Sunchoke Souffle
Kevin found this recipe from Yotam Ottolenghi, whose fabulous Jeruselem cookbook I’ve waxed on about several times here. It looks wonderful–the photo is from the recipe in the Guardian. Here’s what the chef says, let us know if you try it: Slightly sweet and vaguely mushroomy, Jerusalem artichoke is here combined with goat’s cheese, egg and lemon in a very elegant dish. Make it in ramekins or shallow, ovenproof soup bowls. Serves four to six.
Preparation
Here’s the link to the recipe–it’s in metric, which I’ll convert (loosely) for you here:
Grated zest and juice of ½ lemon
300g/.66lb Jerusalem artichokes (I’d use the .75lb. share)
30g/1 oz. walnuts
60g/ 2 oz. unsalted butter
25g/ 1 oz. plain flour
250ml/8.5 oz milk
3 small free-range eggs, separated
¼ tsp chilli flakes
½ tbsp chopped thyme
120g/ 9oz. hard goat’s cheese, grated like Moonglo (or hard cow’s milk like Marcoot aged gouda)
¼ tsp salt
Heat the oven to 200C/400F/gas mark 6. Put a baking sheet on the top shelf; this will help the soufflés rise.
Pour the lemon juice into a pan and add enough water to half-fill the pan. Peel the artichokes and immediately drop them in the water, so they don’t discolour. Once they’re all peeled, bring to a boil and simmer for 40 minutes, until soft. Drain and transfer to a small food processor bowl. Work to a purée, adding a little water, if needed, to bring it together. You will need exactly 130g of purée.
Put the ramekins in the fridge to chill. Blitz the nuts until powdery. Melt half the butter, and brush inside the ramekins. Spoon walnut powder into each ramekin and turn the dishes so it coats the base and sides. Tip out any excess powder.
Over a moderate heat, melt the remaining butter in a medium pan. Stir in the flour, cook for a minute, then gradually add the milk, stirring, until the sauce is thick and bubbles appear on its surface.
In a large bowl, mix the 130g Jerusalem artichoke purée, the egg yolks, chilli, thyme, cheese, lemon zest and salt. Add the sauce and stir until smooth. Set aside to cool down.
Put the egg whites in a large, clean, stainless-steel or glass bowl, and whisk until stiff but not dry. Add a little of the egg white mix to the artichoke base and stir to loosen, then fold in the remaining egg whites with a large, stainless-steel spoon, taking care to retain as much air as possible.
Fill up each ramekin with the soufflé mix so it comes up 1.5cm short of the top. Place on the heated baking sheet, and bake for 12-18 minutes, until golden brown and risen well. Serve at once.
• Yotam Ottolenghi is chef/patron of Ottolenghi in London.