Sides – Page 4 – First Look, Then Cook

Forked Oven-Roasted Potatoes

Published on February 19, 2012February 19, 2012 by Dawn5 Comments

If you did not see my last post, you still have plenty of time to vote and let me know your charity of choice, just in case I happen to win. I am keeping my fingers crossed, but with the way the voting works, I am not that optimistic. I would assume that most people’s strategy will be to vote for the person you want to win, and then your next two votes will go to people who you don’t think will win – well, if everyone does that, and everyone agrees on the recipes least likely to win, they will actually win. I guess I will just have to wait and see what happens.

The potato challenge in my house has gotten easier and easier, we are now to the point that almost all the potato recipes I make, both of my girls will at least eat a small portion. A month of so ago, Bon Appetit highlighted a number of wonderful potato recipes, of which I have been trying a little at a time. This one really caught my eye, mostly because I have been eyeing these baby potatoes in the market that I have been wanting to try for a while. I actually cut the recipe in half, and didn’t even use all the oil that was specific below, and my potatoes came out wonderfully. They were a little more involved than making normal roasted potatoes, but boiling them first and then roasted them really made all the difference. They were super crispy on the outside, and soft and creamy on the inside – they were excellent. Both my girls liked them, so I will definitely be making these again. Next time I might serve them with some sour cream and chive sauce on the side…just for dipping. I can’t wait!

Ingredients

6 pounds small Yukon Gold potatoes (1 1/2″–2″-diameter), peeled
1 tablespoon kosher salt plus more
1/2 cup olive oil

Preparation

Preheat oven to 425°. Working in 2 batches, cook potatoes in a large pot of boiling salted water for 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer potatoes to a rimmed baking sheet. When cool enough to handle, firmly scrape the tines of a fork up and down potatoes, creating a rough, grooved surface.

Pour oil onto another rimmed baking sheet; bake (to heat oil) for 5 minutes. Add potatoes; turn to coat. Season with 1 tablespoon salt. Roast, turning 3 times during cooking and occasionally basting with oil, until browned and tender, 60–70 minutes.

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Truffled Mac and Cheese

Published on February 11, 2012February 11, 2012 by Dawn3 Comments

I am holding up the white flag. I feel like I was run over by a truck this week, and I can seem to get the skid marks to go away. What a week – between my older daughter’s rehearsals and performances for Annie Jr. and people coming and going from our home – that alone could have been enough to drive someone over the edge. Add to that my husband was travelling, and work seemed to explode into hundreds and hundreds of emails, all needing attention – but I was too busy in meetings to respond. I am seriously surprised I am still coherent enough to talk about it. I am sorry I missed my usual Wednesday post – but after reading this, I am sure you understand. Something (actually many, that I don’t wish to talk about right now) had to suffer – and this week my blog was one of them.

So, what do I make for dinner when my husband is away? There are times when the answer is “nothing,” although that does not make my kids very happy. Normally we have pasta. spaghetti and meatballs seems to be the fan favorite – but macaroni and cheese is another one high on the list. I saw this recipe in Cooking Light, and I really couldn’t get past the “Truffled…” Last year when I took my older daughter to Paris, she had Truffled Mac and Cheese one night for dinner – and she still talks about it. It was the best Mac and Cheese she had ever eaten. Well, this was not as good as the one in Paris (which probably had fresh truffles in it), but it was pretty darn delicious – especially for a light recipe. All of us had at least two helpings, and there was plenty left-over for the next day. It re-heated wonderfully for a Mac and Cheese recipe. I highly recommend it – the cheese was creamy, and the truffle oil really gave it that special kick. So – I am not going to tell you that this recipe will turn chaos into order, but it certainly is a nice treat. Now, back to the laundry…

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups 1% low-fat milk, divided
2 cups sliced onion (about 1 medium)
1 bay leaf
12 ounces uncooked elbow macaroni
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded fontina cheese
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded Comte or Gruyere cheese
1 1/2 teaspoons white truffle oil
2 ounces French bread baguette, torn
2 tablespoons grated fresh Parmesan cheese
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tablespoon olive oil

Preparation

Heat 1 3/4 cups milk, onion, and bay leaf in a large saucepan to 180° or until tiny bubbles form around edges (do not boil). Cover and remove from heat; let stand 15 minutes.

