Hominy Grits Soufflé Recipe Epicuriouscom Recipes

EGGY GRITS SOUFFLé

Steps:

• 1. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Lightly butter a 4-cup souffl´ dish.
• 2. Combine 1 1/2 cups water and the milk in a heavy saucepan and warm the mixture over medium-low heat. Slowly stir or whisk in the grits until smooth and thickened, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat.
• 3. Lightly beat the egg yolks in a bowl. Gradually stir some of the hot grits into the yolks to temper them. Then stir the tempered egg yolks into the grits. Set aside to cool slightly.
• 4. Stir the Parmesan cheese, Tabasco sauce, salt, and pepper into the grits.
• 5. Place egg whites in a bowl, add a pinch of salt, and beat with an electric mixer until the whites are stiff but not dry. Using a rubber spatula, fold the whites into the grits until just combined. Scrape the mixture into the souffl é dish and bake in the center of the oven until the soufflé rises and is lightly browned on top, about 30 minutes. Serve immediately.

GRITS, CHEESE, AND ONION SOUFFLéS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°F. Butter four 1 1/4-cup soufflé dishes. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and leek; sauté 3 minutes. Mix in 1 1/4 cups whole milk and 1/2 teaspoon salt, then grits; bring to simmer. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until thick, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, whisk remaining 1/4 cup milk and yolks in small bowl to blend.
• Remove grits from heat. Stir in yolk mixture, then green onions and 3/4 cup cheese. Beat whites in medium bowl until stiff but not dry. Fold into grits in 3 additions. Divide mixture among prepared dishes (mixture will come all the way to top of dishes). Sprinkle with 1/4 cup cheese.
• Bake soufflés until puffed and brown on top, about 18 minutes. Serve immediately.

HOMINY GRITS SOUFFLé

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Whisk grits into boiling water in a metal bowl, then set bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Cook, stirring constantly, 2 minutes.
• Stir in 1 cup milk and 3/4 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring constantly, 15 minutes. Grits will be very thick.
• Remove bowl from heat and stir in remaining cup milk and butter. Return bowl to simmering water and cook, stirring, until smooth and heated through, about 2 minutes.
• Remove bowl from heat and whisk in yolks, then cool to lukewarm.
• Beat egg whites with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt using an electric mixer until they just hold stiff peaks, then fold into grits gently but thoroughly.
• Turn mixture into a buttered 2 1/2- to 3-quart baking dish and bake in middle of oven until browned and puffed, 40 to 45 minutes.

GREEN GRITS

Steps:

• Combine the milk and 2 1/2 cups of water in a medium-sized pot, and bring the mixture up to a simmer over medium-high heat.
• Mix in the salt and pepper. Then whisk in the grits, pouring them in slowly and whisking continuously until they're smooth, with no lumps. The grits should look a little like oatmeal, only finer.
• Turn the heat down to medium-low and keep cooking, whisking regularly so nothing sticks.
• Meanwhile, combine the cilantro leaves, diced green chiles, and green onions in a food processor and pulse for 30 seconds or so, until everything is finely chopped.
• When the grits have cooked through and thickened, pull the pot off the heat and add the cilantro mixture. Whisk everything together so the grits turn green. Then add the butter and whisk again, so the butter melts in.
• Whisk in the grated cheddar and Parmesan cheeses. Serve it up hot.

SOUFFLE OF GRITS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Slowly cook the grits in boiling water for 20 minutes. (If you use instant grits, do not cook 20 minutes. Cook according to package directions.) Add the butter, cheese, salt, Tabasco, eggs and Worcestershire sauce. Pour into a buttered casserole.
• Bake for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until puffed, golden, and set in the middle.

HOMINY GRITS

Steps:

• Pour grits into boiling salted water and stir until it reaches the boiling point.
• Lower heat and simmer slowly for an hour, stirring frequently.
• When ready to serve, add butter and beat well for a few minutes.

COUNTRY HAM AND HOMINY HASH

Steps:

• Place the ham in a pot with the bay leaf and peppercorns. Cover with water and simmer for about 1 hour, until the ham is fork-tender (see Know-how, page 172). Add the potatoes and simmer for 10 minutes more, until the potatoes are just beginning to get tender. Strain the ham and potatoes from the pot, reserving about 1/4 cup of the liquid, removing and discarding the bay leaf, and set aside.
• Using two forks, shred the ham into bite-size pieces and place in a large bowl. Add the potatoes, hominy, and onion. Stir in the reserved cooking liquid and parsley and season to taste with salt and pepper. (Country ham is salty, so be sure to taste before adding any extra salt.)
• Heat the olive oil and butter in a large nonstick or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add the ham-potato mixture and spread into a flat cake. Cover with a splatter screen or lid and cook until crispy, 4 to 5 minutes. Flip and re-form the cake. Cover and cook, adding a little more oil if needed, until crispy on the other side. Remove from the heat and cover.
• Fill a large skillet with water about 2 inches deep and bring to a boil. Add the vinegar and salt and reduce the heat to a simmer.
• Add the eggs one at a time and poach for 2 to 3 minutes, until the whites set and a thin, translucent film forms over the yolks (see Know-how, page 86). Use a slotted spoon to gently transfer the eggs to a paper towel-lined platter to drain.
• Divide the hash evenly between individual serving plates, place 1 or 2 eggs on top of each, and serve hot.
• For a more rustic interpretation of this dish, make a hole in the hash, crack the eggs in the hole, and cover to fry, rather than poach, to your liking. For a sweet-and-savory combination, substitute sweet potatoes for the russets, and for a crispy finish, scatter fried oysters on top. Or, make a cheesy variation by layering the hash mixture with Gruyère cheese in a skillet to form one large cake and sauté until brown and crispy. Slide the cake out of the skillet and cut into 4 to 6 wedges, then assemble the dish as for the main recipe.
• Hominy is the name for corn kernels that have been hulled to remove the bran and germ. Lye hominy is hulled by soaking the corn kernels in a weak lye solution-a very traditional, centuries-old Native American method-and pearl hominy is hulled mechanically. It is then dried and either ground to make our beloved hominy grits or boiled whole to make what New Orleansians call "big hominy." You can buy hominy canned, meaning precooked, or dried, in which case it will need to be presoaked and boiled in the same manner as dried beans.