Asparagus Souffle

Fellow Knoxville food blogger Kevin has been working on a project after my own heart, because it extolls the virtues of one of my most favorite vegetables. Every Monday you can find a round up of the most sublime asparagus recipes at Kevin's Asparagus Aspirations, and after days and days of wracking my brain for the perfect entry, I came up with this puffy wonder.


This souffle was a very proud achievement because I worked off of no pre-existing recipe, a daunting task when dealing with finicky egg whites. Armed with my vague knowledge of ingredient proportions and some extremely fresh spring asparagus, I set to work.

The results were better than I had dreamed. I managed to maintain the bright green color (that was my first concern, that I would end up with muddy greenish-brown puffs), and each bite truly tasted of asparagus first. The additional ingredients simply served as the supporting cast for this impressive dish. And, should you worry that you are wasting half of your asparagus stalks, I refer you to this recipe for a cold asparagus soup that makes excellent use of the woody stalks.

While I made two larger souffles, I think this would make a lovely first course for four people, served in demitasse cups or small ramekins. Feel free to try different cheeses--I think chevre or Gruyere would be quite nice as well. And of course, if you prefer perfect, flat-topped souffles, knock yourself out and smooth the surface evenly. I like the pillowy, free form mounds, myself.


Asparagus Souffle
serves 2-4

3 large eggs, separated
1 lb. asparagus
2-3 Tbsp vegetable or chicken stock
sea salt
freshly ground pepper
.25 tsp Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp freshly grated Parmesan
3 Tbsp all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut the asparagus stalks in half, for this recipe you only need the most tender green ends. Boil the asparagus in lightly salted water until just tender--about 3 minutes. Drain and let cool. Chop the blanched spears roughly and toss into a blender or food processor. Add a pinch of salt and pepper, and some of the stock and pulse until smooth. You may need a dash or two more of stock, you want a very smooth green puree. Set aside.


In a mixing bowl, cream the egg yolks, flour, mustard, Parmesan, and asparagus puree until well combined--about 3 minutes. With the bowl sitting over a pan of simmering water, whisk until paler in color and quite thick, roughly 5 minutes. Replace on mixer stand, and cream for an additional 3 minutes, until light and beginning to cool. Transfer to a clean bowl and set aside. At this point you can wait up to 2 hours before completing the souffles.

In a clean mixing bowl, whip the egg whites until they hold a stiff peaks. Be careful to not over beat the whites. Whisk one third of the egg whites into the asparagus mixture until well combined, then carefully fold in the remaining egg whites. Scoop the souffle mixture into ramekins or tea cups, leaving about.5 inch at the top, and making sure to not deflate the fluffy mixture.


Place ramekins onto a baking sheet and bake until puffy and golden brown, 10-12 minutes. Garnish with an asparagus spear (if desired) and serve immediately.

Caramelized Onion Bread Souffle

One day, a savory souffle gazed across the kitchen at a bread pudding and said, "let's make beautiful dinner together". I'm only sort of kidding, this is a souffle that wants to be a bread pudding (or is it a bread pudding that wants to be a souffle?). It's also very, very good, while managing to be both light and filling. A wonderful accompaniment to Roasted Beet Salad.


Caramelized Onion Bread Pudding
serves 6

2 Tbsp. butter, plus more for the dish
10 slices stale potato bread (or white bread), torn into pieces
1 c. skim milk, room temperature
.5 c. half & half, room temperature
.5 c. buttermilk, room temperature
one yellow onion, sliced into thin rounds
4 large eggs, separated
8 oz. baby swiss, grated
1 tsp. sea salt
freshly grated pepper
pinch cayenne pepper
generous pinch nutmeg

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Butter a 2 quart souffle or baking dish generously, set aside.


Place the bread pieces in a bowl and pour the milk, half & half, and buttermilk over it. Set aside until all liquid is absorbed. Meanwhile, melt the 2 Tbsp. butter in a sautee pan over medium-low heat. Add the onion and saute until a deep caramel color, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat. Mash the bread with a potato masher (or your hands), until it is a smooth mixture; stir in the caramelized onions.


In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks briefly. Stir in the grated cheese, salt, pepper, cayenne, and nutmeg. Mix well, then add to the bread mixture. Stir until well combined.


Place the egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk attachment (you can, of course, do this by hand, if you are into that sort of torture). Beat the whites until stiff peaks form, then gently fold into the bread mixture in 3 additions.


Transfer to the buttered dish and bake until golden and firm, 45-50 minutes. Serve warm, with salad.


A wonderful thing I've noticed about this fluffy, savory souffle, is that, because of the bread, it holds up a bit better than most souffles. A couple of hours later, when I wanted a snack, it had only fallen a bit and still filled me with happiness with every squishy yet crunchy bite. I have wrapped it up and tossed it in the fridge to see if it holds up for leftovers, and I will report back. This is a good one, guys.

Mini Lemon Souffles

Oh, Martha. I don't even know if I need to say anything else but: Oh, Martha.

Mini Lemon Souffles

serves 8 (or 4, if you're hungry)

8 lemons
3 large eggs, seperated
.5 c. sugar
2 Tbsp. flour
powdered sugar




Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat liner. Trim the tip end of each lemon so it sits upright. Cut the stem end one third of the way down, reserving top. Use a paring knife to cut around the lemon flesh. Hold lemon over a sieve-covered bowl, scoop out pulp. I recommend a mini ice cream scooper and a small spoon for this duty. After cleaning out all of the lemons, squeeze the juice from the pulp in the sieve, and set aside. Place lemon hulls on prepared baking sheet.

Gosh, I am tired just typing this out. They are really cute, okay?



Combine egg yolks, .25 cup of the sugar, .25 cup reserved lemon juice, and flour in a heat-proof mixing bowl. Using the whisk attachment on your mixer, whisk over medium speed until pale yello, about 3 minutes. Place bowl over pan of simmering water, and whisk constantly until very thick, about 8 minutes (do you hate me yet? Did you even get this far?). Remove from heat and place back under mixer; beat on medium until cool, scraping down sides periodically, about 10 minutes. This is your flavor base (basically lemon curd), and can be made a few hour before. Transfer to bowl and wash your mixing bowl (unless you are blessed with two of them).



This is pretty much the point where I went into hyper "get it done" mode, so only pictures of the finished product form here on out. I'm not sorry.

Place egg whites and the other .25 cup of sugar in the clean, dry mixing bowl (if it isn't clean and dry your meringue won't behave). Place over the simmering water again and stir until sugar dissolves and the mixture is warm to the touch. Return to mixer and beat on low until frothy. Gradually increase speed and beat until meringue is shiney and holds a stiff peak, 2-3 minutes (do not overbeat. Lord knows what will happend, but Martha scares me).

Hold on, I need to go lie down.


Okay, I'm back. Whisk one third of the meringue into the yolk mixture, then gently fold in the remaining meringue. Carefully fill the lemon shells to just below the rims. Do it neatly, wiping off any mess on the outside of the lemon. Because I fear the wrath of Martha should you do this incorrectly.

Place baking sheet in hot oven and bake until souffle is slightly golden and has risen 1 inch above the lemon shell, about 14 minutes. To serve, shake confectioners suger over the whole thing and place the lemon top alongside in a jaunty, Martha-esque manner. Serve to your guest, then go lie down with a cool compress on your forehead and a large glass of wine. Your guests will be so delighted by the cute lemon that they won't notice.


They were fine, by the way. A little sour, which is I'm sure my fault, for not trying to reach Martha-levels of perfection. But overall tasty.