Cook pasta according to package directions; drain.

Strain milk mixture through a colander over a bowl; discard solids. Return milk to saucepan over medium heat. Combine remaining 1/2 cup milk and flour in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk until well blended. Gradually stir flour mixture and salt into warm milk, stirring constantly with a whisk. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring frequently; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; let stand 6 minutes or until mixture cools to 155°. Gradually add fontina and Comté cheeses, stirring until cheeses melt. Stir in pasta and truffle oil. Spoon mixture into a 2-quart broiler-safe glass or ceramic baking dish.

Preheat broiler.

Place bread, Parmesan cheese, and garlic in a food processor; process until coarse crumbs form. Drizzle with olive oil; pulse until fine crumbs form. Sprinkle breadcrumb mixture over pasta. Place dish on middle rack in oven; broil 2 minutes or until golden brown.

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, please click here: Truffled Mac and Cheese

Potato and Celery Root Mash

Published on January 29, 2012January 29, 2012 by Dawn8 Comments

What goes best with meat loaf?? You guessed it – mashed potatoes. There is nothing like dipping that meat loaf into a nice soft pile of mashed potatoes. So – I have told this story before, but it is so good, I have to tell it again. Both of my kids hated potatoes for the longest time – except for french fries, which really don’t count. It didn’t matter how I made them, they were never good enough. That was until I made these – and the fact that they were not fried, and made from real mashed potatoes – made them a complete success.

One day though, my daughter mentioned that her “cooker” at day care made mashed potatoes, and she actually ate them. I was floored. How could a woman who is cooking for 100 kids, make better mashed potatoes than me? Turns out, they were not real. Figures. I then went on a mission to make mashed potatoes that my kids would like. It took years for that to happen, but last year at Thanksgiving, they both loved the mashed potatoes.

When it was time to think of a side for the meat loaf, I was heading towards the mashed potatoes, when I saw this in Bon Appetit. They look just liked mashed potatoes, but they actually have celery root in them – one of my favorite vegetables. I decided to give it a try, without telling my kids what I had done. My older daughter, who burst into tears when trying the meat loaf, actually really liked the potato and celery root mash – that was after my younger one tried them and wasn’t crazy about them. So – at least they both ate something that night – and my husband and I ate everything. These mashers were amazing – and perfect with the meat loaf. Next time I make meat loaf, I will stick to the basics, because after all – it’s meat loaf and mashed potatoes – meat loaf and potato and celery root mash just doesn’t roll of the tongue as easily…

Ingredients

2 1/2 pounds mixed russet, Yukon Gold, and white-skinned potatoes, peeled, cut into 2″ cubes
1 1-pound celery root (celeriac), peeled, cut into 3/4″ cubes
1 6″ piece of horseradish, peeled, coarsely grated (optional)
1 1/2 cups sour cream
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter
Kosher salt

Preparation

Place potatoes, celery root, and horseradish in a large pot. Add water to cover by 1″. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-high, and simmer until vegetables are tender, 25-30 minutes.

Drain, reserving 1 cup cooking liquid. Return vegetables to pot; add sour cream, Dijon mustard, and butter. Using a potato masher, coarsely mash vegetables. Add reserved cooking liquid by tablespoonfuls if mash is too stiff. Season to taste with salt.

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, please click here: Potato and Celery Root Mash

Roasted Domino Potatoes

Published on December 26, 2011December 26, 2011 by Dawn5 Comments

I have been really into my mandoline lately. I love how easily I can take a potato and turn it into wafer thin slices for roasting. Now, nothing has come close to this recipe still, but I am having fun experimenting. So far though, potatoes and fennel have really been dominating the mandolin – soon I will have to branch out. Hopefully I can find a mandoline glove soon though, every time I take it out I hope that my fingers don’t get caught in the excitement.

