Souffle' for one

I love a souffle'.  Its the perfect flavor delivery device.  Add cheese, especially a smoked cheese or similar rich flavored fermented dairy product and I'm in heaven.  Heaven I tell you.

This is stupid easy to make.  Simple steps.  Simply Divine treat at the start of the day or at dinner with a salad when you are home alone.

Souffle' for 1

• 2 egg whites
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 T butter
• 1 T flour
• 1/3 c milk
• 1/8 t thyme
• pinch salt
• pinch cayenne pepper
• pinch cream of tartar
• 1/3 cup firm cheese like smoked Gouda, Gruyere or Stilton
• butter for coating ramekin
• 1 T grated Parmesan

Pre heat oven to 425F.

Coat inside of ramekin to the top edge of rim with butter.  Dust inside with Parmesan cheese.

In a small sauce pan melt butter.  Add flour and cook 1 minute whisking until smooth.  Add thyme, salt and cayenne pepper, whisk to combine.  Add milk and over low heat whisk until smooth and thickened.  Remove from heat.

Add cream of tartar and egg whites to a small bowl. (copper bowls get greatest volume from egg whites).  Beat on high until soft peaks form....2-3 minutes,

Add egg yolk to milk mixture.  Whisk until smooth.  

Add 1/3 of the egg white to the yolk mixture.  Whisk to combine.  Pour this over remaining whites.  Sprinkle your 1/3 c cheese over the whites and gently fold to combine.  Some whites may remain...that's OK you just want to fold lightly to combine.

Put ramekin on a small sheet tray.  Pour souffle' mixture into ramekin.  Place in preheated oven.  Bake 5 minutes then reduce heat to 375F,  Bake additional 13-14 minutes.  Serve hot.

This is what happens when you don't butter the entire ramekin including the rim...a dry spot that causes it to stick on one side and rise lopsided.  My bad.

Spinach, Ham, Smoked Gruyere Quiche

Its really easy and a hearty way to start the morning.  Quiche.  That egg pie with meat and stuff surrounding by oh so delightful melty smoked cheese.  Sort of an omelet in pie form.

I opted for the smoked cheese simply because I wanted to play up the smokey flavor of the ham one more way.  If you can't find smoked Gruyere, any old unsmoked Gruyere or Swill cheese will work fine.

The key to this Quiche bottom pastry being flaky is to keep it dry.  Spinach, even the wilted stuff releases a lot of water.  Adding a thin layer of dried minced onion soaks up the excess moisture so you still get a baked flaky crust on the bottom.  

Spinach Ham and Smoked Gruyere Quiche

Pie Dough for a 9" pie plate

4 3ggs

1 c half and half

pinch of salt

1 1/2 c diced ham

1 C wilted spinach - cooled

2 T dried minced onion

1/8 t nutmeg

1 1/2 c smoked Gruyere cheese

2 T grated Parmesan cheese.

Preheat oven to 400F

Add pie dough to pie plate.  Flute edges.  Place pie plate on a rimmed baking sheet to catch any boil over.

Sprinkle dried minced onion evenly over the bottom of the prepared pie plate.  Add even layer of wilted cooled spinach.  Sprinkle with nutmeg.

Add 1/2 of the Gruyere cheese and spread in even layer over the spinach.  Add ham in even layer over the cheese.  Top with remaining Gruyere cheese.

Whisk together eggs, half and half and salt.  Pour over the meat/spinach/cheese layers.  Dust with the Parmesan cheese.

Bake 30-35 minutes until set and tester comes out clean.  Cool 5 minutes before cutting.  Serve warm.  Chase with a nice mimosa, or if a tee-totaler plain OJ.

Shitake Mustard Green Frittata

I love me a frittata in the morning for brunch.  The kids, not so much so this is really a frittata for 2.  Add in a side of hash browns or toast and some juice and its a full meal.

I used curly mustard greens, rib removed and coarsely chopped.  Its got more of an earthy peppery bite to it so you if you don't like it, swap out baby spinach in the same quantity.  It seems like a lot of greens, and it will overwhelm the pan at first, but as they give up water and wilt, they will shrink considerably.

