Spinach Soufflé with Smoked Salmon
A soufflé built on a béchamel enriched with smoked salmon, spinach and Parmesan. It rises if three things are true:
The dishes are buttered AND dusted with grated cheese, the rim included. That is what the mixture grips as it climbs; against a smooth wall it slides.
The oven door does not get opened. A soufflé collapses from the drop in temperature, not from movement.
And it goes to the table straight away. Five minutes later it is a baked pudding — still good, but no longer the same thing.
The mixture is generous for four egg whites. To be safe, whip two extra: more lift, same flavour.
Ingredients
- 4 eggs, separated, plus 2 extra egg whites (6 whites in total)
- 400 g smoked salmon, chopped
- 400 g spinach, cooked and puréed
- 200 g grated Parmesan
- 50 g butter
- 50 g all-purpose flour (plain flour)
- 400 ml whole milk
- 1 handful of fresh basil, chopped
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Extra butter and grated cheese for the dishes
Method
- 1
Butter the dishes and dust them with grated cheese, not forgetting the rim. Tap out the excess. That is what the mixture grips to rise — against a smooth wall it slides back.
- 2
Make a béchamel by melting the butter with the flour and adding the milk a little at a time, stirring constantly until you have a smooth, thick sauce.
- 3
Take it off the heat and stir in the egg yolks, the Parmesan, the smoked salmon, the basil and the spinach. Only now season — the smoked salmon and the Parmesan already bring plenty of salt.
- 4
Only now whip the 6 egg whites (the 4 from the eggs plus the 2 extra) to stiff peaks in a cold, grease-free bowl: whites left standing for ten minutes start to weep and lose volume. Stir a third of them in energetically to loosen the base, and fold in the rest with gentle, sweeping movements so you do not lose the air.
- 5
Pour into the prepared dishes, to just below the rim. Bake at 200 °C for 18 to 22 minutes, until they have risen and browned. The oven door does not get opened.
- 6
Serve immediately. A soufflé starting to sink once it is out of the oven is normal, not a mistake.