Spinach Soufflé

Somehow, I went from needing a quickie side dish to this.  It took about half as much time and twice as many dishes to whip up as I was expecting.  Using the recipe from The Spruce Eats, I can see how restaurants can get away with making these while home cooks seldom do.  I could easily have made a dozen in the same amount of time it took to make two.  And the cleanup time would have been similar.

I'm simplifying one step by using frozen chopped spinach.  Cleaning a pound of fresh is a pain in the butt.  There's a difference in the moisture content, so you only need a 10 oz package.  When defrosted and drained, it comes out about even.

I made individual servings in my little ramekins because I was just finishing off the last of a bag of spinach.  I do have a round casserole that can handle the full recipe.  If you don't, you can use an 8"x8" square pan.  The corners will be done before the middle.

*10 oz frozen or 1 lb fresh spinach
1-1/2 Tb plus 1/4 C butter, divided
*3 Tb grated parmesan cheese
2 Tb flour
1/2 tsp salt
*1 C milk
1/8 tsp ground pepper
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
3 eggs, room temperature, separated

1.  If using frozen spinach, defrost and drain out the excess water with paper towels.  For fresh, wash and remove stems, then finely chop.  Cook in a skillet until wilted and set aside to cool.

2.  Use first 1-1/2 Tb of butter to grease six individual or one 2 qt soufflé dish.  Coat sides and bottom with the grated parmesan.

3.  Start preheating oven to 375º.

4.  In a medium saucepan, melt remaining 1/4 C butter over medium heat.  Stir in flour to make a roux and cook about 30 seconds, stirring with a wooden spoon.  Add milk and cook, stirring frequently, until thickened.  Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg.

5.  Add spinach to the milk mixture and remove from heat.  Beat egg yolks slightly, then pour a generous spoonful of the warm spinach mixture into them and beat to combine.  This tempers the eggs so they don't cook prematurely.  Return mixture to rest of the spinach and stir thoroughly.  Set aside.

6.  Beat egg whites to stiff peaks.  Stir about 1/3 into the spinach mixture, then fold remainder into it. You should still be able to see some of the whites.

7.  Divide mixture between ramekins that have been placed on a baking sheet (or one casserole).  Bake for 30 minutes, until puffed and the edges are golden.  Serve hot, before they have a chance to deflate.

Serves 6

Difficulty rating :-0