Lemon - Herb Sformato

Lemon-Herb Sformato

from Ellen's kitchen

with thanks to Cook's Illustrated

Serves 6

Sformato can be served for brunch or breakfast, and makes for a light lunch or dinner when paired with salad. If preferred, fresh thyme can be used in place of fresh tarragon. The sformato will soufflé in the oven but will settle back to it’s original size while cooling. To take the temperature of the sformato, touch the probe tip to the bottom of the ramekin and pull it up about 1 inch.

Sformato

8 large eggs

1 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 garlic clove, minced

¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons (1 ¾ ounces) all purpose flour

1 ½ cups whole milk

1 ½ cups half and half

1 ½ ounces Pecorino Romano cheese, grated (3/4 cup)

¼ teaspoon black pepper

pinch cayenne pepper

2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

2 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

Gremolata

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 garlic clove, minced

¼ cup panko breadcrumbs

½ ounce Pecorino Romano cheese (1/4 cup)

¼ cup chopped fresh chives

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

Salt and pepper

1. For the Sformato: Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Grease six 6-ounce ramekins and place on wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet. Whisk eggs and salt together until pale yellow and homogeneous.

2. Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds. Stir in flour and cook 1 minute. Slowly whisk in milk and half and half until smooth. Increase heat to high and bring to simmer, 2 to 4 minutes. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute longer. Remove pan from heat and whisk in Pecorino, black pepper, and cayenne until smooth. Cool béchamel 5 minutes.

3. Whisk eggs, chives, tarragon, and lemon zest into béchamel until smooth. Ladle egg mixture evenly among ramekins; filling will come ¼ inch from top. Bake until center register 175 to 180 degrees, 30 to 35 minutes.

4. For the Gremolata: While sformato is baking, melt butter in 8-inch skillet over medium-low heat. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds. Add breadcrumbs, and cook, stirring frequently, golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Cool for 2 minutes then stir in percorino, chives, and lemon zest. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

5. Remove sformato from oven and cool 20 minutes. Invert sformatos onto individual plates. Sprinkle with gremolata and serve.