Pumpkin and zucchini soufflé – fantastic soft and fragrant cheese clouds. One of the most refined preparations of haute cuisine but quite delicate, which sometimes tends to deflate after cooking, but not always. A trick to prevent the soufflé from collapsing after cooking is to surely beat the egg whites well until stiff peaks and for a long time during preparation, but also not opening the oven door to check the cooking helps to prevent the soufflés from collapsing. Personally, I found a way to make my granddaughters eat vegetables without insisting, just by setting an example; seeing the grown-ups enjoy these preparations, they follow suit. For this preparation, I used the butternut squash, which among all varieties, is the sweetest and softest, even though the best ones are small, definitely tastier, but it’s not a rule.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Medium
- Preparation time: 40 Minutes
- Portions: 3
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: French
- Seasonality: Autumn
- Energy 220.55 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 13.63 (g) of which sugars 1.53 (g)
- Proteins 15.89 (g)
- Fat 12.62 (g) of which saturated 6.05 (g)of which unsaturated 6.17 (g)
- Fibers 2.50 (g)
- Sodium 445.89 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 140 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
- 7 oz butternut squash
- 9 oz zucchini
- 1.75 oz parmesan cheese
- 3 eggs
- Half teaspoon nutmeg
- to taste black pepper
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil (for the molds)
- 2 tablespoons gluten-free breadcrumbs (for the molds)
Tools
- Cocotte
- Bowl
- Chopper
- Stand Mixer
- Spatula
- Ice Cream Scoop
- Cutting Board
Steps
Remove the skin from the pumpkin and cut it into cubes, slice the zucchini into rounds as well.
Boil pumpkin and zucchini separately since they have different cooking times.
Using a chopper, puree the cooked vegetables and drain the cooking water.
Add the egg yolks and
the parmesan cheese with the salt and pepper, nutmeg, and breadcrumbs.
Chop the vegetables until they become smooth and homogeneous
Place the egg whites in the stand mixer or use an electric whisk and whip them with a pinch of salt until they are white and form stiff peaks.
Gently fold the egg whites into the vegetable mixture using a spatula, incorporating them from bottom to top without deflating.
Butter and sprinkle breadcrumbs into 4 soufflé molds (even molds for making babà are fine)
Using an ice cream scoop, fill the molds with the vegetable mixture.
Preheat the oven to 365°F and bake the pumpkin and zucchini soufflés for 25 minutes.
And here they are, ready, the pumpkin and zucchini soufflés.
About soufflé
The soufflé was born in France, the name derives from the verb “souffler,” literally “to blow,” indicating the very light and airy texture, and since the first half of the 18th century, it is a dish of French cuisine suitable for both savory and sweet preparations.
