Chef Juliette
Choux Rouges à la Flamande
Fine-cut red cabbage, russet apples, butter, sugar, nutmeg, and vinegar share one covered cocotte, cooking gently until the leaves gleam garnet and the apples soften without disappearing.
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Soufflé aux Épinards
Created by Chef Juliette
Based on No. 2139, Soufflé aux Épinards, from Le Guide Culinaire (1907) by Auguste Escoffier
Soufflé aux Épinards teaches the essential soufflé rhythm: concentrated spinach, properly soaked anchovies, and egg whites folded with restraint, then baked into a savory dome that waits for no one.
Side Dishes
French
Dinner Party
Special Occasion
Celebration
45 min
Active Time
30 min cook•1 hr 15 min total
Yield4 servings
Soufflé aux Épinards (spinach soufflé) teaches the discipline common to every hot soufflé: flavor must be concentrated before the whites go in. Here that discipline begins with the anchovies. They must be cleaned, soaked, tasted, and dried, because a salt-hard fillet does not season spinach, it flattens it.
The source entry assumes that a cook can call for Soufflé de Chicorée (No. 2092) as a known composition, exchange spinach for chicory, layer it in a buttered timbale, and send it into an oven judged by feel. It has no need of a saucier on staff, a stock never off the fire, or a salamander. At home, a straight-sided one-quart dish and a preheated baking sheet provide the honest equivalent. The referenced three-egg proportion already gives four generous side servings, so it stays intact. The separate station is brigade scaffolding and can go; the proportion, gentle folding, anchovy lattices, and immediate baking are the dish and must stay. One cook, one stove, one evening.
When it is right, the soufflé rises green and gold around its crossed anchovy crown, with measured seams of salinity running through the tender spinach. Layer it lightly and have the table ready before it enters the oven, but first taste an anchovy after soaking. That is the one step that protects the whole dish.
Soufflé belongs to the Parisian classical table, where vegetable purées were enriched with yolks, lightened with beaten whites, and baked in timbales as an entremets or a garnish. Soufflé aux Épinards borrows its construction from Soufflé de Chicorée (No. 2092), replacing chicory with spinach and carrying the grand-kitchen practice of arranging anchovy fillets in lattices between the layers. The anchovies are not decoration alone; properly cleaned and soaked, they season the mild spinach in controlled seams rather than one blunt salty mass.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
Soufflé de Chicorée composition, prepared with spinach replacing chicory and left unbaked
Quantity
1 home batch Soufflé de Chicorée (No. 2092), using 8 packed cups (1.9 L / 225 g) spinach
prepared through the folded-white stage
salt-packed anchovy fillets
Quantity
12 fillets (about 45 g)
cleaned
cold water
Quantity
2 cups (475 ml / 475 g), plus more if needed
for soaking the anchovies
unsalted butter
Quantity
1 tablespoon (15 ml / 14 g)
softened
Parmesan
Quantity
2 tablespoons (30 ml / 12 g)
finely grated
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Soufflé de Chicorée composition, prepared with spinach replacing chicory and left unbakedprepared through the folded-white stage | 1 home batch Soufflé de Chicorée (No. 2092), using 8 packed cups (1.9 L / 225 g) spinach |
| salt-packed anchovy filletscleaned | 12 fillets (about 45 g) |
| cold waterfor soaking the anchovies | 2 cups (475 ml / 475 g), plus more if needed |
| unsalted buttersoftened | 1 tablespoon (15 ml / 14 g) |
| Parmesanfinely grated | 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 12 g) |
Equipment Needed
- •1-quart (950 ml) straight-sided soufflé dish or charlotte mould
- •Rimmed baking sheet
- •Fine-mesh sieve
- •Flexible spatula
- •Clean kitchen towels
Instructions
- 1
Soak the anchovies
Rinse the anchovy fillets under cold water, inspect them for fine bones, and soak them in the measured cold water for 30 minutes, changing the water twice. Taste a small piece from the thick end. It should be distinctly savory but no longer strike the tongue with raw salt. If it does, ça se rattrape: give the fillets another 10 minutes in fresh water and taste again. Drain and dry them thoroughly between clean towels; wet fillets would weigh down the soufflé and streak water through the spinach.
