If you haven’t yet had the delight of experiencing the Italian sformato then allow me to guide you.  They are basically a set souffle with a light, dreamy texture and the beauty is that you can adapt the recipe with all varieties of seasonal vegetables and cheese. 

I have used asparagus and lemon this time around as it works perfectly for this time of the year.

Serves 4

Ingredients

75g butter, plus extra for greasing 

8 spears fresh asparagus, cut into thin rounds

1 clove garlic, minced

1 shallot, finely diced

50g flour

2 cups full fat milk

1 Tbsp chives, finely chopped

1 lemon, zest

Salt and cracked pepper

Grated nutmeg

4 egg yolks

50g freshly grated parmesan, pecorino or aged cheddar 

Method

Preheat the oven 180C

Grease the inside of four ramekins well with butter, set aside.

In a medium saucepan melt the butter, add the asparagus, garlic and shallots and cook over moderate heat for 4 minutes.

Add the flour and mix well to combine.  Cook for a further minute.

Add the milk gradually, stirring as you go so you avoid any lumps.  As it thickens continue adding the milk until finished.  You will end up with a thick, creamy looking sauce. Remove from the heat.

Add the chives, zest, nutmeg and season well, stir to combine.

Add the egg yolks and cheese and mix well.

Pour into the greased ramekins ⅔ full.

Place into the oven and bake for 30 minutes.  They will souffle up and colour slightly.

Remove and cool for 20 minutes.  During this time they will deflate a little and by cooling they will easily turn out of the ramekins.

To serve, run a knife around the rim of the sformatini and turn out onto your plates.  Dress with crisp green salad with lemon and olive oil and serve.