Pumpkin & Pecorino Soufflé (Gluten-free)

Me and pumpkin--it's not over!  Whenever I have leftover pumpkin in the fridge, I can't stop myself from adding it to almost all things.  This past weekend, I went to see my little sister, who's 15, cheer at her high school's last home game of the regular season.  The game fell on my dad's birthday, so I wanted to bring a little something sweet for the post-game celebration.  Unfortunately, in addition to her dairy and soy allergies, my sister is also currently avoiding nuts, citrus, and chocolate as part of an anti-migraine diet.  And, of course, I wanted whatever I made to be gluten-free.

Well, what was left that COULD go in these treats?  Pretty much just pumpkin (and a few coconut products).  I ended up making gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, and nut-free pumpkin cupcakes, and while I didn't think they were good enough to share with all of you, my sister really liked them.

The cupcakes only used a cup or so of pumpkin, so I was left with some extra, which was burning a hole in my pocket/fridge... Can that expression apply to food you really want to use up?  Or is it only for money you're dying to spend?

Anyway, I got the idea to put the pumpkin in a soufflé.  Not a dessert soufflé, but a rich, sharp,  and savory soufflé featuring my favorite cheese of the moment, pecorino romano.  The pecorino is salty, almost pungent, and provides a great counterpoint to the earthy, warm flavors of the pumpkin and spices.  If pecorino is too much for you, it would also be great with parmigiano reggiano.  I don't recommend trying this with regular or pre-shredded parmesan, since the high-quality cheese is really what makes this dish fabulous.  Well, obviously, that and the PUMPKIN.

And, yes, I did take some of these pictures while the soufflé was still in my oven.  Soufflés shrink a little in their first few minutes out at room temperature (they still taste great), and I wanted you to see this at its full height!

Ingredients (serves 2-4):

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, plus more for greasing the dish

1 tablespoon coconut flour

1 teaspoon tapioca flour/tapioca starch

2/3 cup milk

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Pinch of nutmeg

Pinch of allspice

1/2 to 3/4 cup freshly grated pecorino romano cheese

1 teaspoon honey

1/2 cup pumpkin

Salt and pepper to taste

2 egg yolks

3 egg whites

Preheat the oven to 375.  Place a four-cup soufflé dish on a baking sheet and grease the bottom and sides of the dish with butter.  Alternatively, you can use four one-cup souffle dishes to make individual soufflés.

Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat.  Add the coconut flour and tapioca starch and whisk for about a minute.  Stir in the milk, and whisk until the sauce is somewhat thickened.  Add the spices, pecorino romano, honey, and pumpkin and stir well.  Taste and adjust seasonings, adding salt and/or pepper as desired.  (Pecorino can be very salty, so you may not need any additional salt--I only used a pinch.  Keep in mind, though, that this part of the soufflé needs to be a bit over-seasoned since it will flavor the eggs that are added later as well.  I used 3/4 cup of pecorino and thought it was great, but you can use less if you want the soufflé to be less salty.)  Stir in the egg yolks and remove from the heat.

Use an electric mixer to beat the egg whites in a large, non-reactive bowl until they hold medium peaks.  Lighten the pumpkin mixture by stirring in a bit of the whites, then gently fold all of the pumpkin mixture into the whites until just combined.

Pour the batter into the prepared dish or dishes, and use a knife to trace a circle in the batter about half an inch from the edge (this helps the souffle rise--you can see how the circle I traced baked up in the second photo in this post).  Bake until golden brown and puffy, 30-35 minutes for a four-cup dish or 20-25 minutes for one-cup dishes.  Serve right away.

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