Different for me is this doesn't call for any additional salt.  Parmesan, the real deal you buy in wedges is a pretty salty cheese to start with so you can use it as your "salt" If on first bite you feel it isn't seasoned enough give it a little sprinkle of maldon sea salt if you must.

Shitake Mustard Green Fritatta

• 3 eggs
• 1 T half and half
• 1/4 c finely shredded mozzarella
• 5 T grated Parmesan
• 4 Shitake mushrooms - stems removed, sliced 
• 2 c coarse chopped mustard greens ( or any other green you have around)
• 1 clove garlic minced
• 1/4 t ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 350F

Over medium-high heat add 2 T olive oil to an 8" saute pan.  Stir fry the mushrooms and ground black pepper until browned, about 5-7 minutes  Add mustard greens and garlic.  Stir constantly until wilted and greens are reduced to 1/4 or less of original volume.

Whisk together eggs, half and half, mozzarella and 3 T Parmesan.  Reduce heat on pan to medium, add eggs.  Stir slowly until ingredients are well distributed and bottom has set, about 2-3 minutes.  Remove pan from heat and put in preheated oven and bake for 25-30 minutes until puffed and browned.  Garnish with additional 2 T Parmesan and serve hot.

There is flavor in the brown...don't skimp on browning your Shitake

Lemon Souffle'

I'm beginning to wonder what all the fuss about is with making Souffle'.  This version doesn't have a starch to bind and it still puffed up wonderfully.  Yes, it fell a bit after while cooling but it was still a wonderful puff of marshmallowy lemony goodness.

I cheated here and used a good store bought lemon curd.  Dundee brand if you can find it is the most amazing lemon pucker I've found yet.  Yes, you can fuss and make it at home, but why for the love of gawd when you can get good store bought would you do it?

I use Meyer Lemons, the virtues of which I've extolled in the past.  Suffice it to say its milder with a better flavor than the traditional lemons found in the groc at the corner.  Worth tracking down March-May when they are in season.

Tip: Zest lemon then juice it.  You will never zest a lemon that has been juiced first.

Lemon Souffle'

• Good quality Lemon Curd
• 1 large lemon - zested and juiced
• 3 eggs, separated
• 5 T superfine sugar
• pinch salt
• 1/4 t cream of tartar

Preheat oven to 350F

In a 10-12 oz ramekin spoon in 2 heaping tablespoons lemon curd, smooth and level in bottom of ramekin.

Whip egg whites and cream of tartar in copper bowl until soft peaks form.  Sprinkle over 1T superfine sugar.  Whip until stiff peaks form.  Set aside.

Combine egg yolks, sugar, salt, zest and juice.  Whisk until frothy and sugar is dissolved.  Stir in 1/4 of the whipped egg whites to lighten the yolks.  Pour yolk mixture into the egg whites and fold gently until well incorporated and few white streaks remain.

Place ramekins on baking sheet.  Divide souffle' batter evenly between the 3 ramekins.  Bake 17-18 minutes until puffed and golden brown on top.  Remove from oven and cool 5 minutes.  Sprinkle with powdered sugar.  Serve.

Creme Puffs for my Pop

I'm not quite sure when my Mom made the switch to Creme Puffs for my Dad's Birthday, but I'm glad she did.  Its a little comforting tasty bit that always reminds me of him.  Today would have been his 83rd birthday and its appropriate I make them now.

There are many ways to fill them.  Traditional is to make a pastry creme, but sweetened whip cream works too.  Ditto cool whip if you're really lazy.

Baking them on a silpat baking sheet promises an easy release from the pan.  Nothing worse than a puff that scorches onto the baking sheet.  Silpat is the greatest invention of the last century.

Creme Puffs

• 1 stick butter
• 1 c water
• 1 c flour
• pinch of salt
• 4 eggs

Preheat oven to 400F

Bring water, butter and salt to a boil.  Reduce heat and add flour all at once.  Stir vigorously until a ball forms.
Put dough ball in stand mixer on medium, or food processor with a dough blade installed.  Add eggs one at a time until smooth dough forms.

