The Essential James Beard Cookbook (42 page)

Melt the butter in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Cover and cook until the onions are just tender, about 10 minutes. Transfer to the pastry shell and mix gently with the Gruyère. Whisk together the cream and egg yolks and pour over the onion mixture. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes until the custard is set.

SHIRRED EGGS

MAKES 6 SERVINGS

Achieving perfect shirred eggs, with a delicate white and a yolk that is still liquid, can be something of an art. They must be rushed from oven to table lest they continue to cook and become hard.

1 cup heavy cream, as needed

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

6 large eggs

Pour a small amount of heavy cream in the bottoms of six ½- to ¾-cup ramekins. Carefully break 1 egg into each ramekin, add a little more heavy cream, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake in a preheated 350°F oven for about 8 minutes, or until the eggs have barely set.

VARIATIONS

SHIRRED EGGS WITH GRUYÈRE CHEESE:
After topping each egg with cream, sprinkle about 1 tablespoon shredded Gruyère cheese into each ramekin. Season and bake as above.

SHIRRED EGGS WITH DUCK LIVERS AND MADEIRA:
Oil the ramekin dishes, omitting the heavy cream. Add 1 egg to each ramekin. Cut 1 or 2 trimmed duck livers into ½-inch cubes. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the duck livers and 1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot and cook, stirring occasionally, just to sear the duck livers, about 1½ minutes. Stir in 1 tablespoon Madeira—it will evaporate. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon equal amounts of the livers into the ramekins, and bake as above.

SHIRRED EGGS WITH PESTO:
Oil the ramekin dishes, omitting the heavy cream. Add 1 egg to each ramekin. Place about 1 tablespoon peeled, seeded, and finely chopped tomato and ½ teaspoon pesto on each egg. Season and bake as above.

SHIRRED EGGS WITH HAM:
Oil the ramekin dishes, omitting the heavy cream and the salt. Add 1 egg to each ramekin. Top each with about 1 tablespoon finely chopped baked ham or frizzled Virginia ham [
Editor: Sautéed in a little butter over high heat until browned
], and season and bake as above.

SHIRRED EGGS WITH SPINACH PURÉE:
Oil the ramekin dishes, omitting the heavy cream. Add 1 egg to each ramekin. Place 1 tablespoon spinach purée [
Editor: Process thawed frozen chopped spinach in a food processor until puréed
] on top of each egg, and season and bake as above.

CHEESE SOUFFLÉ

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

The most basic of all soufflés is the one with a béchamel sauce base, into which the yolks, seasonings, and flavoring ingredients are mixed and the beaten egg whites folded in. This is the type used for almost all savory soufflés and many dessert soufflés.

Softened butter, for the dish

4 large eggs, separated, plus 1 large egg white, at room temperature

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 cup whole milk, heated

1 teaspoon kosher salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

¼ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

¹
⁄
₈
teaspoon cream of tartar (optional)

Grease the bottom and sides of a 1½-quart soufflé dish with butter. This will help the soufflé to rise and give it a nice shiny crust.

There are four steps in making a soufflé: separating the eggs, making the béchamel sauce base and adding the yolks and flavorings, beating the egg whites, and folding the egg whites into the soufflé base.

Start by separating the eggs, which should be at room temperature. Have beside you two small bowls and the large bowl in which you will beat the egg whites. Crack the center of the egg on the rim of one small bowl so the shell divides neatly into halves. Hold the egg over the bowl and tip it back and forth between the halves of the shell so the white slips into the bowl, leaving the yolk in the shell. When all the white is in the bowl, tip the egg yolk into the second small bowl and transfer the white to the bowl in which you will beat the whites. This is a precautionary measure. If by mischance a yolk should break and part of it mingles with the white, you only have to discard one egg white, not a whole batch. Continue this process until all the egg yolks are in one small bowl and all the egg whites have been transferred to the large beating bowl.

There is a safer way to separate eggs, and you should at least try it once to get the feel of the separating. Break the eggshell and tip the whole egg into the palm of your hand. Let the egg white run between your slightly parted fingers into the small bowl. Your hand is softer than an eggshell and there is less chance of the yolk breaking.

You’ll have one extra yolk in this recipe—don’t throw it away after it has been separated from the extra egg white. Store it in the refrigerator in a small screw-topped jar and use it for mayonnaise or hollandaise.

With the eggs separated, turn your attention to the sauce. Melt the butter in saucepan over medium-low heat; stir in the flour; cook the roux until frothy and then mix in the hot milk. Stir and cook until it comes to the boiling point and thickens to a rather stiff sauce consistency. Season with the salt, pepper, and nutmeg and remove from the heat. Stir the egg yolks into the sauce with a whisk or spatula until thoroughly mixed, and then mix in the cheese with the spatula.

Preheat the oven to 375°F with the rack in the center of the oven; the soufflé needs room to rise.

