Recipe: Parsnip Soufflés

the appetizer:

Eat locally AND seasonally with Eat Feed Autumn Winter by Anne Bramley, including recipes like Honey-Ginger Carrot Parsnip Latkes with Crème Fraîche; Parsnip Soufflés; and Venison with Cranberry-Port Relish.

Cookbook

Parsnip Soufflés

Serves 6

Try this blending of rustic good taste with haute cuisine technique.

Dry bread crumbs
1 pound parsnips
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter
1 cup milk
3 tablespoons flour
6 large eggs, separated
6 ounces Wensleydale cheese, grated
1-1/2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary
3/4 teaspoon salt

Butter 6 small ramekins or ovenproof coffee cups. Dust each with bread crumbs. (This helps the soufflé to have something to "grab" onto as it rises.) Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Peel the parsnips and cut into 2-inch lengths. Cook in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain thoroughly.

Transfer the parsnips to a food processor and cool slightly, about 15 minutes, with the lid of the processor removed. Add the butter, milk, and flour. Puree until smooth. Add the egg yolks, cheese, rosemary, and salt. Process to thoroughly combine. Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl and set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, whip the egg whites until stiff. Carefully fold the whites into the parsnip mixture in 3 batches.

Divide the mixture among the prepared ramekins. Place the ramekins on a baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes until puffed and slightly golden. Serve immediately.

It's in the Bag

It is a truth universally acknowledged that Britain has far more interesting flavors of potato chips, or crisps, than you find on the other side of the pond. One thing you can always be sure of in a British pub is getting a packet of crisps. One other thing is also certain: there are going to be pretty fascinating flavors. Give your party a bit of authenticity by picking up some of them at a British food specialist or import chain like World Market:

salt and vinegar
smoky bacon
prawn cocktail
roast chicken
lamb with Moroccan spices
Thai sweet chili
vintage cheddar and red onion chutney

What is a Pub?

"Pub" is short for public house, a building and an institution that evolved its qualities from alehouses and taverns as well as inns, hostelries and like places where hosts opened their doors to travelers in need of food and drink—thus, making a private home a public house. FYI, a publican is the person running the pub.

I have fed purely upon ale;
I have eat my ale, drank my ale,
and I always sleep upon ale.
—George Farquhar