Soufflé Casserole Of Chard Goat Cheese And Fresh Herbs Recipes

SPINACH GOAT CHEESE SOUFFLé

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Butter a 6-cup soufflé dish or an 8-cup gratin dish and coat it with the Parmesan. Heat the milk with the aromatics until it boils. Set it aside to steep for 15 minutes, then strain.Meanwhile, cook the spinach leaves with water still clinging to them until tender. Strain. (You can use other greens as well; chard and tender kale come to mind.)
• When the spinach is wilted, remove from pan and strain out the moisture and set aside. Melt the butter in a saucepan. When foamy, stir in the flour and cook over low heat for several minutes. Whisk in the milk all at once and stir vigorously for a minute or so as it thickens, then add 3/4 teaspoon salt, a few twists of pepper, and the cayenne. Remove from heat. Beat in the egg yolks one at a time until well blended, then stir in the cheese. Don't worry about getting it smooth. Finely chop the spinach and and season with salt, pepper, and a pinch of nutmeg. Add to the egg base. Season the mixture with salt and pepper.
• Beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until they form firm peaks, then stir a quarter of them into the base to lighten the mixture. Fold in the rest, transfer to the prepared dish, then put in the center of the oven and lower the heat to 375 degrees F. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden and just a bit wobbly in the center. Remove, scatter the thyme over the top, and serve immediately.

VEGETABLE, HERB AND CHEESE SOUFFLE

Steps:

• Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees F. Butter the bottom and sides of four 6- or 8-ounce ramekins.
• Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and salt and cook, stirring, about 1 minute. Add 3/4 cup water, bring to a simmer and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture is as thick as pudding, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the cheese, fines herbes and whole eggs. Transfer to a medium bowl and stir until slightly cool.
• Beat the egg white in another medium bowl until soft peaks form, about 2 minutes. Gently fold the whites into the cheese mixture until there are only a few streaks.
• Put the prepared ramekins on a baking dish, divide the batter evenly among them and smooth the tops with a spoon. Bake until golden and puffed about 1 inch above the lips of the ramekins, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve and enjoy right away.

PROVENCAL GOAT CHEESE AND HERB SOUFFLé

Steps:

• Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 400°F. Generously butter one 10-cup soufflé dish or six 1 1/4-cup soufflé dishes; sprinkle with minced thyme to coat. (If using 1 1/4-cup dishes, place all 6 on rimmed baking sheet.) Heat olive oil in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and minced garlic. Cook without browning until mixture begins to bubble, whisking constantly, about 1 minute. Gradually whisk in whole milk, then white wine. Cook until smooth, thick and beginning to boil, whisking constantly, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Mix egg yolks and salt in small bowl. Add egg yolk mixture all at once to sauce; whisk quickly to blend. Mix in 1 tablespoon basil, 1 tablespoon thyme and 1 teaspoon rosemary. Fold in cold goat cheese and Gruyère cheese (cheeses do not need to melt).
• Using electric mixer, beat whites in large bowl until stiff but not dry. Fold 1/4 of whites into lukewarm soufflé base to lighten. Fold in remaining whites. Transfer soufflé mixture to prepared dish. Sprinkle with ground black pepper.
• Place soufflé in oven; reduce heat to 375°F. Bake soufflé until puffed, golden and gently set in center, about 35 minutes for large soufflé (or 25 minutes for small soufflé). Using oven mitts, transfer soufflé to platter and serve immediately.

GREEN STRATA WITH GOAT CHEESE AND HERBS

Steps:

• In a medium pot, bring milk and cream to a simmer.
• Meanwhile, place greens, herbs, cheese, salt and pepper in a food processor fitted with the blade attachment. Once the hot milk mixture comes to a simmer, pour over greens and purée until smooth. Pour into a bowl and let cool completely. Once cool, whisk in 6 eggs.
• Lightly oil a 9-by-13-inch baking pan. Scatter bread cubes over bottom of pan. Pour custard over bread and press down so the bread absorbs the custard. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. If you can, stir bread cubes after an hour or so to encourage an even distribution of custard.
• When you are ready to bake the strata, heat oven to 350 degrees. Tuck the goat cheese rounds into and on top of the strata. Transfer pan to oven and bake until top is beginning to firm up but is still slightly wet underneath, about 25 minutes.
• Remove pan from oven and use a spoon to make 6 evenly spaced indentations on the surface of the strata. Crack an egg into each hole and season with salt and pepper. Return pan to oven and continue to bake until strata is cooked through and eggs are just set, 20 to 25 minutes more. Sprinkle with Aleppo or Turkish pepper if desired.

CHEESE, LEEK, AND HERB SOUFFLE CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat until pale gold, about 2 minutes. Add leeks and cook, stirring frequently, until softened and bright green, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper; let cool. (Leeks can be made 1 day ahead and refrigerated.)
• Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Cut strips of parchment 4 inches wide and long enough to form a collar around inside of dish. Butter 1 side of parchment, and press unbuttered side against inside of dish. (Ends should overlap, and parchment should extend 2 inches above top of dish.) Place 1/2 cup Parmesan in dish, and coat sides well. Pour out and discard excess cheese.
• Melt 1 stick butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add flour, and cook, whisking constantly, until well combined and thoroughly heated. Remove pan from heat, and gradually add milk, whisking constantly until batter is very smooth before adding more milk. Add 1 teaspoon salt, and season with pepper. Return pan to medium heat, and whisk until souffle base is smooth, shiny, and thickened, about 12 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Transfer souffle base to a bowl, and beat in egg yolks, 1 at a time, with a mixer on medium speed, increasing speed to high for 10 seconds after each addition to thoroughly incorporate. After last yolk is added, beat 20 seconds on high speed, then scrape down side of bowl. Add Gruyere, the remaining Parmesan, the leeks, and herbs, and beat until well combined.
• Beat egg whites with 1/2 teaspoon salt until stiff peaks form. Fold whites into souffle base, one third at a time, folding gently but thoroughly (a few streaks of whites are fine). Spoon souffle mixture into dish, and bake until puffed and golden, 35 to 40 minutes.

SOUFFLé CASSEROLE OF CHARD, GOAT CHEESE, AND FRESH HERBS

Steps:

• Prepare a medium heat fire (375°F) in a wood-fired oven or cooker.
• Butter an 8-cup gratin dish and dust with the Parmesan. Cut out the chard stems, dice them, and set aside. Chop the chard leaves; you should have about 2 cups.
• Heat the olive oil in a cast-iron skillet over medium heat and sauté the diced chard stems and shallots until soft, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the chard leaves, arugula, herbs, and salt and pepper to taste. Sauté to wilt the greens, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
• To make the béchamel sauce, combine the milk, bay leaf, and shallot in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a low boil, then remove from the heat and let steep for 15 minutes. Discard the bay leaf and shallots. Set aside.
• Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the green onions and sauté for 1 minute. Add the flour and stir for 3 minutes. Stir in the Dijon mustard. Gradually stir in the steeped milk until the sauce is thickened. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and set aside.
• Stir the egg yolks into the béchamel sauce. Add the wilted greens and salt and pepper to taste. Add 3/4 cup of the goat cheese. In a large bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff, glossy peaks form. Fold half of the egg whites into the béchamel mixture, then the remaining half. Spoon the soufflé mixture into the prepared dish.
• Top with the remaining goat cheese and the parsley. Place in the oven on a grate and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until firm to the touch and golden. Serve hot.