Spinach Soufflé

A nice little starter: Spinach soufflé, baked in ramekins. It's easy to prepare and very elegant.

Ingredients

• 4 tbsp butter
• 1 oz / 30 g flour
• ½ cup / 120 ml whipping cream
• 7 oz / 200 g frozen spinach (chopped)
• ¼ cup / 60 ml whipping cream
• 5 eggs, separated into whites and yolks
• ¼ tsp freshly ground pepper
• ¼ tsp salt (or to taste)
• ⅛ tsp cayenne pepper
• ⅛ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• butter to grease the ramekins

Preparation

1. Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat.
2. Add the flour and cook for about 5 minutes without browning (reduce heat if necessary).
3. Slowly stir in ½ cup / 120 ml whipping cream. Season with salt, pepper, cayenne and nutmeg.
4. Reduce heat and cook for about 30 minutes. Then remove from heat.
5. Preheat oven to 400°F / 200°C.
6. Grease 6 ramekins with butter.
7. In a separate pot, bring 1 cup / 240 ml water to a boil. Add a bit of salt and the frozen spinach. Cook for 4-5 minutes. Drain.
8. Stir spinach into the béchamel. Add ¼ cup / 60 ml of cream. Add egg yolks. Stir well.
9. Whisk egg whites to stiff peaks. Carefully combine with the spinach-béchamel mixture. Avoid deflating the foam as much as possible.
10. Distribute equally over the ramekins. Bake for about 15-20 minutes until the surface starts to brown lightly.
11. Serve immediately.

Yields 6 servings

Preparation time about 60-90 minutes