I saw this recipe in Bon Appetit, and the potatoes just looked stunning. There is no other way to describe it. I couldn’t wait to get my mandoline out and try this dish. The only thing I didn’t like about this recipe, was that you need to think about what you are going to do with the scraps of potatoes you cut off to make a perfect rectangle. I actually just sliced them up and made a mini galette with a small baking dish, and cooked it alongside the other potatoes. I had to leave them in the oven longer, but they were delicious as well. Don’t worry about the shapes for that one, I called it the misfit galette. The domino potatoes were a huge hit though with my kids – they were crunchy around the edges, and soft in the middle – just a delicious treat to go with our roasted chicken (courtesy of my husband and his BGE). This is definitely a fun recipe if you are looking for something interesting to make for a dinner party, and very easy once you slice up the potatoes. So, my mandoline does it again, and fortunately I spared my fingers once again – I am off to buy a glove before my luck runs out!

Ingredients

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, divided
3 1/2 pounds Idaho potatoes (4–6 large)
24 (about) fresh or dried bay leaves
Kosher salt and fleur de sel

Preparation

Preheat oven to 425°F. Brush a 13x9x2″ baking dish or cast-iron griddle with 2 tablespoons butter. Peel potatoes and trim ends (do not rinse). Trim all 4 sides of potatoes to form a rectangle. Using a mandoline, cut potatoes crosswise into 1/8″ slices, keeping slices in stacks as best you can.

Re-form slices from each potato into a stack. Place in prepared dish, fanning apart slightly like a deck of cards. Insert bay leaves between potato slices at even intervals. Season with salt and drizzle with
remaining 4 tablespoons butter.

Bake potatoes, rotating the dish halfway through cooking, until the edges are crisp and golden and the centers are tender, about 1 hour. Sprinkle with fleur de sel.

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, please click here: Roasted Domino Potatoes

Truffled Pommes Anna

Published on November 9, 2011 by Dawn3 Comments

Who remembers this? That was just about the best potato dish I have ever made – so wonderful and buttery, thin and delicate, with a wonderful crunchy outside edge. Just the perfect side dish, seriously. There was only one problem, it just didn’t look that good, it was just too brown. It didn’t taste burnt, but it was just on the edge. I happen to like things just a little extra done, but not everyone does. I made that potato dish a least a few times before I felt like I could take a picture, and to tell you the truth, I still was not completely satisfied with the appearance.

This month I was flipping through my Cooking Light and I almost passed right over this recipe – thinking to myself – how could this one come even close to the one from Cook’s Illustrated? It was the best potato dish ever? Well, I decided that I just had to prove that to myself, and I gave it a shot. I should always remind myself to keep an open mind about recipes – just because you thought you found the perfect one, doesn’t mean that there can’t be a better one. In a way, that is why I never ever get bored with cooking, I am constantly longing to find the next best… Ok, back to the story. So, needless to say, this recipe has a fraction of the butter, and was really much simpler to make – since there was not a cornstarch step. I also followed the recipe exactly, and used my cast iron pan. I think that was the magic it needed. When I flipped this baby over onto the plate, lifted off the pan – I screamed. I couldn’t believe how beautiful it was – it came out PERFECT!!! Just the right amount of crisp on top, and it was perfectly browned. The only thing left was to eat it. It couldn’t possibly taste as good without all that butter, BUT NO – it was SO MUCH BETTER!!!! That truffle oil made the entire dish!! No need for all that butter, and really, the amount of truffle oil seemed rediculously trivial, but it turned this potato dish into restaurant quality, no joking.

Do not pass go, do not collect $200 – go immediately to the store and get the ingredients, then go straight to the kitchen and watch the magic happen…

Ingredients

2 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme, divided
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Cooking spray
2 1/2 pounds baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/8-inch-thick slices
2 1/2 teaspoons white truffle oil, divided

Preparation

Preheat oven to 450°.

Combine 2 teaspoons thyme and kosher salt in a small bowl.

Drizzle butter into a 10-inch cast-iron skillet coated with cooking spray. Arrange a layer of slightly overlapping potato slices in a circular pattern in pan; sprinkle with about 1/2 teaspoon salt mixture and drizzle with 1/2 teaspoon truffle oil. Repeat layers 4 times, ending with truffle oil. Press potato mixture firmly to pack. Cook over medium-high heat for 6 minutes without stirring.

Cover with foil, and bake at 450° for 20 minutes on bottom rack in oven.

Uncover and bake an additional 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender when pierced with a knife. Loosen edges of potatoes with a spatula or knife. Place a plate upside down on top of pan; invert potatoes onto plate. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 teaspoon thyme.

