Soufflé aux Épinards (Spinach soufflé)
Serves: 4
Ingredients
- 500g fresh spinach leaves, washed 30 mins before required and left to drain in a colander
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- ¼ tsp nutmeg, grated
- ¼ tsp crushed black pepper
- 2 tsp extra virgin rapeseed oil
- 3 tbsp plain flour
- 1 sprig fresh basil
- 1 sprig fresh tarragon
- 4 egg whites
- salt, pinch of
- ½ tsp sugar
- 150g soft goat’s cheese or Camembert-type, crumbled into very small pieces
- 4 chilled ramekins
Method
- Preheat the oven to 200C/Gas 6 and put the ramekin dishes in the freezer.
- Place the spinach in a large pan on a medium heat with the garlic, nutmeg and black pepper. Wilt it and then remove from the heat.
- Drain in a colander over a bowl, retaining the liquid (there will be approx 250ml). When drained, rough chop the spinach then return to colander to drain again. In the same pan, heat rapeseed oil and mix in the flour using a wooden spoon to make a roux.
- Add 200ml of the spinach liquid and stir thoroughly for a mornay sauce. Bring to the boil, stir in chopped spinach and roughly torn basil and tarragon, remove from heat, and allow to cool.
- Whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt until the whisk leaves marks in the meringue. Add sugar and whisk again until soft peaks form. When the spinach mixture is cold, add ⅓ of the whisked egg whites. Stir in thoroughly, then gently fold in remaining meringue mix.
- Remove ramekins from freezer and coat base and sides of each with oil. Then coat base and sides of each with crumbled cheese. Pour in spinach mix and tap on a work surface to remove any air pockets.
- Bake on a baking tray for 30 mins. Serve immediately.
- Tip: In addition to the cheese coating, crushed toasted pine kernels can be lined on the sides and base of the ramekin dishes.