Line baking sheet with silpat.  Drop dough by 1/4 C full.  Bake 30-40 minutes until golden brown.

Remove from oven and move to a wire rack.  Cool completely.  Split and fill with pastry creme or sweetened whipped creme.

Pastry Creme

• 1/3 c sugar
• 2 T corn starch
• 1/2 t salt
• 2 C milk
• 2 egg yolks.
• 2 t vanilla
• 2 T butter

Whisk together Milk, sugar, corn starch and salt.  Bring to boil over medium high heat, stirring constantly  to prevent clumping.  Cook 1 minute until thick.

Whisk together yolks. Whisking vigorously slowly ladle in 1 c of the hot milk mixture into egg yolks.  Bring heat to medium-low.  Slowly pour the yolk mixture into the remaining hot milk.  Whisk constantly as it thickens and comes to a boil. Cook 1 minute.  Immediately remove from heat.  Whisk in vanilla.  Whisk in butter.  
Put into a heat proof container.  Float a piece of cling film over the hot mixture to prevent a skin from forming.  Cover and refrigerate until cool. 

 To prevent curdling and scrambling of the pastry creme mixture whisk constantly.

Smoked Gruyere Souffle

I outdid myself with this one.  The perfect souffle - touch of smokey flavor, hint of onion and thyme.  A sprinkling of crunchy Maldon sea salt flakes to finish it.  Yum.

Smoked Gruyere Souffle

• 2/3 c grated smoked Gruyere cheese
• 3 egg yolks - room temperature
• 4 egg whites - room temperature
• 1 c milk
• 1 T water
• 3 T flour
• 1 T Dijon mustard
• 3 scrapes nutmeg
• 1 t fresh thyme leaves
• 1/4 t salt
• 1/4 t fresh ground black pepper
• 1/8 t cream of tartar
• maldon sea salt flakes

Preheat oven to 475F
butter and flour souffle dish
Warm milk and thyme leaves over low heat until bubbles start to form at the edge of the pot.

Whisk together salt, egg yolks, flour and water until smooth.  Dribble in 1/4 c warm milk mixture into eggs whisking constantly to combine.  Heat milk over medium low flame.  While whisking constantly slowly pour in the yolk mixture. Whisk constantly until mixture thickens and a few large bubble erupt.  Remove from heat.  Whisk in cheese, mustard, nutmeg and pepper until smooth.

Whip egg whites and cream of tartar on low until foamy.  Increase speed to high and whip until stiff peaks form.

Whisk in one quarter of the whipped egg whites into the souffle yolk base until smooth.  Pour based over remaining egg whites and fold gently until uniform and smooth.  Pour into prepared souffle dish.

Put in hot oven and bake 5 minutes.  Reduce heat to 425F and bake another 10-12 minutes until risen and dark golden brown. Serve immediately. Sprinkle with Maldon sea salt flakes.

Vigorously whisk the egg milk mixture to prevent scrambling and ensure a smooth even souffle base.

A copper bowl ensures egg whites whip to maximum height.

Resist temptation to open door and peak at baking souffle, opening the door releases heat and your souffle will likely fall.  (Pic through window on oven door).

Sausage and Spinach Frittata

I'm totally digging the Frittata.  Its a baked Italian omelet that is really more of a quiche without a crust.  With no crust this ventures into the realm of the stupid easy.  Can you brown of sausage and whisk eggs?  That's about the extent of the work needed to make this wonderful brunch dish.

The spinach will overwhelm the pan.  Have no fear it will wilt to about one quarter its original volume.

Sausage and Spinach Frittata

• 1 lb spicy Italian sausage
• 1 red onion - thinly sliced
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1/2 t black pepper
• 1/2 t salt
• 12 oz fresh spinach
• 6 eggs
• 1/3 c half and half
• 1 c grated Parmesan, divided
• 1/2 c grated asiago 

Preheat over to 350F.

