Ingredients (Serves 4)
For infusing the milk:
150 milk
Half a small onion with about 4 cloves pinned to it
About 4 peppercorns
¼ bay leaf
40g of butter plus some for greasing
Around 235 g of spinach
4 med eggs (3 large) separated
2tsp flour
50 g parmesan
½ lemon (optional)
nutmeg
1 Infuse the milk
- bring to a gentle boil the following: milk, half a small onion with cloves, peppercorns, and bay leaf
- remove from heat and infuse for at least 10 min
- strain into a jug and keep warm
2 Cook and strain the Spinach
- wash spinach thoroughly
- in a saucepan, sweat a big bag of spinach (around 235g) with 15 g butter.
- Cover for 30 sec
- open lid, stir, and replace lid and time for another 30 sec.
- remove from heat and strain the spinach and squeeze out as much water.
3 Preheat oven to 190c/170 fan, butter very well four ramekins, chill, and butter again
4 Cook the white sauce
- melt 25 g butter over medium heat and stir in 2 tsp of plain flour
- lower the heat to minimum and add the milk gradually, stirring all the time.
- when all the milk is in, you should have a thick glossy paste.
- set aside
5 Blend/Process the Spinach with eggs
-separate the eggs.
- blend/process the drained spinach, juice of half a lemon (optional), egg yolks, grated parmesan, and plenty of nutmeg.
- transfer this mixture in a large bowl and mix in the white sauce. Mix thoroughly. Season.
6 The egg whites
- whisk the egg whites in another mixing bowl that's thoroughly clean and free of grease. Whisk until medium peaks.*
*beat to soft peak (i.e. if you lift the whisk, a peak of foam forms with a little curl on top). Then whisk further for about 5 sec or so. If the peak holds itself straight and pointed up (i.e. stiff peak), you went a bit far.
7 Incorporate and bake
- spoon in a third of the egg whites to the spinach/yolk mixture and stir. Then gently fold in the remaining whites.
- spoon in the mixture into the ramekins, filling them about 1/3 cm to the top. Level off with a spatula. Sprinkle the middle with grated parmesan and nutmeg. then run your thumb around the very edge of each ramekin to make a groove.
-put the ramekins onto a baking tray and bake for 18-22 min until risen and golden.
- Serve immediately
