Saturday Test Kitchen, part two: Ham and Cheese Souffles

I was a little shocked that these even turned out.  I've never had much luck with souffles in the past and I suspected that my crazy experiment would end in utter failure.

The recipe is adapted from one I found in Saveur magazine, substituting chickpea flour and replacing half the butter with olive oil.  I figure, we're going to have to find ways to keep us entertained and not just for the duration of the diet, but for perhaps the rest of our lives.

If I can work up enough of a repertoire, maybe we'll be eating well and healthy for a very long time.  I don't want to cut corners on flavor, but I don't want to rely upon a corporate food lab to formulate carb-free and low fat "food" for me.  I want most of my food sources to be relatively unprocessed, if that's at all possible.  I guess I tend to see things through a classical cooking perspective.  I wouldn't say I'm conventional, but I think hundreds of years of European cookery can't be all wrong.  Like the toast points I wrote about earlier, these would lend themselves spectacularly to a dinner party or an elegant brunch.  Ideally, I would serve these with blanched asparagus, tossed in a simple vinaigrette.

I used finely chopped Canadian bacon and extra sharp white cheddar to flavor these.  If you use a muffin tin, as I did here, the recipe makes 12 mini souffles.  If you use ramekins, as they did in the Saveur article, the recipe makes 6 single serving souffles.  See my altered version of the recipe below...

Ham and Cheese Souffles

1 tbsp light (suitable for heating) olive oil

1 tbsp butter

1 shallot or spring onion, finely chopped

3 tbsp chickpea flour

1 1/2 cups almond milk

4 oz. grated sharp white cheddar

1/2 tsp. mustard powder

1/8 tsp. cayenne

1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg

6 eggs, separated

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 oz. finely chopped ham

1 1/2 tbsp. finely chopped chives

1.  In a 2 qt. saucepan, melt 1 tbsp of butter with 1 tbsp of olive oil over medium heat.  Add the shallots/spring onion; cook until soft, 2 mins.  Whisk in the chickpea flour to make a smooth paste; slowly add almond milk while whisking.  Bring the sauce to a simmer, stirring, until thickened, about 5 minutes.  Remove from heat; stir in the cheddar, mustard powder, cayenne, nutmeg, egg yolks, and salt and pepper.  Return saucepan to medium heat and stir until the consistency is almost custard-like, 3-4 minutes.  Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl, stir in the ham and the chives; chill in fridge for 30 minutes.

2.  Heat oven to 375 F.  Grease your ramekins or muffin tins with canola or olive oil cooking spray.  In a large bowl or in a stand mixer, whip the egg whites to stiff peaks.  Incorporate the whipped egg whites into the cheese mixture, adding one third of the whites at a time.  Fold gently until most of the white foam is no longer visible.  The batter should be fluffy and foamy.  Gently divide the batter into the greased ramekins/muffin tins.  If using ramekins, place them on a rimmed baking sheet.  Use a clean damp cloth to wipe away any spills or overflow along the edges of each cup.  Bake until golden brown and puffed, about 30 minutes.  Serve these immediately--they deflate fairly soon after they come out of the oven.