Spinach Soufflé Stouffers Copycat Food

SPINACH AND CHEDDAR SOUFFLE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Butter the inside of a 6 to 8-cup souffle dish (6 1/2 to 7 1/2 inches in diameter by 3 1/2 inches deep) and sprinkle evenly with Parmesan.
• Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. With a wooden spoon, stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Off the heat, whisk in the hot milk, the nutmeg, cayenne, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook over low heat, whisking constantly, for 1 minute, until smooth and thick.
• Off the heat, while still hot, whisk in the egg yolks, one at a time. Stir in the Cheddar, 1/4 cup of Parmesan and the spinach and transfer to a large mixing bowl.
• Put the egg whites, cream of tartar, and a pinch of salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on low speed for 1 minute, on medium speed for 1 minute, then finally on high speed until they form firm, glossy peaks.
• Whisk one quarter of the egg whites into the cheese sauce to lighten and then fold in the rest. Pour into the souffle dish, then smooth the top. Draw a large circle on top with the spatula to help the souffle rise evenly, and place in the middle of the oven. Turn the temperature down to 375 degrees F. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes (don't peek!) until puffed and brown. 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.

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.

MINI SPINACH SOUFFLE' CUPS (STOUFFERS)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lay out 1 sheet of phyllo dough. Spray lightly with olive oil cooking spray. Repeat with 4 remaining sheets.
• Cut phyllo sheets into 6 pieces. Fit each section into a muffin cup. Bake for 10 minutes.
• Remove plastic cover from spinach soufflé and microwave on high for 5 minutes. Remove from microwave and stir in lemon juice, salt, and cayenne pepper.
• Divide spinach mixture into baked phyllo cups. Sprinkle feta cheese over spinach mixture. Return to oven for 5 minutes.

FROZEN SPINACH SOUFFLE

Steps:

• Grease a 2-quart souffle dish and preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Thaw spinach.
• Drain and squeeze out excess moisture.
• Melt butter in a medium size frying pan.
• Sprinkle flour on butter and blend in with a slotted spoon.
• Cook until it bubbles and begins to brown just a little.
• Remove from heat and slowly blend in the milk, stirring constantly, until smooth.
• Return to heat, add seasonings and cook on low for about 10 minutes or until thickened, stirring constantly.
• Beat egg yolks well with a whisk.
• Add about 1/4 cup of the sauce into the eggs and stir.
• Add another 1/4 cup and stir again.
• Remove pan from heat and slowly stir in the rest of the eggs.
• Place well-drained spinach into a blender or food processor and pour sauce over it.
• Blend until smooth, about 5-10 seconds.
• Pour into a bowl.
• Beat egg whites until fairly stiff, but not dry.
• Fold them gently into spinach mixture until all white streaks are gone.
• Pour into souffle dish and sprinkle cheese on top.
• Bake 45 minutes to one hour until set.
• (Souffle is done when puffy and nicely browned. It will be somewhat soft on the inside.) Serve immediately.

COPYCAT PANERA BREAD SPINACH & ARTICHOKE SOUFFLé

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Grease 4 round ramekins with cooking spray and place on a baking sheet, set aside.
• Set a saucepan over medium heat with the butter. Once melted, whisk in the flour and cook for about 30 seconds. Whisk in the milk and cook, stirring often, until the sauce has thickened. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool slightly.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the spinach artichoke dip, eggs, the cooled milk sauce, Monterey jack cheese, Romano cheese, garlic, pepper flakes and hot sauce until well combined.
• Unwrap the puff pastry and cut the sheet into four squares. Place a square in each ramekin, pressing it down onto the bottom and up the sides of each ramekin. Divide the soufflé mixture between the ramekins.
• Bake until puffed up and deep golden brown, about 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly before serving.

CORN SOUFFLE (STOUFFER'S COPYCAT)

Steps:

• With electric mixer beat eggs until foamy.
• Beat in remaining ingredients.
• Pour into greased 8" square baking dish.
• Bake on center rack of preheated 400~ oven 35 minutes or until knife inserted comes out clean.