Spinach Madeleine

 

Putting a Thanksgiving dinner on the table is a lot of work. When you factor in anxiety based upon trying all new recipes, it doesn’t allow much breathing space to take photos of the food. As a consequence, I’m asking you to forgive the quality of photos here, but this is a recipe I had to share because it was so good.

I decided to have Cajun Thanksgiving this year; my menu was as follows:

 Cup of Gumbo

Cajun Turkey Breast

Dressing

Bourbon, Bacon, Mac & Cheese

Spinach Madeleine

Cajun Deviled Eggs

Spirited Cranberry Sauce

Cornbread

Pecan Cream Pie

 

  It’s not often that I try all new recipes for a meal, but because I was serving a small number of people who are very tolerant of what I do, I decided to go for it. Never before had any of us had mac and cheese as a part of a Thanksgiving dinner, nor had we had deviled eggs. The deviled eggs were so good that they are going to return for Christmas. Everything was a big success, but what we all particularly enjoyed was the spinach. It was so easy to put together, make ahead, and one of those things that sent us back for seconds.

The recipe, as far as I know, first appeared in a 1959 Junior League Cookbook, River Road Recipes: The Textbook of Louisiana Cuisine. It is now prepared at The Gregory Restaurant in Baton Rouge as a part of their Cajun Thanksgiving menu. The only thing I changed here was to use Panko instead of breadcrumbs, and we all loved the added crunch.

Spinach Madeleine

 2 10-oz. pkg. frozen, chopped spinach

4 T. butter

½ c. evaporated milk

3 T. flour

½ c. reserved spinach liquid

2 T. chopped Melissa’s shallot

1 t. Melissa’s minced garlic

6 oz. jalapeno jack cheese

1 t. Worcestershire sauce

½ t. freshly ground black pepper

½ t. garlic powder

Salt to taste

½ c. Panko breadcrumbs

¼ c. melted butter

 Preheat the oven to 375°F. Spray a 1½-quart casserole with PAM; set aside.

 Cook spinach according to package directions. Drain the cooking liquid off the spinach, and reserve.

 In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt butter. When butter has melted add the flour, stirring the mixture until it is blended and smooth without being brown. Stir in the shallots, and cook them just until soft. Pour in the evaporated milk and the ½ cup reserved spinach liquid, stirring constantly. Continue cooking and stirring the mixture until it is smooth and thick.

 Add the cheese, Worcestershire sauce, and all the seasonings to the mix. Continue stirring until the cheese is completely melted; stir in spinach. Pour the mixture into prepared baking dish. (At this point, you can put the mixture into the refrigerator if you make it ahead of time. When you’re ready to bake it, bring the casserole to room temperature beforehand.) Combine the breadcrumbs and melted butter. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs on top. Pop the dish into the oven just long enough to make it bubbly and golden.

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