Spinach Gruyere Soufflé

Occasionally, I pick up the free magazine at my local grocery store (McCaffrey's, which is great, by the way) and there are one or two recipes that speak to me. This was one of them, since I had a piece of gruyere cheese in the fridge and a box of spinach in the freezer - two ingredients that would also make a fine quiche, but I didn't want to make a crust or use heavy cream. Besides, it had been an age or two since I last made a soufflé and it was a cold Sunday when I felt like creating something in my kitchen. I altered the recipe since it used the gruyere only on the buttered inside of the bowl, and I wanted the gruyere to be tasted inside the soufflé itself. So I sprinkled parmesan on the inside instead, and mixed in the gruyere with the actual egg/bechamel mixture. 

Making a soufflé is easier than most people think, requiring only careful folding of the beaten egg whites to achieve success. You could use a 6-cup soufflé dish for this recipe but I opted to use a smaller dish, and place a buttered parchment paper collar around the perimeter. It allows the soufflé to rise above the dish, making for a much more dramatic presentation. 

It was divine - so full of flavor, maybe also due to simmering a bay leaf, cloves and onion with the hot milk, so don't skip that part. It was light as a cloud, but heavy enough to fill our stomachs (along with a side salad.) I hope you give it a try. 

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Spinach Gruyere Soufflé

Ingredients

butter to grease the soufflé dish (and collar if using)

grated parmesan cheese to sprinkle on the greased soufflé dish 

1 cup Gruyere cheese, shredded

1 10-ounce box frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed of excess water

2 1/2 cups milk

1/4 large onion

1 large bay leaf

2 whole cloves

7 tablespoons unsalted butter

6 tablespoons flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

6 large eggs

Directions:

Preheat oven to 475 degrees.

Grease a 5 cup soufflé dish with butter, then sprinkle with the parmesan cheese. Take a piece of parchment paper large enough to fit around the perimeter of the soufflé dish (folding as necessary), and butter that as well, then attach it to the upper part of the dish, tieing with a string. If you don't want to do this, use a larger soufflé dish, but the smaller one with the collar makes a more impressive presentation.

Let the spinach thaw completely, then squeeze out as much water as possible. Mince with a knife.

Simmer the milk gently over low heat for 10 minutes, with the onion, bay leaf and cloves. Remove the seasonings with a slotted spoon.

Make the bechamel by melting the butter, then whisk in the flour, cooking for a couple of minutes. Slowly add the hot milk, whisking until smooth. Let it cool slightly (I placed the pot into a bowl with ice to speed the process.) Add the salt, pepper, and nutmeg.

Separate the eggs and beat the egg whites until stiff. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, to the bechamel mixture, then stir in the spinach and the Gruyere cheese.

Fold the beaten egg whites to the spinach/cheese mixture, but not all at once. Start by folding in 1/4 of the mixture, then continue until everything is blended. Don't overmix though, or you'll deflate all those egg whites and your soufflé won't rise well.

Place soufflé on a pan (in case of drippings) and bake for 10 minutes, then lower the heat to 375 degrees for 30 minutes. Check it after 30 minutes, and lower temperature again to 325 degrees to prevent excess browning. Bake for another 10 minutes and serve immediately.