I don't recall having had many souffles before I went vegan. In fact, I don't recall one at all. My first experience with any souffle was when as a teenager, I was inspired by one Julia Child made on tv. I attempted it, changing a few ingredients here and there, depending on what we had in the house. My souffle collapsed, and I renamed it "suffle". I later tried a second attempt, keeping closer to the original ingredients used by Ms. Child, and it too collapsed into an entirely American pronunciation.
Darren McGrady has a great story in his book about how difficult souffles can be to master, even for some of his fellow chefs in the Royal Kitchens. So it wasn't just me! I did some searching online recently to see what a traditional souffle should be like, to compare it with how my vegan version of this spinach souffle turned out. I read that "eating a souffle should be like eating a cloud." I asked my husband, Prince Consort, if he thought eating this vegan concoction of mine was like eating a cloud. "Hmmmm," he answered. "It may be like eating a really creamy, savoury cloud, I guess." We debated about what might have the texture of a cloud, and we came up with popovers, with their light, air-filled pastry, and cotton candy. This souffle is not like a popover or like cotton candy. But it is very creamy and smooth, and downright tasty. And if the Queen of England likes the original version enough to request it for dessert on occasion, it's good enough for me!
Earth Balance or other vegan butter, room temperature (for greasing the dish)
20 oz. frozen spinach
1/2 c. all purpose flour
4 T. Earth Balance or equivalent
1 1/4 c. unflavored soy milk
1/2 c. unflavored soy creamer
19 oz. soft tofu
1 block Follow Your Heart brand Vegan Gourmet mozzarella cheese
1/2 t. nutmeg
Chef McGrady uses fresh spinach, blanching it briefly before shredding it in a food processor. If you have the time and inclination, by all means do so. I found that frozen spinach worked very well and tasted just fine in the final product, so I am using it here for it's greater convenience. Thaw your spinach in the microwave, squeeze out all excess water, and either shred the thawed spinach in a food processor if you want it to be really well grated, or simply use it as is, like I did.
Adjust your oven racks so that the top rack is in the middle of the oven. Pre-heat the oven to 400. Using the room temperature vegan butter, grease your souffle pan heavily, leaving an eighth of an inch thick layer all around the top. If you don't have a souffle dish, use the deepest dish you can find, as the souffle needs to be able to rise up the sides of it to great heights. Darren suggests an 8 inch souffle dish. I used a slightly smaller souffle dish, and the souffle did spill over the edges a bit, making rather a mess, albeit a yummy mess.
In a food processor, whirl the tofu until it is completely smooth. Add the vegan mozzarella in chunks, and continue processing until smooth. In a medium to large sauce pan, heat the flour, butter, soymilk, and soy creamer over high heat, whisking constantly until you have a nice, thick sauce. Add the tofu-cheese mixture and continue whisking for a few minutes. Stir in the chopped spinach and nutmeg. Pour everything into the greased souffle dish, slide a baking sheet under the dish, and put the whole thing into the oven, on the top rack in the middle. Bake for 50 minutes, checking once after about 30. You don't want to be opening the oven door often, or your souffle won't rise as well as it should.
When your souffle is slightly golden brown, slide a knife into it at the edge. If the souffle is still liquidy, give it some more time. If the souffle is creamy, but no liquid is left, leave the souffle in the oven and turn off the heat. It is done when there is no liquid left and the top is a bit crispy.
Serve hot with creamy mushroom sauce:
1 10 ounce bag of cleaned, sliced mushrooms (white button or crimini)
a few tablespoons of a good, white wine
1 large shallot, chopped finely
a clove or two of fresh garlic, chopped or pressed, optional
1 c. unflavored soy creamer
Saute the shallot and optional garlic in the white wine for a few minutes before adding the mushrooms. Cook until the mushrooms have given off their liquid, and the liquid has cooked off. When the mushrooms are fully cooked, and there is very little liquid left from either the mushrooms or the wine, stir in the creamer. Cook for another minute or two, and serve with the hot souffle.
