Asparagus Souffle

[Chris Hennes]

I have some asparagus, and some fresh eggs, so I thought I'd make an asparagus souffle for dinner one night this week. But the only souffles I've ever made have been just cheese, or chocolate. How do you add the vegetable? Do I need to blanch it first? Will the asparagus be too watery and make the souffle heavy?

[nickrey]

I'd just blanch and drain it. Given the texture you want to achieve in a souffle, it would need to be pureed, possibly mixed with something oniony (fried shallots or escallions) prior to pureeing.

If you are very worried about extra liquid, you can always put a bit more flour in the mixture but I wouldn't worry if you have drained the asparagus well prior to pureeing it.

[heidih]

My first souffle was Julia Child's spinach version in MTAFC V1. I do not have the book handy, but the basic concept would be the same. Cut up and lightly blanch and then puree your asparagus. I was once scolded for serving this as dinner, but I maintain that it is a lovely light meal.

[Dave the Cook]

I don't think you need to puree, unless you object to asparagus bits in the souffle; it's a matter of the texture you want, because a well-made souffle will lift the spears into the foam matrix easily. I would steam the asparagus first to ensure tenderness, then chop roughly and fold in with the first egg-white addition.

[djyee100]

My first souffle was Julia Child's spinach version in MTAFC V1. I do not have the book handy, but the basic concept would be the same...

Julia's classic spinach souffle recipe mentions "other vegetable souffles" towards the end of the recipe, such as a souffle with finely diced or pureed asparagus tips. http://www.cookstr.com/recipes/spinach-souffle

For a variation on the classic souffle, I've always liked Joanne Weir's 10-minute souffle. It's baked in an oval casserole for 10-14 mins. The souffle is shallow and puffy, rather than deep, with more of that golden souffle crust for everyone. It's very attractive to serve. Although the cooking process is the same, I've always felt that this souffle is more easygoing than its classic counterpart. Joanne Weir's website has a recipe for a leek and gruyere souffle, to which you can try adding some asparagus.

http://www.joanneweir.com/recipes/mains/ten-minute-roasted-leek-gruyere-souffle.html

Edited March 9, 2010 by djyee100 (log)