Last month I got a wonderful gift from Fer, my virtual friend who hosts the blog “Chucrute com Salsicha“. She sent me a cookbook: The Vegetarian Epicure Book Two, written by Anna Thomas. Anna’s family was originally from Poland, but she was born in Germany, and moved to the US as a young child. While in college at film school in UCLA, she wrote a masterpiece of a cookbook, The Vegetarian Epicure, at a time when avoiding meat was not very common. I enjoyed my gift so much that I could not resist getting her most recent book, Love Soup. It will have a special spot in our home, as the first cookbook I bought this year. By exercising considerable restraint, I lasted through the first week of February. I certainly make my readers proud! ;-)Fer’s thoughtful gift arrived at our doorstep on a Thursday. Forty eight hours later, we enjoyed this very delicious souffle.
BROCCOLI-WALNUT SOUFFLE
(reprinted with permission from Anna Thomas)
Original recipe in The Vegetarian Epicure Book 2, published by Alfred Knopf, New York, 1988
4 Tbs butter
4 Tbs flour
1 + 1/2 cup hot milk
5 egg yolks
1 + 1/2 cups chopped cooked broccoli
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts (I lightly toasted them first)
2 Tbs minced onions
2 Tbs grated Parmigiano cheese
1/2 tsp salt, ground black pepper to taste
7 egg whites
pinch of cream of tartar
Butter a 2-quart souffle dish and tie a buttered “collar” made of parchment paper if you want (I omitted this step).
Melt the butter in a saucepan and stir in the flour. Cook the roux over medium heat for a minute or two, stirring constantly. Then add the hot milk and stir with a whisk as the sauce thickens.
When the sauce is smooth, remove it from the heat and whisk in the egg yolks, one by one. Then add the cooked broccoli, the walnuts, the onions, and the cheese. Stir well and season with salt and pepper.
In another bowl, add a pinch of cream of tartar to the egg whites and beat them with a clean whisk or beater until they are stiff enough to form peaks. Stir about 1 cup of the beaten egg whites into the warm sauce. Now add the remaining egg whites and gently fold them in, making sure not to lose the air incorporated into it.
Pile the souffle into the prepared dish, place it in the middle of a 375 F oven, and bake it for 40 to 45 minutes.
Serve immediately. Remember, a souffle waits for no one… 😉
ENJOY!
to print the recipe, click here
Comments: We always alternate cooking days. One day I’m in charge, the other day it’s Phil. That Saturday, mid-afternoon, Phil looks at me and asks “Am I cooking tonight?” Before I could answer, he remembered that no, it would be me. He quickly changed the question to “What are we having tonight?” I tried to be as nonchalant as possible, “We are having a souffle“. Oh, the big smile that I love so much! But, how could a souffle not bring a smile? It makes any meal special…
This version is heartier than your regular cheese souffle, with the broccoli and the nuts. It is satisfying, creamy, and delicious to the last bite! It won’t rise as lightly as a cheese-only, as the eggs need to carry heavier stuff with them. But, what it might lack in airy nature, it compensates with flavor. I think it is wonderful as a full meal, served with a salad and a piece of bread. But, if you absolutely must have some meat with it, a simple roast chicken will do. French home-cooking at its best!
Double thank you is in order: Fer, thanks for sending me this book, and Anna, thank you for your kind emails, and giving me permission to publish your recipe in my blog! Your Love Soup is such a great book, I already have 5 or 6 recipes fighting to be prepared first… 😉
ONE YEAR AGO: Voila’ les baguettes!
TWO YEARS AGO: Cornmeal English Muffins
THREE YEARS AGO: Butterflied Cornish hens with apricot-pistachio dressing
Bewitching Kitchen 
You made one beautiful-looking soufflé, Sally! I’ve never attempted one so I am in awe of this. That fist picture is stunning!If it tastes half as good as it looks, it must have been wonderful!
