New Series: Sunday Supper

Sunday afternoons are when I do my weekly shopping trip. Mark currently works weekends so I am home alone and have the day to relax and complete any projects I have going. I decided to start making a big Sunday meal each week because I have this free time. Now it may not be BIG (it is just Mark and me eating after all), but I want to use this time to experiment with new recipes and get away from the "standard" dishes we cook during the week.

So here is the start of a weekly series! Sunday Supper. I will post the week's recipe and pictures of the finished product. Hopefully most ventures will be successful but I will share the failures as well!

This week I was inspired when watching a cheese soufflé challenge on an episode of Master Chef. So for our first Sunday Supper I made a Smoked Gruyere Cheese Soufflé and Crostini with Shiitake Mushrooms and Pancetta. Thankfully this was a great success! The soufflé was light and fluffy but still moist. I used a smoked Gruyere to complement the pancetta in the Crostini, but any type of cheese that melts smoothly will work just fine. Here are the recipes:

Cheese Soufflé (Serves 2)

Ingredients

3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
2 teaspoons flour
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup grated Gruyere or Cheddar
pinch cayenne pepper
pinch nutmeg
2 egg yolks
2 egg whites
pinch salt


Directions

Heat oven to 375° F. Grease one 16-ounce or two 8-ounce ramekins with 1 tablespoon of butter. Coat with the Parmesan, then tap out the excess. Set aside.

In a small saucepan, over medium heat, melt the remaining butter. Stir in the flour and cook 1 minute. Whisk in the milk and cook, stirring constantly, until the sauce boils, 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in the cheese until melted. Blend in the cayenne and nutmeg. Whisk in the yolks one at a time. Set aside. (The recipe can be made to this point up to 1 day ahead. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.)

In a clean bowl, beat the egg whites with the salt until stiff (but not dry) peaks form. Stir 1/4 of the egg whites into the cheese sauce to loosen it. Gently fold in the remaining egg whites. Spoon into the ramekins.

Bake until puffed and browned, 40 minutes for a 16-ounce soufflé, 20 minutes for two smaller ones. Serve immediately.

Mushroom Pancetta Crostini (Serves 6-8)


Ingredients

One baguette, sliced thin on the bias
One tablespoon olive oil
4 ounces pancetta, chopped fine
12 ounces shiitake mushrooms, sliced thin
One small shallot shallot, peeled and finely diced
One teaspoon fresh chopped thyme


Directions

Spread baguette slices on a cookie sheet and bake at 375 degrees until golden brown.

Sauté pancetta in olive oil until fat is rendered. Add mushrooms and shallots, sautéing until cooked through. Add thyme and fresh pepper. Spoon mushroom mixture onto baguette slices and serve garnished with more thyme.

~Hannah