====== Ramequin forestière (et alii) ======

This recipe appears in Julia Child's TV show cookbook, but not in her two-volume Mastering the Art of French Cooking (if I'm not mistaken). I like its simplicity of preparation, and that it can be prepared in advance to ready-to-bake then baked just before serving. The basic recipe with mushroom filling serves 4 to 6; I recently made a half recipe for two adults and a small child.

===== Filling =====

Fillings can be varied.  I've used this forestière version, but also made it with a salmon and spinach filling (must be careful the spinach isn't still too moist, though), and ham and cheese (I think I recall). The mushrooms reduce with cooking, so I'd suggest about ¾ C to 1 C of alternative fillings, and make sure they won't render liquid and make the ramequin runny and soggy.

  * 1 C finely minced mushrooms
  * 1 Tb butter
  * 1 tsp cooking oil
  * 1 Tb minced shallots or scallions
  * 1 Tb flour
  * 4 Tb heavy cream

Soften the mushrooms and shallots or scallion in the butter and oil. When soft, add the flour to thicken, then the heavy cream off the heat.

===== Batter =====

  * ½ C flour
  * 2 C cold milk

Mix and cook, whisking to thicken (make paste).  Off heat, beat in

  * 3½ Tb butter
  * ½ tsp salt
  * dash of pepper
  * dash of nutmeg

Beat in, one by one:

  * 4 eggs

then
  * 1 C coarsely grated Swiss cheese

===== Assemble and Bake =====

  * Put about half the batter in a buttered bake-and-serve dish or individual serving soufflé dishes. Julia called for a 9" x 1½" pan ((9" diameter round, 1½" deep)) for this four egg batch; I use individual porcelain soufflé dishes, one per egg.
  * Top with the filling, evenly distributed but not to the edges of the dish(es)
  * Cover with the rest of the batter
  * Dot top with a little butter (1 Tb?) and a little more grated cheese (¼ C)
  * Bake about 25 minutes at 400°F (205°C) in top part of oven, until risen and browned (but not burned).
  * Serve promptly, they will fall some (like a soufflé).