Spinach Artichoke Baked Egg Soufflé

I've really been loving those spinach and artichoke "baked egg soufflés" they have at Panera Bread.  Trouble is, they have bad things in them like soybean oil and modified food starch and who knows what else.  Tasty as they may be, I am going to try to wean off them and make my own.  The puff pastry method is a mix of quick puff techniques from Fine Cooking and Gordon Ramsay.  I suppose you could just go buy it, but I love how it turned out with the spelt flour!  Plus, I'm pretty sure the store bought kind is not R safe.  Let's see... yup.  Horrible list of ingredients.  I'll have to make up a batch or two of this easy puff to keep in the freezer for recipes.  I'll also make up a batch or two of these soufflés (honestly, they are really just quiches) to keep in the freezer.  And I only have to share them with S because hubby doesn't like eggs, (poor boy), and R likes hers plain.  Oh, and S's reaction to these soufflés: "Mmmmmm, delicious!" 

Update for better flavor.

Spinach Artichoke Baked Egg Soufflé
makes 4 mini tarts

Filling:
3 tbsp frozen spinach, thawed and minced
3 tbsp minced artichoke hearts
1 tsp dried minced onion or 2 tsp finely minced fresh
1 tsp finely minced red bell pepper
pinch garlic powder
4 eggs plus 1 more for egg wash
2 tbsp whole milk
2 tbsp heavy cream
¼ cup shredded cheddar cheese
¼ cup shredded Jack cheese
2 tbsp shredded Parmesan cheese
½ tsp arrowroot starch
¼ tsp fine grain sea salt
¼ tsp white pepper
¼ cup shredded Asiago cheese

Rough Puff:
makes 1 sheet
250g light spelt flour
1 tsp fine grain sea salt (½ tsp if using salted butter)
250g butter, room temp but not soft (1 cup of butter is about 227 g, you can cut back the flour to that weight too)
100-150ml cold water

For the puff pastry, combine the flour and salt into a large bowl.  Break the butter into small pieces, add them to the bowl and rub them in loosely with your fingers. You need to see chunks of butter. 

Make a well in the mixture and pour in about two-thirds of the cold water, mixing until you have a firm rough dough adding extra water if needed.  (Less is more here, I could have left it a bit shaggier - it will still come together after a few folds, even if the first folds are in pieces.)  Cover with plastic wrap and leave to rest for 20 minutes in the fridge.  

Turn out onto a lightly floured board, press down gently and form into a smooth rectangle.  Roll the dough in one direction only, until it's about ½" thick.   Keep edges straight and even.  The first few folds may take a little encouragement. Use a pastry scraper if necessary to fold the dough in thirds like a business letter. Don't worry if it folds in pieces. Don't overwork the butter streaks; you should have a marbled effect.  (This is about two folds into the process since I had more than enough water.)

Turn the package of dough and roll again, rolling from open end to open end.  Keep rolling, folding and turning until the dough looks smooth. By four or five "turns" the dough should hold together well.  I added a book fold too for extra flakiness.  That's the two short ends into the middle.  (And the tarts turned out beautifully flaky.)

Chill the dough for 30 minutes and then give it another couple folds/turns.  And it's ready to use!  Puff pastry in an hour, super cool.

Now we're ready for the actual tarts.

Preheat oven to 375º F.

Combine the spinach, artichoke hearts, onion, garlic powder and red bell pepper in a medium bowl.  Beat 4 eggs and add to vegetables.  Then mix in the milk, cream, cheeses, arrowroot, salt and pepper.  Beat well with a fork.

Take out the puff pastry and lightly flour.  (There is enough dough for almost two batches, so just save the rest for another use.  It will last a few days in the fridge or a couple months in the freezer.)  Roll out 4 squares about 6" on each side.  Light oil the inside of 4 mini tart pans, preferably with removable bottoms.

Line each pan with the dough, leaving the overhanging edges outside, then scoop equal amounts of egg mixture into each ramekin (about 1/3 cup for my metal tart pans), and top each with 1 tbsp Asiago.  Beat the last egg in a small bowl with 1 tsp water.  Lift each edge and gently paint the outside with the egg wash, then fold over the filling.  Place the tart pans on a baking sheet.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until dough is golden brown.  Don't over-bake or the filling will not be as creamy.  Remove from oven and cool for 5 minutes, then carefully remove the soufflés from the tins and serve hot.

Adapted from epicurious.