This recipe is long overdue, I started it a while ago before my trip, and I decided to finish it while in France.

Vegan cuisine is starting to be popular here too, at least a lot of Vegan cooking books are seen on the shelves of bookstores. This is somehow a good news in a country which has a long history of being a big meat eater. Charcuterie (cold cuts) has been part of the country’s culture for a long time probably since the founding of the country by the Gaulois. I noticed that France is starting to have the same problem as the US as far as eating habits are concerned and overweight people. I guess it’s a sign of times.

France is a country that is reluctant to changes, and that is reflected in all aspect of its economy, lifestyle, demographic, etc… and it seems like slowly things are changing here too. Good or bad? Time will tell.

Well that may be a winter squash but I felt like eating some, and as long as it’s organic, I am fine with it. Squash is a very versatile vegetable, you can cook it in so many different ways. It needs to be well cooked but not overcooked or it tends to be mushy and lose its shape. It is definitely a whole meal in itself, and quite filling. You can use any other kind of squash, just don’t overcook it. I Usually I eat this as a meal with sometimes a salad on the side.

The roasted seeds gave this dish a Middle Eastern flair to it, and delicious flavor to the somehow flavorless squash. Try it, it’s simply delicious.

Ingredients for 2-3

• 1 acorn squash, seeds removed and sliced
• 2 tbs olive oil
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp coriander seeds
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 tbs pomegranate molasses
• 1 tbs honey
• 1/4 tsp crushed chili pepper
• salt and pepper

For the kefir/tahini sauce

• 1 cup kefir
• 2 tbs tahini
• 1 garlic clove crushed
• 1 tsp lemon
• 1 tbs chives, chopped
• salt

Preparation

For the squash

Cut squash on half and remove seeds. Slice lengthwise.

Roast cumin seeds, mustard seeds and coriander seeds in a pan until fragrant. Crush them in a mortar. In a small container, mix roasted seeds, olive oil, pomegranate molasses, honey, chili peppers, salt and pepper. Mix well.

Pour the mixture on squash slices, and mix well to coat squash.

Preheat oven at 380F. In a roasting pan, spread squash slices evenly and and roast in oven until squash is tender but not mushy. Turn slices after 10 minutes.

For the sauce

Mix all ingredients together.

Serve squash hot, pour sauce on top, sprinkle with chives and serve the remaining sauce on the side.

I cannot tell you for how long I wanted to make this soufflé with goat milk. I made a vegetable gratin with goat milk that was delicious so I wanted to use this delicate milk in a soufflé and see what would come out. I really loved it’s lightness and subtle flavor. I think from now on, I will use goat milk instead in such dishes. Goat milk is whiter than cow milk and is lighter, has a softer and more subtle flavor. It also has more calcium, magnesium, potassium and vitamin A. In France it’s even recommended for kids around one year of age who tend to be allergic to cow milk, since goat milk is closer to maternal milk. So it’s a milk full of great nutrients.

Soufflé is a typical French dish, it’s cheap and quick, so should be appealing to many people. The combination of carrots and squash adds a very unique and pleasant sweetness to this dish. The nutty flavor of Taleggio leaves a wonderful after taste. Taleggio is an Italian cheese that I use quite often in my dishes, it melts beautifully and has a very distinct flavor, Sometimes I substitute it to Gruyère cheese, it melts as nicely and has more flavor.

For soufflé, you need to make a thick béchamel base and beat the whites quite stiffly. It’s very easy to make, then you enter the infinite world of soufflé, and can make as many kinds than your imagination lets you. The individual vegetable or seafood soufflés are perfect as an appetizer with a salad.

Watch out it, soufflé rises, then falls quite quickly, so you need to serve it right away.

Ingredients for 4

• 8.8 oz (or 250 g) carrots, peeled and cut in chunks
• 8.8 oz (or 250 g) squash, peeled and cut
• 0.88 oz (or 25 g) butter
• 0.88 oz (or 25 g) flour
• 6.76 fl oz (or 200 ml) goat milk (I used low fat)
• 3 eggs (yolks and whites separated)
• 2 tbs Taleggio, diced
• salt and pepper

Preparation

First steam carrots and squash. When well cooked, mash with a potato masher and reduce in a purée. Set aside.

Start making the béchamel. Melt butter in a pan, add flour, stir well then add milk gradually. Adjust with salt and pepper.

Add carrots/squash purée to the béchamel and mix well, let it cool down and add yolks. Mix well. Add Taleggio, and stir to get a smooth mixture.

Beat whites into a stiff consistency, and carfelly add to the béchamel mixture.

Fill buttered ramequins to the 3/4 and cook in a pre-heated oven at 375 until the soufflé rises and turns golden on top.

Serve immediately.