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Monday, April 19, 2010

Savory Baking by Mary Cech


I thought this cookbook had a lot of interesting possibilities--including some really interesting scones and muffins. The link I have has some savory shortbread that also looks great. It is not a vegetarian cookbook, but about 3/4 of the recipes are either largely vegetarian or can be adapted to that.
Winter Squash, Brown Butter and Sage Soufflés
* 1 medium winter squash (about 2 pounds)
* ¼ cup chicken broth
* ½ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
* 1 tablespoon dried sage
* ¾ teaspoon salt
* 3 egg yolks
* 3 tablespoons flour
* ¾ cup milk
* 6 tablespoons butter
* 4 egg whites at room temperature
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Roast squash until tender (cut side down on a baking sheet)until tender to the touch, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool.
Carefully scoop out the cooked flesh. Place half in a blender with the chicken broth and blend until smooth. You should have about half a cup of purée. Pour the purée into a large bowl; add the cheese, sage, salt, and egg yolks and whisk until smooth. Cut the remaining squash into half-inch chunks and fold them into the puréed mixture. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Lightly butter the sides and bottoms of six six-ounce (¾ cup) ceramic ramekins and dust them with grated Parmesan cheese. Arrange the ramekins on a baking sheet and set aside.
Put the flour in a small bowl and add the milk slowly while whisking. Whisk until completely smooth. Put the butter in a medium saucepan and melt over medium heat. Simmer the butter while stirring constantly, until it looks brown and smells toasty, about one minute.
Remove from the heat and whisk the flour-and-milk mixture into the butter. Place the saucepan back on the stove and cook for 30 seconds. Pour into the squash mixture and whisk together.
Pour the egg whites into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whip attachment. Whip at medium speed until the egg whites form shiny, medium peaks that hold their shape. Stir half of the whites into the squash base to lighten it. Fold in the remaining whites and spoon the soufflé mixture evenly among the buttered ramekins Sprinkle each soufflé with grated Parmesan cheese.
Immediately place the soufflés into the oven and bake until they are just set in the centre and golden on top, 15 to 20 minutes. To test for doneness, use a paring knife to pry the top of a soufflé open just enough to look inside; it should appear softly set. Serve immediately after removing from the oven.

NOTE: Roast your squash one or two days beforehand, if you like. Wrap and store in the refrigerator until you are ready to assemble and bake the soufflés.

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