Wild Rice and Blue Cheese Skillet Souffle

Williams-Sonoma Kitchen Library Beans & Rice, p. 82

¼ cup (1 ½ oz/45 g) wild rice

1 cup (8 fl oz/250 ml) water, boiling

½ teaspoon salt, but salt to taste

2 tablespoons milk or cream

3 oz (90 g) blue cheese such as Maytag, Roquefort, or Gorgonzola, crumbled

6 eggs, lightly beaten

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 yellow onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

¾ lb (375 g) spinach, carefully washed, well dried and coarsely chopped

Freshly ground pepper

6 tablespoons (1 ½ oz/45 g) freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Rinse the rice well and drain. Place in a saucepan and add the boiling water and the ½ teaspoon salt. 

Wild rice is just the prettiest thing.

Bring to a boil, stirring, until the rice is tender, about 40 minutes. Check the pan from time to time and ad a little water if the pan is dry but the rice is not yet ready. Fluff the grains with a fork and let cool completely.

In a bowl, using a fork, mash together the milk or cream and blue cheese. Add the eggs and rice; mix well. Set aside.

Preheat a broiler (griller).

In a 9-inch (23-cm) nonstick flameproof frying pan over medium heat, warm the olive iol. Add the onion and garlic and saute until soft, about 10 minutes. Add the spinach and salt and pepper to taste and stir until it wilts, about 2 minutes.

It took me a little longer than two minutes, but it all came down in the end.

Add the egg mixture to the pan holding the spinach and stir together. Cook over medium heat, without stirring, until the eggs are set on the bottom, 2-3 minutes.

Sprinkle the surface with the Parmesan cheese. Slip under the broiler and broil (grill) until puffed and golden, 2-3 minutes. 

Poofy and beautiful!

Serve immediately directly from the pan.

Served with some tasty apple slaw that one of Matt's co-workers made.

My Rating: 4/5 "Wonderful consistency - moist and satisfying even though it's so fluffy. The blue cheese and wild rice work together to make this more peppy and interesting than your average egg dish. Don't tell yourself that souffle is only for high-level cooks because it has a French name! All you have to do, at least with this one, is dump stuff in a skillet and broil it!"