Lemon-Herb Sformati
By Sarah MullinsPublished on March 28, 2016
Time
1¼ hours, plus 20 minutes cooling
Yield
Serves 6
Ingredients
Sformati
8 large eggs 1 teaspoon salt 6 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 garlic clove, minced¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons (1¾ ounce/50 grams) all-purpose flour 1 ½ cups whole milk 1 ½ cups half-and-half 1 ½ ounces (43 grams) Pecorino Romano cheese, grated (¾ cup)¼ teaspoon pepper Pinch cayenne pepper 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives 2 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon ½ teaspoon grated lemon zestGremolata
1 tablespoon unsalted butter 1 garlic clove, minced¼ cup panko bread crumbs ¼ cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese ¼ cup chopped fresh chives 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest Salt and pepperBefore You Begin
The sformati will soufflé in the oven but will settle back to their original size while cooling. To take the temperature of the sformati, touch the probe tip to the bottom of the ramekin and pull it up about 1 inch. Fresh thyme can be used in place of fresh tarragon, if desired. The sformati can be served warm or at room temperature.
Instructions
- 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 in bowl until homogeneous and set aside.
- Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in flour and cook for 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, pepper, and cayenne until smooth. Let béchamel cool for 5 minutes.
- Whisk chives, tarragon, lemon zest, and reserved eggs into béchamel until smooth. Divide mixture evenly among ramekins (filling should be 1/4 inch from top of each ramekin). Bake until centers register 175 to 180 degrees, 30 to 35 minutes.
- While sformati are baking, melt butter in 8-inch skillet over medium-low heat. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add panko and cook, stirring frequently, until golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Let mixture cool for 2 minutes, then stir in Pecorino, chives, and lemon zest. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Remove sformati from oven and let cool for 20 minutes. Invert sformati onto individual plates. Sprinkle evenly with gremolata and serve.
for the sformati
for the gremolata
Time
1¼ hours, plus 20 minutes coolingYield
Serves 6Ingredients
Sformati
Gremolata
Ingredients
Sformati
Gremolata
Ingredients
Sformati
Gremolata
Why This Recipe Works
Producing a plush, silky sformato meant starting with an egg-rich custard base; we used eight eggs and then further enriched the custard by substituting half-and-half for some of the milk in the béchamel. To ensure that the custard baked up silky but fully set, we cooked it to between 175 and 180 degrees and then let it rest in the ramekins for 20 minutes, by which point it had cooled and set up enough to release cleanly. To flavor the custard, we seasoned the béchamel with salty-rich Pecorino Romano as well as black and cayenne peppers and added fresh herbs and lemon zest to the custard. For a flavorful, texturally interesting garnish, we enhanced a classic Italian gremolata with butter-toasted panko bread crumbs and more cheese.
Before You Begin
The sformati will soufflé in the oven but will settle back to their original size while cooling. To take the temperature of the sformati, touch the probe tip to the bottom of the ramekin and pull it up about 1 inch. Fresh thyme can be used in place of fresh tarragon, if desired. The sformati can be served warm or at room temperature.
Instructions
- 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 in bowl until homogeneous and set aside.
- Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in flour and cook for 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, pepper, and cayenne until smooth. Let béchamel cool for 5 minutes.
- Whisk chives, tarragon, lemon zest, and reserved eggs into béchamel until smooth. Divide mixture evenly among ramekins (filling should be 1/4 inch from top of each ramekin). Bake until centers register 175 to 180 degrees, 30 to 35 minutes.
- While sformati are baking, melt butter in 8-inch skillet over medium-low heat. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add panko and cook, stirring frequently, until golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Let mixture cool for 2 minutes, then stir in Pecorino, chives, and lemon zest. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Remove sformati from oven and let cool for 20 minutes. Invert sformati onto individual plates. Sprinkle evenly with gremolata and serve.
for the sformati
for the gremolata
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