Do not trust the clock more than your tongue. Salt-packed anchovies vary, and tasting one after soaking is the only honest measure. - 2
Prepare the timbale
Heat a conventional oven to 375°F (190°C), with a rack in the lower third and a rimmed baking sheet heating on it. Butter a 1-quart (950 ml) straight-sided soufflé dish with upward strokes, then coat the bottom and sides with the Parmesan, tapping out only the loose excess. This is the home timbale, a deep straight-sided mould, and the hot sheet beneath it gives the base immediate heat.
- 3
Ready the composition
Prepare the unbaked composition from Soufflé de Chicorée (No. 2092), substituting spinach for chicory and stopping once the beaten whites have been folded in. The cooked spinach must be squeezed until a firm handful releases no water before it enters that composition. If the spinach purée still looks wet, warm it alone in a dry saucepan until it turns matte, then cool it completely before continuing. Once the whites are folded, move directly to the dish; waiting spends the air you have just worked to build.
- 4
Build the lattices
Spoon one-third of the soufflé composition into the prepared dish and ease it level without pressing. Arrange four anchovy fillets over it, two parallel in one direction and two crossing them, to form a loose lattice. Add another third of the composition, repeat with four more fillets, then cover with the remaining composition and shape it gently into a dome. Lay the final four fillets on top as two crossed rows. Keep every movement broad and light; if you have flattened the surface, lift and loosen only the upper layer with two gentle turns of a spatula, then restore the dome. Do not beat it.
- 5
Bake without interruption
Set the dish on the hot baking sheet and bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Do not open the oven during the first 20 minutes. The soufflé is ready when it has risen above the rim, the spinach dome is set and lightly bronzed, and the centre gives a small, living tremble rather than a liquid wave. If the top colors before the centre sets, lay a loose foil cap over it after the first 20 minutes. If the centre remains fluid, bake for another 3 minutes and check again.
A small fissure across the dome is welcome. It shows the expanding air found its way upward; a perfectly smooth top is no virtue here. - 6
Serve at once
Carry the Soufflé aux Épinards directly to the table and serve it within two minutes, cutting straight down with a broad spoon so each helping receives spinach and both anchovy layers. It will settle as it is served because every hot soufflé does. That is movement, not failure. À table!
Chef Tips
- •Salt-packed anchovies are the right choice because their firm fillets hold the lattice. Oil-packed fillets can serve if necessary, but rinse them, soak them for only 10 minutes, and dry them carefully; they will be softer and less defined.
- •Unsoaked anchovies flatten the spinach beneath raw salt. Soak, taste, and soak again if needed. The finished fillet should still taste unmistakably of anchovy, just without the sting.
- •Use a straight-sided dish that holds about 1 quart (950 ml). If your dish is smaller, bake the excess composition in a buttered ramekin rather than filling the main dish beyond three-quarters of its depth.
- •Serve beside roast veal, lamb, or a simply cooked fish. A dry Muscadet or another brisk, mineral white has enough freshness for the spinach and enough restraint for the anchovies.
- •A leftover soufflé will not rise a second time. Chill it for no more than one day and warm thick spoonfuls gently as a savory spinach timbale.
Advance Preparation
- •The anchovies may be cleaned and soaked up to 4 hours ahead. Dry them thoroughly, cover, and keep them cold until the dish is layered.
- •The soufflé dish may be buttered and coated with Parmesan several hours ahead, then kept cold.
- •The cooked, squeezed, and sieved spinach needed for the referenced composition may be prepared one day ahead and chilled in a covered container.
- •Do not hold the folded composition or assembled soufflé for more than 10 minutes. Once the whites are incorporated, layering and baking must follow promptly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 175g)
Calories
280 calories
Total Fat
20 g
Saturated Fat
10 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
8 g
Cholesterol
230 mg
Sodium
750 mg
Total Carbohydrates
10 g
Dietary Fiber
1 g
Sugars
4 g
Protein
15 g
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