Crab & Shrimp Souffle

Difficulty:

1/5

Just like having fun isn’t hard with a library card, making souffles isn’t hard with this recipe in your… yard? Okay, rhymes might not be our strong suit, but delicious food is! And with roasted red peppers and licorice-y tarragon backing up sweet, fresh seafood, this souffle is a hit!

Ingredients:

1 red bell pepper
¼ cup (60 ml) grated parmesan
½ cup (120 ml) crabmeat
½ cup (120 ml) cooked shrimp
2 tablespoons (30 ml) tarragon leaves
Salt and pepper
½ cup (120 ml) butter
½ cup (120 ml) flour
1 shallot, minced
⅛ teaspoon (0.75 ml) cayenne pepper
½ cup (120 ml) milk
1 ¼ cups (300 ml) white wine
6 egg yolks
8 egg whites

Method:

Preheat broiler to high. Place the red pepper on a rack under the broiler and roast until browned all over, 10 minutes.
Place the pepper in a paper bag and allow to steam, 10 minutes more.
Rub all the skin off the pepper. Remove the stem and seeds and discard. Set the flesh of the pepper aside.
Preheat oven to 400 F (205 C). Position a rack in the middle of the oven.
Grease six 1 ¼ cup (300 ml) souffle dishes and place on a baking tray. Sprinkle the parmesan cheese evenly amongst the dishes to coat.
In a food processor, combine the roasted red pepper, crabmeat, shrimp, and tarragon. Season with salt and pepper and blitz until the mixture is finely chopped.
In a saucepan over medium heat melt the butter. Add the flour, shallot, and cayenne and cook, whisking constantly until the mixture begins to bubble, 1-2 minutes.
While whisking, gradually pour in the milk, then the wine. Allow to cook while whisking until smooth and thick, 2-3 minutes more.
Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.
In a bowl, season the egg yolks with salt and whisk. Whisk the yolks quickly into the butter/flour mixture all at once. Stir in the seafood mixture and season again with salt and pepper.
In a clean bowl, beat the egg whites to stiff peaks. Fold the beaten whites into the souffle base in thirds. Transfer the souffle mixture into the prepared dishes.
Carefully transfer the tray of dishes to the oven and bake until golden and risen, roughly 15 minutes.
Serve immediately.