yolks. Cool slightly.
• Melt 1 tablespoon butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add shallots; sauté until tender, about 3 minutes. Transfer to large bowl. Mix in sauce, spinach, 1 1/3 cups cheese, salt, pepper and nutmeg. (Can be made 2 hours ahead. Cover and let stand at room temperature. Stir over low heat until just lukewarm before continuing.)
• Using electric mixer, beat egg whites in large bowl until stiff but not dry. fold whites into spinach mixture in 2 additions. Transfer to prepared baking dish. Sprinkle remaining 2/3 cup cheese over. Bake until puffed and set about 45 minutes