Remove sausage from casing and crumble into a large non-stick oven proof skillet.  Brown sausage well over medium high heat.  When well browned reduce heat to medium, and pour of all but 2 T of the fat.

Add thinly sliced onion to the sausage and cook until translucent.  Add minced garlic and cook 1 minute longer.

Add spinach, salt and pepper.  Toss until wilted.  Reduce heat to low.

Whisk eggs and half and half until well blended.  fold in 1/2 c Parmesan and 1/2 c Asiago cheeses.  Fold in.  Pour egg mixture over the sausage spinach mixture.  Cook 2-3 minutes until bottom is set.  Sprinkle 1/4 c Parmesan cheese over the top of the egg mixture.

 Place skillet in the oven and bake 30 minutes.  When done remove from oven and slide onto a large platter.  Sprinkle remaining 1/4 c Parmesan over the top of the finished frittata.  Serve hot.

Brown sausage well to develop maximum flavor.

The spinach will initially overwhelm the pan...have no fear it wilts WAY down.

Sausage and wilted spinach ready for the egg mixture.

Frittata baking in the oven...test with toothpick to make sure center is set before removing.

Wild Mushroom Fritata

Or should I call this breakfast for two?  That's exactly how many are served with this, could be 4 folks if you happened to have a slab of ham or some bacon next to it, but today I didn't so it served just the lovely Mrs and I did today.

A Fritatta is really nothing more than an Italian version of a omelet that is finished in an oven.  For that reason its imperative you use a non-stick pan with oven safe handles.  Guarantees you get a clean release and easy clean up.  Might I suggest the calphalon contemporary non-stick, that is 8" of hard anodized aluminum perfection and is dishwasher safe AND an has an oven proof handle? I ABSOLUTELY  couldn't survive in the kitchen with this handy little pan.

I used dried morel mushrooms in this recipe.  Do save the liquid used to reconstitute the mushrooms for another use such as a gravy or soup stock as it has a ton of flavor.  Reconstituting is stupid easy, simply cover them with boiling water and let them soak for 20 minutes.  Strain reserving the broth and voila mushrooms ready for a recipe.

Wild Mushroom Frittata

• 6 eggs
• 1 c dried morel mushrooms
• boiling water
• 1 shallot - minced
• 1 clove garlic minced
• 2 T butter
• 2 t  herbs de Provence
• 1/4 c shredded asiago cheese
• 1/4 t salt

Put mushrooms in a large heat proof bowl.  Pour in just enough boiling water to cover.  Cover with plastic wrap (cling film to my pals in the UK) and let it steep 20 minutes.  When done pour through a strainer and set onto a paper towel.  Slice the reconstituted mushrooms into 1/4" thick pieces.

Preheat oven to 350F

In an 8" non-stick skillet add 1 T butter, salt,  shallot and mushroom.  Cook 3-4 minutes over medium heat until the shallots are translucent.  Add garlic and cook 1 minute longer.

Whisk together eggs and herbs de Provence.  Add remaining tablespoon of butter to the skillet and swirl to melt and evenly cover pan.  Pour eggs over the mushroom mixture.  Over medium-low heat slowly stir and left egg at edges so liquids move under the forming frittata.  Cook 3-5 minutes like this until mixture is mostly set but still wet on top.  Sprinkle with cheese and put in preheated oven and bake for 10 minutes.  Serve hot.

Smoked Gouda Souffle

A while I back I wrote about how daunting a souffle is, then it dawned on me, its fancy baking, precise measurements, temperatures and timing are what its all about.  Suddenly they became easier and are becoming a Sunday Brunch Staple at casa frazgo.

The real key is have all your ingredients prepped and ready to go (aka mis en place), oven preheated on standby and all tools at the ready. This goes very quickly once your milk is almost at the boil.  You don't have time to futz with measuring and grating once you start making the base.  Take your eyes and whisk away for even a minute and you have scrambled yolks and need to start over.