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Savory Bread Puddings with Ham and Cheddar

Published on October 26, 2011 by Dawn5 Comments

Finally a savory dish, I told you I have been doing a lot of baking lately. I find it ironic though that the savory dish I decide to post just happens to be a bread pudding… I have mentioned this before, but I never liked bread pudding growing up. I found it disgusting that you could turn a loaf of bread into a dessert, it just wasn’t right. I really didn’t start liking sweet bread puddings until a few years ago – and that was when I tried banana bread pudding, wow, was that amazing. It was shortly after that I decided to dapple with a savory bread pudding, and what I realized was that it really was just a very moist stuffing, and who doesn’t love stuffing?

I saw this recipe in Cooking Light and there were two reasons why I just had to make it. One, because I love stuffing, and the thought of adding ham and cheddar to the mix was one I was pretty excited about. Second, they are served in ramekins. Remember, I am a sucker for anything that is served in a ramekin – I don’t know what it is about that ramekin, but in my mind, anything tastes better when served in a cute little dish. Well, they were a big hit – with everyone, including the kids. The only problem we had was that the ramekins were just too hot for them coming out of the oven, so I had to scoop some out for them onto their plate – unfortunately they didn’t get to experience the true effect of the ramekin, but it still worked out. So – if you are just so-so on bread pudding, this is a great one to get you started – next you will be searching online for the banana bread version…

Ingredients

8 ounces multigrain bread with seeds, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
Cooking spray
3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
1/4 cup chopped green onions, divided
3/4 cup fat-free milk
1/4 cup fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 ounces lower-sodium ham, minced
2 large egg yolks, lightly beaten
3 large egg whites
4 teaspoons reduced-fat sour cream

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375°.

Place bread cubes on a jelly-roll pan; coat with cooking spray. Bake at 375° for 10 minutes or until lightly toasted, turning once. Remove from oven; cool.

Combine bread, 1/2 cup cheese, 3 tablespoons onions, and next 5 ingredients (through egg yolks) in a large bowl. Place egg whites in a small bowl, and beat with a mixer at high speed until foamy (about 30 seconds). Gently fold egg whites into bread mixture.

Spoon about 1 cup bread mixture into each of 4 (7-ounce) ramekins coated with cooking spray. Divide the remaining 1/4 cup cheese and remaining 1 tablespoon onions evenly among ramekins. Bake at 375° for 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Top each serving with 1 teaspoon sour cream.

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, please click here: Savory Bread Puddings with Ham and Cheddar

Zucchini Fritters

Published on October 5, 2011October 8, 2011 by Dawn8 Comments

Time for another vegetable challenge. I love playing this game with my vegetable adverse children because when there is a winner, everyone wins – my kids get some extra good nutrients in their body, and I feel good that I made something they like. This time it was zucchini/squash. I swear this should be a show on the Food Network – I can see it now, a different group of children are selected for each episode, based on a particular food that they cannot stand to eat. It is up to the cooks to turn that ingredient into something they find amazing. Then all those parents like me will use those recipes on our own kids. I am not talking about hiding the food in the dish somewhere, I think the kid actually has to recognize that the are eating this food for it to really be a challenge. Who’s with me on this one?

This was the first summer that we actually got a decent amount of zucchini from our garden – we didn’t get a lot of anything else, but at least we got some of that. All summer I made some wonderful sautéed zucchini with shallots and dill – which my husband and I absolutely loved – but the girls, not so much. I happened to be blog surfing one night, and saw this recipe on one of my favorite sites, Smitten Kitchen. Unfortunately I had eaten up all of the zucchini, but I did have a couple of yellow squash left, so I decided to give it a try. Wow were there incredible!!! They were so easy to make, and ridiculously delicious. I think the secret is warming them up in the oven before you serve them – they get a really nice crispy edge that way. The kids loved them – and they could tell they were made from squash…big winner. So – for all you Moms out there looking for recipes to turn your kids into vegetable lovers, where you are not spending hours mincing up the ingredients so the kids have no idea what they are eating – this one is for you.

Ingredients

1 pound (about 2 medium) zucchini or yellow squash
1 teaspoon coarse or Kosher salt, plus extra to taste
2 scallions, split lengthwise and sliced thin
1 tablespoon fresh chopped dill
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Olive or another oil of your choice, for frying
Sour cream (optional)

Preparation

Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Have a baking sheet ready.