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Tasted great! I used to be initimidated by souffles and risottos, but now I love making them
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That is beautiful and sounds very good to me. Do you think it would be a problem to saute the onions slightly in the butter before making the roux?
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Not at all, I’d say go for it!
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“Special cookbook” is a siren for me. I didn’t know that she had published another book. Looks beautiful
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You and me both… I sometimes feel a bit guilty looking at my bookshelves, but… some women spend money on jewelry, let’s say my weaknesses are a lot more affordable! 😉
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Looks absolutely beautiful!
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Thank you! It deflated somewhat once I got the picture taken, but it was still “puffy” enough
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That looks beautiful and delicious, Sally. I have Anna Thomas’s first book. The recipes are very rich as were many vegetarian ones in earlier days. I was a teen when I made my first souffle. Just pulled one of my mother’s cookbooks out and made the recipe. It was a simple cheese souffle and it was perfect. Funny thing is I expected it to be fine. I was lucky in my early cooking experiences. I’ve had my share of failures since! Many are not fortunate and give up which is sad. You’d never give up. Not my Sally! 🙂
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Just got a note from Gary asking me about that genoise cake and when I’ll be making it. I had to smile…. I cannot say I fully gave up the idea, but at the present time I almost prefer to go to the dentist instead 😉
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You’ll tackle genoise someday. You’re doing very well right now as busy as you are. Gary must be bored to be taunting you with genoise. 😉
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Wow, so impressive Sally! Anytime someone offers soufflé, I just feel the love and attention put into making it…and hoping it rises so beautifully. I love that this could be a main meal with just a salad side. My soufflé dish broke in the move so now I really have a need to buy another one!
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Isn’t it amazing everything that happens during a move? My crockpot I gave away, and now find a ton of recipes I’d like to make with it. And, I have no clue where my special bag of Herbes de Provence ended. I had it in the freezer and it is nowhere to be found. A special gift from a special friend. Frustrating.
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I just love coming here, your recipes are just the sort I’m dying to try. I’ve never made souffle, but your photos and recipe are so inspiring, Sally. What a wonderful gift.. and a true gift is that your husband cooks every other day! xx
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Indeed, Barbara! It is wonderful that Phil shares the cooking, it takes a huge load off. I imagine how hard it is for couples in which one person is always in charge of preparing (or providing) meals. If both work the whole day, it seems pretty tricky to me
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What a special cookbook, and what a wonderful recipe to share from it. Now I need to get my hands on a copy. Your souffle looks gorgeous. They really shine when they turn out well! Thank you for sharing….and for injecting a dose of delicious into my day. I hope you have a great end to your week!
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Thank you Monet! I find that even more important than how high they raise, is being properly cooked inside. Sometimes that is not easy to achieve, and I’ve had both kinds, undercooked and overcooked. Still “edible”, of course, but when you hit it perfectly it is heaven!
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Sally, esse suflê ficou o fino da bossa! beijo :-*
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Ficou mesmo uma delicia Fer! Obrigada de novo pelo presente – e que maravilha o livro novo dela. Estou curtindo muito…
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How romantic and fun to alternate cooking days with your man and I agree, a souffle makes everything a little more special. Love the addition of walnut here! Delicious.
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Yes, we have been alternating cooking days ever since we got married – next month it will be 13 years!
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Gorgeous!
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Who, me? 😉 (couldn’t resist,…. )
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No, we’re back to Tony Horton!
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Good one! Never forget, Aleve is your friend! Ibuprofen not bad either… 😉 Did Kenpo today, a favorite of mine
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So reminds me of the simple broccoli soufflé that I made back in the 70’s and using the same white soufflé dish to this day no matter how many moves later. To make me feel older, my babysitter for my daughter called me about 15 years back asking for the broccoli soufflé recipe that I used to make for them. My daughter just turned 40 and needless to say the soufflé is a go to recipe in our house.
Try it with red walnuts.
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