Spanakopita Soufflé
Ingredients
- ¼ pound crumbled Greek feta
- ½ cup ricotta or fresh Greek anthotyro cheese
- 4 whole eggs separated plus 4 whites
- 3 Tbsp very finely chopped scallion
- 1 cup finely chopped fresh spinach
- ¼ cup finely chopped fresh dill
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Pinch of nutmeg
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 425F. Mash the cheeses together in the bowl of an electric mixer. Add the four egg yolks and whip at high speed with the whisk attachment until smooth and creamy. Remove.
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Mix in the spinach and dill. Season to taste with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Lightly butter a two-quart soufflé dish.
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Wash and wipe the mixer bowl and beat the egg whites at high speed until they turn into a stiff meringue. Fold the meringue into the spinach – cheese mixture and pour the mixture into the soufflé dish. Bake for about 25-30 minutes, or until the soufflé puffs up in the dish and acquires a light golden color. Remove and serve immediately.
Notes
SOUFFLE SECRETS
I love soufflés. They’re so retro and they bring back memories of being a young cook and young bride, eager to impress anyone! I also love transforming the idea of a spanakopita into almost anything.
The word soufflé in French means breath, a reference to the light, airy nature of soufflés.
A savory soufflé like this one makes an excellent weeknight meal, either by itself or served with a little salad.
Soufflés rise and fall because of the air trapped inside egg whites that have been whipped into a meringue. As the soufflé bakes, the hot temperature of the oven causes the whites to expand, hence rise; the proteins stiffen a little during baking, but as soon as the soufflé starts to cool (immediately upon removal from the oven!), that trapped air escapes and the soufflé falls. That’s the beauty of this dramatic but simple dish.
You can bake a soufflé in anything that will go into the oven, but straight-sided soufflé dishes are recommended for the most even baking. The smaller the baking dish, i.e. ramekins, the less time your soufflé will need to bake. If the oven temperature is too high, the soufflé will have big air pockets that collapse quickly; if it’s too low it won’t rise enough.
Remember, too, that eggs like gentle cooking so it’s best to place the oven rack on the lower third of the oven, where they can bake evenly without browning too much on top at the very start.
Always cool your base, in this case the spanakopita filling, before adding the whipped eggs. You can make it in advance, chill it, but always bring it back to room temperature when you’re ready to use it.
When making your base, make sure it’s cooled a little before you add in any eggs so they don’t cook before they’re mixed in properly. The base can be prepared in advance and left in the refrigerator, just bring it to room temperature before mixing in the egg whites.
When mixing the whipped whites into the base, take a large dollop of the mixture and mix it well into your base. This loosens the base up and makes it easier to fold in the egg whites without losing too much of the volume.
You can also prepare the soufflé in parts, in advance. Prep the filling, keep it chilled and bring it to room temperature before using. You can also assemble the entire soufflé and chill it in the soufflé dish (or ramekins) for up to two hours before baking.
You know it’s done when it has risen, the top is golden but has a slight wobble.