Trim ends off zucchini or squash (or combination of the two) and grate them either on the large holes of a box grater or, if you have one, using the shredding blade of a food processor.

In a large bowl, toss squash with 1 teaspoon coarse salt and set aside for 10 minutes. Wring out the squash in one of the following ways: pressing it against the holes of a colander with a wooden spoon to extract the water, squeezing out small handfuls at a time, or wrapping it up in a clean dishtowel or piece of cheese cloth and wringing away.

Return deflated mass of squash shreds to bowl. Taste and if you think it could benefit from more salt (most rinses down the drain), add a little bit more (about 1/4 teaspoon). Stir in scallions, dill, egg and some freshly ground black pepper. In a tiny dish, stir together flour and baking powder, then stir the mixture into the squash batter.

In a large heavy skillet — heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Drop small bunches of the zucchini/squash mixture onto the skillet only a few at a time so they don’t become crowded and lightly nudge them flatter with the back of your spatula. Cook the fritters over moderately high heat until the edges underneath are golden, about 3 to 4 minutes. If you find this happening too quickly, reduce the heat to medium. Flip the fritters and fry them on the other side until browned underneath again, about 2 to 3 minutes more. Drain briefly on paper towels then transfer to baking sheet and then into the warm oven until needed. Repeat process, keeping the pan well-oiled, with remaining batter. I like to make sure that the fritters have at least 10 minutes in the oven to finish setting and getting extra crisp. Serve with a dollop of sour cream and dill if desired.

Do ahead: These fritters keep well, either chilled in the fridge for the better part of a week and or frozen in a well-sealed package for months. When you’re ready to use them, simply spread them out on a tray in a 325 degree oven until they’re hot and crisp again.

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, please click here: Zucchini Fritters

Classic Coleslaw

Published on August 31, 2011 by Dawn2 Comments

The good old classic coleslaw, it almost goes synonymous with a summer holiday weekend. Coleslaw goes with anything, especially anything that has been grilled. This summer in NYC, we visited one of my favorite delis, the one that brings a big metal bowl of pickles and one of coleslaw to every table. I couldn’t even wait for my corned beef sandwich to come, I just had to dig right in. Fortunately there were six of us, so they brought us a few bowls of coleslaw, because I plowed through one of them pretty quickly. By the time my sandwich came, I had to dig into the second bowl. Their coleslaw is amazing, there is no mayonnaise, just a vinegar dressing that the cabbage has been soaking in for probably days. It is crunchy and absolutely addicting – by itself, or in between a sandwich that is already bigger than your mouth. Oh wait, and did I tell you about the chocolate soda they bring around after your meal? Just classic.

I decided to make some coleslaw to go with our BBQ, and I searched for a recipe that would be good, and I just couldn’t find anything that appealed to me – until I found this on Epicurious (from Bon Appetit). I figured since it was called Classic Coleslaw, I couldn’t go wrong. Really what sold me on the recipe was the fact that it had diced dill pickles and pickle juice in the dressing. I decided to change the recipe slightly though, and added radicchio instead of purple cabbage, for a nice twist. I was glad I did, I liked the slight bitterness with the tangy dressing. So – it still didn’t hold a candle to the deli coleslaw, but it was still classic in its own way. Look at that picture, is that classic coleslaw or what?

Ingredients

2/3 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup minced onion
3 tablespoons minced dill pickle plus 2 tablespoons pickle brine
2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
1 tablespoon prepared white horseradish
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon celery seeds
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 cups shredded cabbage
3 cups shredded carrots
3 cups shredded radicchio

Preparation

Whisk the first 9 ingredients in a medium bowl to blend.

DO AHEAD Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled.

Toss the cabbage, carrots and raddichio together in a large serving bowl. Add the dressing, and mix to coat.

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, please click here: Classic Coleslaw

Lemony Cucumber Salad

Published on August 10, 2011 by Dawn2 Comments

Are you wondering what to do with all those cucumbers in your garden? I am not asking that question of myself, because unfortunately we stopped growing cucumbers years ago, since my husband is not a fan. I am a huge fan though, so I end up buying them at the farmer’s markets along with other goodies that we don’t have growing in the back yard.