If you are beating the egg whites by hand, use the large balloon whip. Whisk with a vertical circular motion, at first fairly slowly and then, as the whites become foamy, more rapidly, so as to incorporate as much air as possible into the whites. If you are not using a copper bowl, add the cream of tartar when the whites are foamy. Continue to beat rapidly until the whites are thick and stiff enough to hold their shape when the beater is lifted—they should just droop over in soft peaks. Do not overbeat until they are dry and stand stiffly upright, as for a meringue. When a recipe directs you to beat egg whites until “stiff but not dry” or to the “soft-peak stage,” this is what is meant. If you are using an electric mixer or electric hand beater, watch the whites carefully as it is very easy to overbeat them.

The beaten egg whites must be folded into the soufflé mixture immediately before they have a chance to subside. With the rubber spatula take up about one-fourth of the whites and mix into the cheese-sauce mixture in the pan, which lightens the rather heavy soufflé base.

Then tip the lightened cheese mixture into the bowl of egg whites and, with your rubber spatula, fold the egg whites lightly into it. Cut down through the center of the mixture with the edge of the spatula, then draw it toward the side of the bowl; pull it up and over and then cut down again. Continue to fold very rapidly and lightly for about a minute, turning the bowl as you do so, just until the cheese sauce has mixed with the egg whites. Don’t overfold or the egg whites will deflate. There should still be little bits of unincorporated egg white visible. Immediately pour into the prepared soufflé dish and smooth the top with the rubber spatula. Put the dish in the center of the preheated oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the soufflé has risen about 2 inches above the rim of the dish and is browned on top. After 30 minutes the soufflé will be firm on the sides and still slightly creamy in the center. If you like a firmer center, bake the extra 5 minutes.

Serve the soufflé the minute you take it from the oven—soufflés can’t wait. To serve, puncture the top of the soufflé with a serving spoon and fork, pull it gently apart, and spoon onto hot plates, giving each person some of the center and some of the crusty brown exterior. All you need with this is a green salad.

For a larger soufflé, to serve 6, use a 2-quart (8-cup) dish or mold. Increase the quantities to 4 tablespoons each of butter and flour, 1½ cups of milk, 6 egg yolks, 7 or 8 egg whites, and 1¼ cups of cheese or other ingredients. Also increase the seasoning to taste, and increase the cooking time to 35 to 45 minutes.

VARIATIONS

For a
spicier cheese soufflé, add to the seasonings a dash or two of Tabasco and 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard or 1 teaspoon dry mustard (don’t add mustard or Tabasco if using Roquefort, which has a very strong flavor).

Instead of cheese, use ¼ cup of any of the following: finely ground chicken; finely ground ham plus 1 teaspoon dry mustard; well-drained pureed, cooked spinach plus 2 teaspoons grated onion; pureed, cooked broccoli; canned tuna, drained and flaked, plus 1 teaspoon lemon juice; poached, flaked finnan haddie; well-drained canned minced clams.

Substitute 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan, ¾ cup shredded Emmenthaler or Gruyère, or ¾ cup crumbled Roquefort for the cheddar cheese.

SALMON AND SOUR CREAM ROLL

MAKES 4 TO 6 SERVINGS

A rolled soufflé makes a great light luncheon dish, and the fillings are only limited by your imagination.

Softened butter, for the jelly-roll pan

4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter

½ cup all-purpose flour

2 cups whole milk, heated

3 large eggs, separated, at room temperature

1 cup sour cream

1 tablespoon Cognac

1 teaspoon kosher salt

¹
⁄
₈
teaspoon cayenne pepper or Tabasco

4 to 6 finely chopped scallions, white and green parts

½ pound smoked salmon, cut into slivers

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Butter a 10 by 15 by 1-inch jelly-roll pan, line with waxed paper, and butter the waxed paper well.

Melt the butter in a large heavy saucepan over low heat. Whisk in the flour and cook until golden, about 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in the hot milk, whisking constantly to prevent the sauce from lumping. Cook, whisking often, until simmering and thickened. Remove from the heat. Whisk together the egg yolks, 2 tablespoons of the sour cream, the Cognac, salt, and pepper, stir in about half of the sauce, and stir back into the saucepan.

Beat the egg whites until they stand in soft peaks, as for a soufflé. Fold about one-third of the whites into the yolk mixture, incorporating them completely; pour the sauce mixture onto the whites in the bowl, then fold in the remaining whites. Spread in the prepared pan, evening the top with a rubber spatula. Bake for 40 minutes, or until golden and firm to the touch.

Remove the pan from the oven and invert onto large sheets of waxed paper. Loosen the paper from the roll, and carefully peel it off. Trim the edges of the roll with a large sharp knife. Spread the roll with the remaining sour cream and sprinkle with the scallions and smoked salmon. Use the long side of the waxed paper to roll it up like a jelly roll and slide it onto a board or heated platter.

ZUCCHINI FRITTATA

MAKES 6 SERVINGS

1 cup thinly sliced onion

¹
⁄
₃
cup olive oil

3 very small zucchini, cut paper thin

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

8 large eggs

5 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese

4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 or 2 fresh basil leaves, cut into thin strips

Cook the onion in olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat until transparent, about 3 minutes. Add the zucchini and brown lightly, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat and let the onion and zucchini cook down for 4 to 5 minutes, then season with the salt and pepper. Drain off the oil and excess liquid, and cool slightly.