Souffle Of Spinach And Goat Cheese Food

SPINACH GOAT CHEESE SOUFFLé

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Butter a 6-cup soufflé dish or an 8-cup gratin dish and coat it with the Parmesan. Heat the milk with the aromatics until it boils. Set it aside to steep for 15 minutes, then strain.Meanwhile, cook the spinach leaves with water still clinging to them until tender. Strain. (You can use other greens as well; chard and tender kale come to mind.)
• When the spinach is wilted, remove from pan and strain out the moisture and set aside. Melt the butter in a saucepan. When foamy, stir in the flour and cook over low heat for several minutes. Whisk in the milk all at once and stir vigorously for a minute or so as it thickens, then add 3/4 teaspoon salt, a few twists of pepper, and the cayenne. Remove from heat. Beat in the egg yolks one at a time until well blended, then stir in the cheese. Don't worry about getting it smooth. Finely chop the spinach and and season with salt, pepper, and a pinch of nutmeg. Add to the egg base. Season the mixture with salt and pepper.
• Beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until they form firm peaks, then stir a quarter of them into the base to lighten the mixture. Fold in the rest, transfer to the prepared dish, then put in the center of the oven and lower the heat to 375 degrees F. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden and just a bit wobbly in the center. Remove, scatter the thyme over the top, and serve immediately.

TWICE-BAKED GOAT'S CHEESE SOUFFLéS WITH APPLE & WALNUT SALAD

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a large saucepan and use about 1 tbsp to grease 6 x 200ml soufflé dishes. Place the remaining butter back on the heat, then scatter over the flour and mix well. Cook for 5 mins, stirring constantly, then gradually whisk in the warm milk, a little at a time, until you have a thick, smooth mixture. Stir in the Parmesan, mustard and thyme, then set aside to cool slightly. Beat in the egg yolks, fold through the goat's cheese, season with salt and pepper, then transfer to a large bowl.
• In a clean bowl, whisk the egg whites until they just start to stiffen and hold peaks. Use a metal spoon to fold them into the cheesy mixture, in 3 additions.
• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Spoon the mix into the soufflé dishes, then sit them in a roasting tin. Pour boiling water into the tin to reach halfway up the sides of the dishes. Bake the soufflés for 20-25 mins until they are risen and coloured. Remove the dishes and set aside for 10 mins. Run a knife around the edges, then turn out onto an ovenproof tray. The soufflés can now be kept covered in the fridge overnight or frozen for up to a month. Defrost fully before reheating as below. To make the Parmesan glaze, whisk the cream, Parmesan and egg yolk until combined.
• About 15 mins before you are ready to eat, heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Drizzle the tops of the soufflés with the glaze. Bake for 10 mins, then finally flash under the grill until the tops are golden.
• Make the salad. Toss the salad leaves, apple, chives and walnuts. Mix the red wine vinegar and olive oil together, season, then dress the salad. To serve, place the soufflés in the centre of the plates and scatter salad around each.

TWICE BAKED SPINACH AND GOAT'S CHEESE SOUFFLéS

Steps:

• Defrost spinach. If you have a microwave, put spinach into a non-metallic bowl, cover with clingfilm and heat on medium power for 3-5min, stirring halfway through, until just defrosted. Alternatively, defrost spinach on a tray at room temperature (this takes about 1½-2hr). Transfer to a fine sieve and press firmly with the back of a large spoon to squeeze out all excess moisture. Set aside until needed.
• Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan) mark 4. Grease 2 dariole moulds with butter and place a disc of baking parchment in the base of each. Melt butter in a small pan over medium heat. Whisk in flour and cook for 30sec. Whisk in the mustard, followed by the milk. Cook, whisking, for 2min, until thickened. Remove from heat and whisk in 1/2 the grated cheese, nutmeg to taste, the spinach and plenty of seasoning. Transfer to a large bowl; cool for 5min.
• Mix egg yolks into the spinach bowl. In a medium clean bowl, with a clean whisk, beat egg whites until they hold stiff peaks. Fold whites into spinach mixture. Spoon into prepared moulds (they will be full).
• Put moulds into a small roasting tin and pour in enough just-boiled water to come halfway up the outside of the moulds. Cook in oven for 30min until risen and golden. Remove from oven, lift moulds out of the water and set aside to cool for 5min before running a knife around the inside of the moulds and inverting the soufflés on to a plate. Cool completely.
• Increase oven temperature to 200°C (180°C fan) mark 6. Mix cream, remaining grated cheese and some seasoning and pour into a small baking dish (that will just hold the souffles side by side, without them touching). Transfer the souffles to the dish, then top each with a slice of goat's cheese.
• Return to oven for 20-25min, until cheese is lightly golden. Serve.

