Beetroot Souffle

Souffle is one of my all time favourite dishes. Mainly due to its versatility. It can be served as a starter, light meal or a dessert. You also don’t need fancy or expensive ingredients – just use what you have at hand to whip up a variety of sweet and savoury variations. It is also great for utilizing leftovers! I used 50% milk and 50% pickled beetroot juice to get this amazing colour. See my Facebook page for a video on how to fold the egg white into the white (or should I say pink?) sauce.

50 g butter
60 ml cake flour
125 ml milk
125 ml pickled beetroot juice
3 extra large eggs, separated
125 ml feta cheese, finely chopped
125 ml pickled beetroot, finely chopped
2.5 ml salt
2.5 ml freshly ground black pepper

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180 ° C.
2. Grease a 1.5 litre soufflé dish (25 cm in diameter and 10 cm high) with non-stick cooking spray.
3. Melt the butter in a small saucepan.
4. Remove the saucepan from the heat and add the cake flour. Mix well to make a roux.
5. Combine the milk and beetroot juice in a measuring jug.
6. Add the liquid and stir until it is incorporated in the butter and flour mixture.
7. Return the saucepan to the stove and cook over a medium heat until you have a smooth sauce. Set the saucepan aside.
8. Separate the eggs and transfer the egg whites to a medium mixing bowl. Set it aside.
9. Add the egg yolks to the sauce and mix well.
10. Add the beetroot, feta, salt and pepper to the sauce and mix well.
11. Beat the egg whites with an electric hand mixer until the stiff peaks stage. Be careful not to overbeat the egg whites.
12. Use a large metal spoon and stir a third of the egg whites into the sauce to lighten the mixture.
13. Add the rest of the egg whites and fold it into the sauce until everything is well mixed.
14. Pour the mixture into the prepared dish.
15. Place the dish in the oven and bake for 40 to 45 minutes. Do not open the oven!
16. The souffle is done when it is browned on top, well risen and beginning to crack.  It should feel springy in the centre.
17. Serve it immediately.

Notes

– Substitute the feta cheese with Parmesan cheese, goat’s cheese or blue cheese.
– Substitute the pickled beetroot with cooked or oven-roasted beetroot. Simply roast unpeeled beetroot at 200  ° C for 1 to 1.5 hours until soft. Peel and quarter.
– Substitute the pickled beetroot juice with milk or prepared stock.
– Substitute the beetroot for broccoli, baby marrow, pumpkin, etc.
– A souffle dish is round and has fluted sides. It can be as small as 9 cm in diameter (200 ml) to 25 cm in diabmeter (2 liters). The one I used is 22 cm in diameter.