I have probably told this story before, but when we lived in Denver, my husband (boyfriend at the time) grew everything imaginable – whether he liked it or not. Cucumbers seemed to grow like weeds, we had way more than I knew what to do with – and that’s when he told me he wasn’t a fan. So what did I do? I bought some italian dressing, cut the cucumbers in slices, and kept a huge Tupperware container of them marinating in the refrigerator. I was young then, only a couple of years out of college – with no internet, and very few cook books. This was the best I could do – and I loved them – I probably ate a cucumber a day for a month. I probably should have just made pickles and ate them throughout the year….live and learn.

I saw this recipe in Cooking Light, and it just seemed like the perfect summer salad – I could find almost everything at the farmer’s market. Since I was using cucumbers and knew my husband wouldn’t eat any, I didn’t feel badly at all putting vinegar in the dressing. It was a delicious salad, that tasted even better the next day. So, if you don’t want to make pickles with all your cucumbers this year – try this one instead!

Ingredients

1 cup thinly sliced radishes
1/2 cup finely chopped orange bell pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 English cucumbers, thinly sliced (about 6 cups)
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon rind
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

Combine first 4 ingredients in a large bowl.

Combine lemon rind and remaining ingredients in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Pour over cucumber mixture; toss well to coat. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, please click here: Lemony Cucumber Salad

Spinach and Parmesan Souffles

Published on August 3, 2011 by Dawn4 Comments

I have a little secret that I have been waiting to write about…I took my older daughter to Paris this past April. We went to visit with my mother and step-father who were there for an extended vacation. It was more than amazing, it was just spectacular. It was the everything I imagined it would be, and much more. I love Paris, have always loved Paris, since studying in France during college – but it was so special sharing it with my daughter – and my parents, who love their food as much as I do. She was the best traveller ever – she let me march her all around the city, eating everything in sight, and she loved it. We had wonderful meals every day that my parents chose, and they were just so happy to be our tour guides.

For lunch one day, we went to a wonderful restaurant near the Bon Marche that serves souffles called La Cigale Recamier – and they were out of this world. I ordered an asparagus souffle (picture above) for my lunch that was incredible – the flavor was just outrageous and oh so creamy – it melted in my mouth. For dessert my daughter and I shared a vanilla souffle with caramel, again, it just kept getting better and better….

I saw this recipe in Cooking Light, and I figured I would give it a try. My younger daughter, who is now yearning to go to Paris, needed to try one. The final product was nothing like in Paris (aside from the fact that it was much healthier I’m sure), but it was still delicious, and both my girls ate them up – even though they had bits of spinach. I would say that is definitely a win – and now she thinks she is definitely ready for a trip to Paris…I know I am.

Ingredients

Cooking spray
1 1/2 tablespoons dry breadcrumbs
1 (6-ounce) package fresh baby spinach
2/3 cup fat-free milk
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup (2 ounces) freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
2 large egg yolks
4 large egg whites
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

Preparation

Place a baking sheet in the oven. Preheat oven to 425°.

Coat 4 (6-ounce) ramekins with cooking spray; sprinkle evenly with breadcrumbs, tilting and turning dishes to coat sides completely.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Lightly coat pan with cooking spray. Add spinach; cook for 2 minutes or until spinach wilts, tossing constantly. Place spinach in a colander; let stand 5 minutes. Squeeze excess liquid from spinach. Coarsely chop spinach.

Combine 2/3 cup milk and the next 4 ingredients (through black pepper) in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Cook for 2 minutes or until mixture is thick and bubbly, stirring constantly. Spoon mixture into a large bowl, and let stand for 10 minutes. Stir in spinach, cheese, and egg yolks.

Combine egg whites and cream of tartar in a large bowl, and let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes. Beat with a mixer at high speed until medium peaks form (do not overbeat). Gently stir one-fourth of egg whites into spinach mixture, and gently fold in the remaining egg whites. Gently spoon mixture into prepared dishes. Sharply tap dishes 2 or 3 times on counter to level. Place dishes on preheated baking sheet; return baking sheet to 425° oven. Immediately reduce oven temperature to 350°; bake soufflés at 350° for 21 minutes or until puffy and golden brown. Serve immediately.