SOUFFLE OF SPINACH AND GOAT CHEESE

Steps:

• Butter a five-cup souffle dish, making sure to butter the rim well. Place oven rack in lower third of oven and preheat oven to 425 degrees.
• Remove spinach stems and wash leaves. In a large saucepan of boiling salted water cook spinach, uncovered, about three minutes or until very tender. Drain. Rinse under cold water and drain again. Squeeze by handfuls until dry. Puree in a food processor until finely chopped.
• Crumble cheese or cut into pieces and set aside.
• In a small, heavy saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Add flour and cook, whisking constantly, about two minutes, until foaming but not browned. Remove from heat. Gradually whisk in the milk, bring to a boil over medium-high heat, whisking, reduce heat to low, continue to cook, still whisking, about two minutes. Whisk in spinach puree and goat cheese, bring to a simmer. Season lightly with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
• Remove from heat and whisk in the egg yolks, one at a time. Heat gently until slightly thickened, but do not allow to boil. Re-season if necessary.
• Beat egg whites with cream of tartar until stiff but still supple. Quickly fold one-quarter of the whites into the warm spinach mixture. Spoon the mixture into the remaining whites and fold in lightly but quickly.
• Transfer mixture to prepared souffle dish and smooth the top. Bake 20 minutes till puffed and browned. Souffle should shake slightly in the center when the dish is moved. Do not overbake. Serve at once.

THE VERY MOST BASIC SPINACH AND CHEESE SOUFFLE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and dust a 1-1/2 quart souffle dish with grated Parmesan or breadcrumbs. Separate the eggs. Put egg whites in mixer bowl with cream of tartar. To make a white sauce, in a medium saucepan over medium high heat, melt the butter or margarine until it bubbles. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly until smooth and bubbly. Stir in milk all at once, than cook and stir until mixture boils and is smooth and thickened. To flavor the white sauce, stir in the cheese until melted. Stir in the spinach. Set aside. Beat the egg whites only until they cling to the side of the mixing bowl when you roll and tilt it. Add the yolks to the sauce, and stir. To fold the sauce into the whites, first mix about a quarter of the whites right into the sauce in the pan, then empty the sauce into the whites in the mixing bowl. Gingerly but thoroughly fold the sauce into the whites. Then pour that mixture into the prepared souffle dish. Bake for about 30 to 40 minutes. Don't open oven door for at least 30 minutes. Serve immediately.

CHEESE SPINACH SOUFFLE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• White Sauce: Melt butter, stir in flour and heat until bubbly. About 3 minutes.
• Gradually add milk or cream, stirring constantly; cook 2-3 minutes.
• Season with salt and pepper. Beat egg yolks until thick and lemon-colored.
• Turn off heat and stir egg yolks and onion into sauce, along with spinach and cheese.
• Beat egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff. Gently fold into spinach mixture and turn into greased 2 qt casserole.
• Set in pan of hot water and bake about 20 minutes for individual soufflés and 30-40 minutes for the 2-quart dish.
• Makes about 6 -1 cup servings.
• Serve immediately.

TWICE-BAKED GOAT CHEESE SOUFFLE

Steps:

• Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 425°. Butter eight 5-ounce ramekins, making sure to coat them well. Coat each ramekin with breadcrumbs then turn them over and tap out the excess. Reserve any remaining breadcrumbs.
• Melt the 3 tablespoons butter in a stainless-steel skillet over medium-high heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for 20 seconds, whisking constantly. Whisk in the milk and cook for about 1 minute, whisking constantly, until the mixture has thickened to the consistency of a thin, pourable pudding.
• Crumble 8 ounces of the cheese into a large mixing bowl. Pour the hot milk mixture over the goat cheese and mix well. Add the egg yolks and mix again. Season with salt and pepper.
• Using an electric mixer with clean, dry beaters, beat the egg whites in a large bowl until stiff peaks form. Fold half of the whites into the cheese mixture to lighten it. Then gently fold in the remaining whites.
• Divide half of the souffle mixture among the prepared ramekins. Crumble the remaining 2 ounces of goat cheese and divide among the ramekins, then top with the remaining half of the souffle mixture, dividing it equally among the ramekins. Sprinkle the remaining breadcrumbs over the top.
• Place the ramekins in a large baking pan and pour in boiling water to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins.
• Bake for about 25 minutes, or until the souffles are golden. Remove from the oven and let stand, still in their water bath, for 15 minutes.
• Using a towel to hold the ramekins, run a knife around the inside rim to loosen. Turn out the souffles onto a baking sheet. The souffles may be held at room temperature for up to 6 hours before the final baking.
• When ready to serve, bake the souffles in a 425° oven for 5-7 minutes, or until deep golden brown.