Creamed Spinach The Palm Recipe 55

CREAMED SPINACH

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring frequently, until soft and translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute more. Do not brown. Add the heavy cream, salt, pepper, and nutmeg and bring to a gentle boil. Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the cream is thick enough to coat a wooden spoon, about 10 minutes. Add the cheese and stir until melted. Add the spinach and stir until evenly combined with the cream sauce. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. (If the spinach seems a little watery, cook over medium-low heat until any excess liquid evaporates.) Serve warm.
• Note: Cut leaf spinach is not the same as chopped spinach. If your market doesn't carry cut leaf spinach, look for frozen whole leaf spinach. (Chopped spinach will work but the texture won't be as appealing.) Some markets carry 1-lb bags and some carry 10-oz boxes; if you can only find the 10-oz boxes, you'll need three of them. If you'd like to start with fresh spinach, you'll need about 2 pounds baby spinach leaves. Steam and drain the baby spinach, then roughly chop and measure out 2 packed cups.
• Make-Ahead Instructions: This dish can be made and refrigerated a day ahead of time. Reheat in the microwave, uncovered, stirring every 30 seconds or so, until hot, a few minutes. When reheated, the spinach won't be quite as creamy-looking as it was originally (though the taste will be the same); you can add a bit of cream when reheating to get a creamier consistency, if you'd like.

CREAMED SPINACH- THE PALM RECIPE - (5/5)

Steps:

• Using your hands, squeeze as much water as possible from the sauce spinach. In a large saucepan, combine the butter and cream over medium Heat. When the butter is melted, stirring the spinach, salt, white pepper, and Nutmeg. Stirring occasionally, bring the mixture to a simmer, then cook for three minutes. In a small bowl, blend the cornstarch and wine with your fingertips so that you can feel when all the starch is dissolved. Add to the spinach mixture, and continue stirring until thickened, about two minutes. Stir in the cheese and taste for seasoning. Serve at once, or keep warm in the top of a double boiler over fairly simmering water for up to 30 minutes. Serves 6 to 8.

CREAMED SPINACH

Steps:

• Wash the spinach in several changes of water to get rid of any grit. Drain the spinach but keep some of the water clinging to the leaves. Heat the butter and oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the spinach and garlic. Cook, turning frequently, until the spinach has wilted down evenly. Remove the garlic and put the spinach into a colander and let it drain well. Press out as much liquid as you can from the leaves and chop them coarsely.
• Heat the skillet again over medium-high heat and add the cream and nutmeg; cook until it reduces a bit, about 5 minutes. Add the spinach and parmesan and season with salt and pepper. Cook until the spinach is hot, about 5 more minutes. Serve immediately.

THE ULTIMATE CREAMED SPINACH

Steps:

• Cook the spinach, covered, in boiling salted water until tender, about 4 minutes. Rinse under cold running water; drain, pressing out all liquid with the back of a spoon. Chop fine.
• In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt 2-1/2 T. of the butter. Stir in flour. Cook, stirring constantly, 2 minutes. Whisk in hot milk. Cook until thick, about 2 minutes. Add gruyere cheese, the 2 T. finely grated parmesan, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and hot pepper sauce. Stir in spinach; remove from heat. Stir in lemon zest; mix thoroughly. Transfer to a shallow, buttered, 4-cup baking dish.
• In a small skillet over medium heat, melt remaining 2 T. butter. Stir in bread crumbs. Cook, stirring constantly, until golden. Spoon crumbs evenly over spinach mixture. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup of roughly grated parmesan.
• Bake in a preheated 425-degree oven for 14 minutes.

CREAMED SPINACH

Steps:

• Combine milk, spinach liquid and garlic in a 1-quart microwave-safe measuring cup or small bowl covered with a saucer, and microwave (or heat slowly in a medium saucepan) until very hot and steamy. Let stand for 5 to 10 minutes to soften garlic.
• Melt butter in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Whisk in flour. Add hot milk mixture all at once, then whisk until smooth. Stir in spinach; cook until sauce is thick and bubbly and spinach is tender but still green, about 5 minutes. Stir in cheese, nutmeg, and a generous sprinkling of salt and pepper. Serve hot.

CREAMED SPINACH III

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan over medium heat, mix heavy cream, butter, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Stirring constantly, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer.
• Place spinach in a vegetable steamer, and steam until leaves are wilted. Drain in a colander, pressing out excess water with a large spoon.
• Coarsely chop spinach in a food processor, and gradually stir into the heavy cream mixture. Briefly return to boiling, then remove from heat.

CLASSIC CREAMED SPINACH

Steps:

• Blanch the spinach. Bring 1 gallon water to a boil in a large pot. Add a pinch of kosher salt. Place the spinach in the boiling water. After 45 seconds (exactly), remove the spinach leaves with a slotted spoon, spider or tongs and drain in a colander. Let cool completely.
• Use your hands to press the spinach against the sides of the colander. When most of the liquid has been released, squeeze handfuls of the spinach to make sure all of the excess water has been removed. Set aside.
• In a wide, high-sided saute pan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. With a wooden spoon, stir the flour into the melted butter to create a roux that will look like wet sand. Cook the roux for 3 minutes, stirring continuously to make sure it doesn't burn and it becomes a "blond" color. Add the milk to the roux, whisking vigorously to make sure that the roux completely dissolves into the milk without lumping.
• Turn down the heat to maintain a low simmer. You're making a bechamel sauce, which is the base for the creamed spinach. Next, whisk in the cream and return the mixture to a simmer. Cook the bechamel until thickened and smooth, about 5 minutes, stirring often. Season the sauce with the salt, pepper and cayenne.
• Preheat a small saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the oil and let heat for about 1 minute. Add the onions and season with a pinch of salt. Cook until the onions soften and become translucent, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook an additional minute or two.
• Add the cooked onion and garlic along with the drained spinach to the bechamel, folding to make sure it's completely coated with sauce. Season with the nutmeg. Cook for 2 minutes, then taste the spinach. Adjust the seasoning with more salt and the nutmeg, and/or more cayenne if desired.