Friday, September 3, 2010

Recipe Remix: Spinach & Gruyere Souffle


Last fall, the Barefoot Bloggers made Ina Garten's Blue Cheese Souffle.  I remember commenting that it would be great with different types of cheese, but the idea of this particular souffle was born out of an impulse to add spinach.  I thought it would be a great way to add more veggies, and then I remembered that I had some Gruyere to use up.  And in what case is adding Gruyere a bad idea?

I know my souffle isn't tall in the pic, but it had already fallen by the time I carried it to the table.  Oh well, it certainly didn't affect the taste, and this was even delicious as leftovers.  I made this when my wonderful friend Annie came over for dinner, and I served it along with grilled vegetables and herbed dinner rolls, with the mocha-almond-meringue tarts for dessert.  I for one thought it was a great dinner, and I hope she did too!


Spinach and Gruyere Souffle
adapted from Ina Garten's Blue Cheese Souffle, Barefoot in Paris
  • 3 Tbs unsalted butter, plus more for greasing the dish
  • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for sprinkling in the dish
  • 3 Tbs all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup hot milk
  • kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • pinch nutmeg
  • pinch cayenne
  • 4 large egg yolks, at room temperature
  • 1 cup shredded Gruyere cheese
  • 10 oz frozen spinach, thawed, drained well, and chopped (fresh spinach is fine too - just wilt, drain, and chop)
  • 5 large egg whites, at room temperature
  • 1/8 tsp cream of tartar
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Butter the inside of a souffle dish (about 7 inches in diameter and 3-4 inches deep).  Sprinkle the butter 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, until golden. Off the heat, whisk in the hot milk, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, the cayenne, and nutmeg. Cook over low heat, whisking constantly, for 1 minute, until smooth and thickened.

Remove from heat and one at a time, whisk in the egg yolks.  Stir in the gruyere, spinach, and parmesan, and transfer to a large bowl.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the egg whites, cream of tartar, and a pinch of salt.  Beat over low speed for 1 minute, medium heat for 1 minute, then increase to high and beat until they form firm, glossy peaks.

Whisk in about 1/4 of the egg whites to lighten the yolks, then carefully fold in the rest.  Pour into the prepared souffle dish, and use a spatula to smooth the top.  Draw a circle on top with a knife or spatula to help the souffle rise evenly, then place in the middle of the oven.  Decrease the heat to 375, and bake 30-35 minutes, without peeking (!), until the top is golden brown.  Serve immediately.


5 comments:

Unknown said...

This is a thing of beauty!

Ari said...

Looks delicious!

eatgood4life.blogspot.com said...

Oh gosh I have never tried to make souffle, afraid it will not turn out as expected. Yours looks heavenly and with the gruyere cheese, Oh boy, just out of this world I bet!

Eliana said...

That dinner surely sounds great to me. And this souffle looks super delish :)

Atlanta, Food and Love said...

This looks so good and gruyere is my favorite. I have always been scared to try a souffle, but after reading this and watching Whitney on master chef make them I think I am finally going to try it. Thanks!

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