Prolly the greatest improvement on the traditional box grater was the creation of the Microplane Brand box grater.  Its precision cut stainless steel that is so sharp even sticky cheeses grate without clogging and dragging.  Amazing little tool. A friendly tip, cold cheese fresh from the fridge does grate faster and easier than those at room temp, this is particularly important to remember when you are working with soft cheeses like gouda, edam and young cheddars.

Have your ingredients at room temperature helps with separating the eggs, mixing the base or whipping the whites.  Even the cheese once grated and brought to room temperature melts better with less chance of clumping and separating.

Unlike other cheese souffle's you do need to cook this one a bit after the cheese has melted so it doesn't curdle and separate.  It only takes a minute or two on the heat to cook it enough and as long as you whisk continuously during that part you won't have any issues with the eggs scrambling or cheese getting funky.  When you take it of the heat stir with the whisk for an additional minute as it cools so it doesn't scramble.  Sounds like a risky spot, but its not that bad as long as you just keep whisking and keep the heat at medium using a heavy pan that won't have hot spots that can cause scorching.  The flour and mustard do a great job of stabilizing the base and minimize problems in preparation and baking.

I've been a fan of the smoked Gouda for a while.  Trader Joe's carry's a really nice one that won't break the bank. Its a semi-soft cheese with a deep smoky taste that permeates the entire souffle.

Smoke Gouda Souffle'

• 4 egg whites
• 1/4 t cream of tartar
• 3 egg yolks
• 3 T flour
• 1 T whole grain mustard
• 1 T water
• 1/2 t salt 
• dash cayenne pepper
• dash nutmeg
• 2/3 c Smoked Gouda Cheese
• 1 c whole milk

Pre heat oven to 450F.
Grease and flour your souffle' dish

Pour milk into a large heavy sauce pan.  Over medium heat slowly raise temperature until it just starts to steam and tiny bubbles form at the edge.  Do Not Boil.

Combine egg yolks, flour, mustard, water, salt, cayenne pepper and nutmeg in a bowl.  Whisk until smooth.  Pour off 1/4 c hot milk into a heat proof measuring cup.  While whisking slowly pour in the milk in a slow stream until all has been incorporated.  Do not pour in all at once as you could scramble the yolks.

While whisking the warm milk pour in the yolk mixture. Stir constantly over medium heat and bring to a boil.  As soon as you get your first couple of bubbles, slowly start adding the cheese, stirring well between additions so it is incorporated.  Cook 1-2 minutes longer, remove from heat and whisk 1 minute.

Whisk egg whites and cream of tartar at high speed until they form stiff peaks.  Stir in one fourth of the egg whites into the souffle base until all whites have been incorporated.  Take the base and pour over the remaining whites.  Gently fold in the base to the whites until it is all fluffy and no more egg white clumps remain.

Pour into prepared souffle' dish.  Bake at 450F 7 minutes.  Reduce heat to 425F and bake an additional 8-10 minutes until puffed and golden brown.  Serve hot.

Stilton Souffle

 Nothing has a more daunting reputation than the humble souffle for complexity and prone to failure.  I blogged it a while back that I found a recipe that was pretty fool proof and I've been experimenting away with it.  There is nothing quite like the lighter than air puffiness of a souffle paired with a salad for a nice light meal like on "Meatless Monday" that we celebrate around here.

It is actually fairly easy in terms of steps that one takes.  The key is being organized and having your pots pans and bowls all lined up ready to go as each step is completed so you can move to the next phase.

As always, if you have a copper bowl use it for whipping the egg whites as that allows them to reach greater volume faster than other bowls due to some sort of reaction between the metal and the whites.  If you don't have a copper bowl I'd suggest you track one down as the results are so much better than what you get from  other bowls.  I got mine at Tuesday Morning for $20 a couple of years ago and they always have some sort of copper selection on hand there.

I use Stilton instead of other blue cheeses as I like the flavor better.  Its not quite as pungent as others and has an almost sweet after taste.  It also has a very creamy texture that melts better.  Of course if you can't find Stilton you could substitute Gorgonzola Dulce (another creamy style blue cheese), or any other blue you can find.

