Broccoli Roulade
Just before I begin: a thankyou to the regular followers of my blog, and thankyou for the lovely Christmas messages. I'm working out how I want to do my blog in the future, and it is taking a lot of thinking!
So this post is just floating into the vacuum made by my indecision!
I made this dish for my mum about thirty years ago. We both really enjoyed it, and I remember that it was simpler to make than I expected, and a lovely, special dish.
My mum moved into a Pritikin diet and my tastes went to the Middle East and Asia, but I always had it in the back of my mind to try again, I kept the recipe.
Today was the day!
The kitchen was clean, my health was good, the broccoli fresh, I bought the swiss cheese yesterday.
Now, I need to be frank. This dish consists of a sponge made of butter, flour, milk and eggs, filled with a sauce made of butter, flour, milk and cheese. Thank goodness for the broccoli!
The sponge starts with a white sauce that has the beaten egg yolks mixed in, and then the whipped eggwhites (hard peaks) folded in. It is basically a souffle! But it goes into the oven in a swiss roll tray
When it comes out it is topped with the cooked broccoli pieces and the cheese sauce, rolled up like a swissroll, and finished with more cheese sauce on top.
Making this I used most of my eggs, every last drop of my milk, and all my butter. I also ended up with every surface of the kitchen covered with bowls, tray, saucepan, utensils and stray blobs of cheese sauce all over the place.
I'm sure if I made it again I would make it prettier, but then, I don't think I will ever make it again. Too rich! Too much stirring! And needing a supermarket shop once done!
However I would recommend it for a 70's Retro Dinner Party (but maybe use half the sauce).
Here's the recipe just in case you have a Retro Dinner party coming up!
Broccoli Roulade
Makes 6 servings
Ingredients
4 tbsp butter
1/2 cup plain flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups milk
4 eggs, separated
Prepare a 37x25x2cm swiss roll tin
Melt the butter in a saucepan, blend in the flour and salt.
Stir for a few minutes, until the flour stops smelling raw.
Remove from the heat and stir in the milk a little at a time until you have a thick paste.
Boil for a minute, still stirring!. Take off the heat.
Beat the egg whites until stiff. Beat the egg yolks until creamy.
Mix the egg yolks into the sauce, then fold in the egg whites until incorporated.
The mixture will have bulked up!
Pour into the tin and cook in a moderate oven (180C) for 45 minutes until golden and springs back when touched.
While it is baking, cook the broccoli, 280g of florets (about 2/3s of a good sized head)and make the cheese sauce.
Sauce Ingredients
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup plain flour
1/2 tsp salt and pinch of pepper
90g swiss cheese (or cheddar) grated
Melt the butter in a saucepan, blend in the flour and salt.
Stir for a
few minutes, until the flour stops smelling raw.
Remove from the heat
and stir in the milk a little at a time until you have a thick paste.
Boil for a minute, still stirring!.
Stir in the grated cheese and stir until it has melted. Take off the heat.
Have another 90g of grated cheese ready (or half that amount!)
When the sponge comes out of the oven, turn it carefully out of the tin and peel off the paper.
Place the broccoli over it and sprinkle with 3/4s of the cheese.
Pour half the cheese sauce over the top and roll up swiss roll fashion.
Place on a serving plate, pour the remaining sauce over and finish with the last of the cheese.
Cut the roll into thick slices to serve.
Enjoy!
