I can’t say I really grasped the full pleasure of eating until partaking in my first six-hour Easter meal with a French host family. A1 19, I was a beginner with the language, and with alcohol and rich food, thus my recovery took a while; it wasn’t until the following weekend that fellow schoolmates and myself found ourselves in another southwestern French town, enjoying its specialties to the full extent of our bellies.
Back stateside, film watching complemented rigorous literature studies for my now obvious French major; A Bout de Souffle, diercted by Jean-Luc Godard - known as “Breathless” in English – comes to mind every time I make a souffle. Despite having few difficulties with the dish, it nevertheless falls quite quickly upon exiting the oven. I suppose I can’t draw too many comparisons between this plate and the film without digging rather hard, so my advice is to ENJOY IT QUICKLY! The puffed-up pleasure passes in several heartbeats. Here is a recipe from The Good Egg, by Marie Simmons, the perfect cookbook for anyone who has laying chickens.
You’ll need: freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or fine dry bread crumbs for the souffle dish; 10 oz fresh spinach, or one 10-oz package frozen, chopped spinach (I frequently use kale); 3 Tbs unsalted butter; 3 Tbs all-purpose flour; 1 1/2 cups milk; 1/2 tsp salt; fresh ground pepper; fresh grated nutmeg; 4 large eggs, separated; 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese; 1/2 tsp cream of tartar. NOTE – I sometimes saute some onions, thyme, and other assorted ingredients to mix in with the spinach steps written below.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Generously butter a 6 to 7 cup souffle dish. Sprinkle lightly with cheese or bread crumbs, shaking the dish to coat evenly.
If using fresh spinach (or kale), steam it in a basket set in a saucepan over 1 inch of boiling water, until wilted, roughly 3 minutes. Drain and let cool, then drain in a strainer, squeeze out the liquid (keep to make tea!), and finely chop the spinach. You should have about 1 cup.
Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat; add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 3 minutes. Gradually whisk in the milk and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Cook, stirring constantly (but not too frenetically) for 3 minutes more. Add the salt, a grinding of pepper, and nutmeg to taste. Remove from heat.
In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks until blended. Whisk in a little of the white sauce to temper the eggs, then add the remaining sauce, whisking until blended. Stir in the spinach (or kale) and cheese.
Place the 4 egg whites in a large bowl, add the cream of tartar adn beat slowly with an electric mixer (I used a KitchenAid) until soft peaks form. Increase the speed to high and beat until the peaks are stiff and smooth. Using a rubber spatula, transfer about 1/3 of the egg whites to the spinach mixture and gently fold in until blended. Add the remaining whites to the spinach mixture and gently fold in until blended. Pour into the prepared dish.
Put the souffle in the oven and reduce the temperature to 375. Bake until puffed and golde, 30 to 35 minutes. If you like theh souffle firm in the center, bake for 5 minutes more. SERVE at once.
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