Stilton Souffle

• 4 egg whites
• 3 egg yolks
• 1 cup milk
• 3T flour
• 1 T water
• 1/2 t Dijon style mustard
• 1/8 t nutmeg
• 1/4 t cream of tartar
• salt and pepper to taste
• 3 oz Stilton - crumbled
• butter and flour for dusting souffle pan

Heat oven to 475F.  Set oven rack to lowest setting in oven.

In small bowl combine egg yolks, water, flour, mustard, nutmeg, salt and pepper whisking until smooth.

In small sauce pan over medium heat slowly heat milk to a boil.

Just before the milk comes to a boil remove 1/4 cup and add to yolk mixture whisking hard and fast to prevent scrambling the mixture to temper it.  When milk starts to boil, remove from heat and slowly whisk it all into the egg yolk mixture.

Add yolk mixture back to sauce pan and over medium heat bring to a boil. Whisk constantly and rotate pan to ensure you are whisking entire mixture.  Whisk until mixture is smooth and shiny and starts to bubble.

Reduce heat to low and whisk in the crumbled Stilton a few pieces at a time until smooth.  Once all cheese is whisked in remove from heat to cool a bit.

Combine egg whites and cream of tartar.  Beat on low for a minute to incorporate the tartar into the whites, beat on high until stiff peaks form.

Stir in 1/3 of the whipped whites into the yolk mixture to lighten the mixture.  Pour yolk base into the remaining egg whites and gently fold in taking care not to deflate them.  (This is the only tricky phase of the whole souffle but if you take your time and do it slowly you will keep the volume...don't beat it be gentle).

Butter and lightly dust the souffle mold with flour, shaking out excess flour.  Pour in the souffle mixture.  Bake at 475F for 5 minutes.  Reduce heat to 425F and bake another 7-10 minutes until the souffle is well browned and puffed up over the edge of the dish.   Serve immediately.

Just a quick note to my readers.  Apologies for the lack of posts the last few months.  I've been dealing with daily migraines that traditional medicine IE heavy pharmaceuticals just couldn't bring to a stop.  Just recently my health plan sent me to an acupuncturist which miraculously brought about an end to the migraines.  Now that they are under control my energy, memory and ambition has returned....so will the blogging.

Butterscotch Pie

I have been a fan of butterscotch pudding, the cooked kind not that dreadful instant stuff, for as long as I can remember. Making your own from scratch is stupid easy and certainly worth the few minutes time it takes to cook the filling.

A couple of things to remember when making puddin' pies with meringue topping.  First and foremost make sure the eggs are at room temperature before you separate and try to whip the eggs.  They froth better if you have them warm as opposed to cold from the fridge.  Another thing to help them whip their best is invest a few bucks in a copper bowl.  The copper acts with the egg white to gain more volume.  Lastly, a bakers sugar also called caster sugar will dissolve easier in the egg white making a better final product.

Butterscotch Pie
9 inch baked pie shell - cooled to room temperature
Filling
1 1/2 c brown sugar
1/4 c flour
1 12 oz can condensed milk (not sweetened)*
1/8 t salt
3 egg yolks beaten
1 t vanilla
2T butter
Meringue
3 egg whites
1/4 t flour
6 T sugar


Bake 9" pie shell according to your recipe instructions for blind baking.  Cool


Mix sugar, flour, condensed milk, salt and egg yolks in a heavy sauce pan.  Whisk until dissolved.  Heat and whisk constantly over medium heat until it thickens and starts to bubble.  Remove from heat and whisk in vanilla and butter.  Add to your baked pie shell.


For the meringue add egg whites and cream of tartar to bowl.  Beat until soft peaks form.  Increase speed and beat in sugar 1 tablespoon at a time until stiff peaks form.  (About 4 minutes total).  Spread over the hot filling pushing to edges to seal.  Bake in 350F oven until browned.  Cool completely before serving.  Refrigerate left overs.

*sometimes sold as evaporated milk.