Krab and Wild Rice Soufflé

Okay, the following recipe started out as a "let's do something with these damn leftovers" and turned into the most amazing thing I've ever made. The Krab meat is cheap white fish with crab flavor added. Cheap stuff you can find near the deli or fish section. The wild rice had been a bit of leftover rice from the night before. It really added a nice touch so I'd say prepare some wild rice on the side and then use a little bit of it in the soufflé.

Ingredients

  • 3 eggs, separated
  • 1 cup grated yarlsberg (or swiss) cheese
  • 3 tbsp butter
  • 3 tbsp flour
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 1 green onion, chopped
  • 1/2 cup Krab meat, diced or chunked
  • 1/3 cup cooked wild rice
  • dash of tabasco
  • 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
  • 1 tsp thyme
  • pinch of salt

Step-by-stepInstructions

  1. Heat the milk. (A microwave is excellent at this. 1 min. Or on the stove but don't get it boiling.) In a small saucepan heat butter and flour until bubbly. Cook the roux just until it's about to brown. (Don't panic if it browns, just stop.) Remove from heat and add the milk slowly. Stir until smooth. Add a spoonful of the hot mixture to the egg yolks. Stir. Repeat once or twice. Return yolk mixture to the sauce. Add most of the cheese—leave some to sprinkle on top later—and stir until melted, smooth and even. You may need to return to low/medium heat but don't get it bubbling! Add thyme, tabasco, salt, onion, 1/3 of the Krab mixture. Stir.
  2. In the baking dish layer the bottom with a sprinkling of the wild rice. (Just enough to coat the bottom.) Sprinkle the remaining 2/3 of the Krab as the next layer.
  3. Beat the whites with 1/4 tsp tartar until "stiff but not dry". Mix 1/4 of the whites into the sauce, mix slightly, fold sauce back into remaining whites. FOLD just a little bit. Don't mix it too much.
  4. Pour mixture into the prepared baking dish and sprinkle remaining cheese over top.
  5. Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 35-45 minutes. (Less if you use serving-sized ramakins.) Until the top has a golden brown color.
  6. Serve immediately. Eat it all. (Souffles do not reheat.)

This recipe is a variation on the Basic Soufflé recipe, showing how easy it is to adapt the foundation to whatever ingredients you have on hand.

AI Editorial Notes:

  • CRITICAL INFO ADDED: The original recipe was missing the oven temperature. I've added the standard 350°F (175°C) from the base soufflé recipe. Please validate this is correct.
  • Added a cross-reference link to the basic soufflé recipe in a new "Notes" section for clarity.
  • All ingredients in the list are successfully accounted for in the instructions.