Irish Potato and Cabbage Soufflé with Smoked Cheddar

Green, lovely green!  We can actually see a little grass outside our home and my husband said he heard a Robin while walking in the park today.  Spring is almost here!

I'd like to share a lovely Irish-inspired soufflé that I tried this past week in honor of St. Patrick's Day on March 17. This comes from Kevin Dundon's Full-On Irish cookbook, where I've found many good Irish recipes such as the Champ and Baileys Pots de Creme currently on my sidebar. His recipes are contemporary but still use traditional Irish ingredients. It's an older cookbook but available from a few second-party sellers. 

I love making soufflés.  It's so much fun to watch them puff up in the oven - light and airy.  As with all souffles, they will collapse a bit after they cool but fresh from the oven they are spectacular.

 

I used a delicious, Wisconsin-crafted, smoked cheddar which complimented the soufflé ingredients perfectly.  The other contemporary twist to this recipe was coating the ramekins with butter and then a ground walnut and bread crumb mixture.  What a great flavor when you dig in with your spoon and get some crumbs with each bite of soufflé!

Try these on the weekend for a special dinner instead of mashed or baked potatoes.  If you're like me and you enjoy potatoes and cabbage, you'll love them! 

I topped my soufflés with some broccoli sprouts that I found at my local store.  It not only added the 'pretty factor' but added a complimentary flavor as well.

I haven't missed a St. Patrick's Day blog crawl at Cuisine Kathleen since 2009.  Hope you take a peak :) There should be lots of great recipes and Irish table scapes. 

Irish Potato and Cabbage Soufflé with Smoked Cheddar

Adapted from Full-On Irish by Kevin Dundon

Printable Recipe

Fills 6-7 (1/2 cup fluid measure/6 oz) ramekins

1/2 Stick (50g) of butter (softened)
2 oz (50g) dry breadcrumbs (I used whole wheat)
2 oz (50g) ground walnuts
5 oz (142g) smoked cheddar cheese
2 egg yolks, lightly beaten
4 oz (100g) Savoy cabbage, thick stalks removed and finely shredded or chopped
4 oz (100g) cooked and peeled potato such as Russet, cooled and grated (I used a potato ricer)
5 egg whites

For the Béchamel Sauce:

1 stick (100g) butter
1 cup (100g) all purpose flour
1-1/3 cups (300ml) milk

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Broccoli Sprouts for garnish (optional)

Preheat the oven to 375F. Grease 6 ramekins with enough of the softened butter to thoroughly coat the ramekins. Mix the breadcrumbs and ground walnuts together and lightly coat the buttered ramekins. Set aside. (Note: If you decide to grind your own walnuts, as I did, I advise putting the bread crumbs in the processor along with the walnuts to keep the walnuts from clumping together). 

To make the Béchamel sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Slowly add the flour and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Gradually add the milk, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly, until thickened and smooth. Stir the grated cheese into the sauce until melted, then remove from the heat and allow to cool about 5 minutes. Season to taste and then mix in the egg yolks while stirring quickly (you don't want the eggs to curdle), until fully incorporated.

Heat the remaining butter (1 tablespoon or so) in a frying pan. Add the shredded cabbage and potato and cook over low heat for about 5 minutes, tossing occasionally. Fold into the the thickened Béchamel sauce and then transfer the mixture to a large metal bowl.

Beat the egg whites in a separate bowl until they form soft peaks, then carefully fold the egg whites into the cabbage mixture. Divide among the prepared ramekins and gently tap each one on the counter to remove any air bubbles. Arrange on a baking sheet and bake for about 20-30 minutes or until well risen and golden. This will vary according to your oven so watch carefully.

Serve the souffles garnished with broccoli sprouts, if desired.

I reheated these the next day and they still tasted great, although without the grand puff that you get right out of the oven.

Brussels Sprouts Soufflé

One of the stars of our holiday table at Thanksgiving is this Brussels Sprouts Soufflé that I have been making for many years.  The recipe comes from a cookbook that my mother-in-law gave me shortly after my husband and I were married, called the Better Homes & Gardens Vegetable Cook Book.  My husband doesn't really like Brussels Sprouts but he LOVES this cheesy souffle!

In order to make any soufflé there are several steps that need to be observed so I thought I'd put together an easy tutorial on how to make this in case you'd like to try it for your Thanksgiving feast this year.

First, chop cooked Brussels Sprouts in a food processor.  You can use frozen or fresh Brussels sprouts. They can be chopped by hand if you don't own a food processor.  Chop them fairly fine. 

Have the eggs separated and everything needed for the recipe next to the stove before you begin. 

The first step is to melt the butter over medium-high heat.  Stir in the flour and salt and blend together until bubbly.  Add the milk all at once and continue to stir until the mixture is thickened.

Beat the egg yolks until light and lemon-colored.  Add some of the thickened, hot milk mixture to the yolks to temper them.  This is so the eggs don't curdle or separate when you add them to the hot mixture in the pot.  Then, afterward, add all of the yolk mixture to the hot mixture and stir rapidly until thoroughly blended. Then, add the chopped Brussels sprouts and cheese to the pan, stir to mix, and remove the pan from heat.

Beat the egg whites until stiff but not dry.  Add them to the pan and fold in carefully.  I like to use a large, flat wooden stirrer using a cutting and folding motion.  The purpose is to keep as much air in the whites as possible while blending.  Then pour the mixture into an ungreased souffle or tall, round baking dish.

As you can see the soufflé puffs up beautifully in the oven, but don't be dismayed when it sinks shortly after it comes out of the oven.  The inside will still be light and delicious!

Again, I wish to thank everyone who posted so many kind comments regarding the loss of my sister.  It will be a difficult holiday season knowing she is no longer here but I am feeling better.  I'm still not up-to-speed on visiting all of my blogger friends, but hopefully, after the holidays I will be back on track.

Wishing all of you who celebrate Thanksgiving, a warm and happy holiday~

 
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Brussels Sprouts Soufflé

Adapted from Better Homes & Gardens Vegetable Cook Book 1967

Printable Recipe

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

¼ cup butter
¼ cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
4 egg yolks
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 10-oz package frozen Brussels sprouts, cooked, drained, and finely chopped (about 2 cups) May use fresh, cooked Brussels Sprouts, of course - do not overcook
4 egg whites

Preheat oven to 350F

In a very large (at least 3-4 quart or more) sauce pan or pot, over medium-high heat, melt butter until bubbly and then blend in the flour and salt until well combined.

Add the milk all at once and cook quickly till mixture thickens, stirring constantly.

Beat egg yolks till thick and lemon-colored. Blend some of the hot butter mixture into egg yolks to temper them; return the yolk mixure to the pot and stir rapidly to that the eggs do not curdle.

Stir in cheese and finely chopped sprouts. Remove pan from heat.

Beat the egg whites until stiff but not dry and carefully fold into hot mixture. You want to leave as much air as possible in the whites while folding.

Turn the mixture into an ungreased 2-quart soufflé dish.

Bake in 350 degree oven for 40-60 minutes or until knife inserted comes out clean.

Notes: May be made the day before and refrigerated after cooling. Allow to come to room temperature and reheat in a 350 oven, covered with aluminum foil until heated through - about 20 minutes.