The boys and I have a tradition of going out to breakfast on week-end mornings. I used to be able to sleep way into the morning and leisurely rise from bed around 930-10AM.  Since J was born, my body clock now dictates a wake up time of 6AM, 6:15 if I’m really living it up.  Pru will tell you there are times when I sleep with one eye open–that’s how radically different my sleep patterns are now, post JJ.  Today, we decided to opt for one of our favorite breakfast places Panera and partake of their spinach and bacon breakfast souffle.  What I like most about it is the light and flaky crust housing an eggy, savory mixture of spinach and bacon.  It’s salty and fatty and decadently perfect.  So imagine my horror and sheer disappointment when I stood in line for 20 minutes at the Fremont Panera only to get to the front and be told, “No soufflés for half an hour.”  It’s 10am  and you don’t have soufflés?!?!  That’s like a bartender saying “We’re out of beer!” in the middle of happy hour.

Undaunted, I decided to recreate my own Panera Baked Egg Souffle which I could have at any moment of the day if I wanted, even at the unheard of time of 10AM.

Sausage and Egg Baked Souffle

Recipe adapted from Todd Wilbur’s Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 2

Ingredients:

4 links Italian sausage-mild or spicy depending on your preference, cooked and crumbled
2 teaspoons minced onion
5 eggs
1 cup of frozen spinach, thawed
2 tablespoons heavy cream
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 cup shredded cheese, whatever you prefer–I used white cheddar
1 tablespoon shredded Parmesan cheese
¼ teaspoon salt
1 sheet of puff pastry dough*
melted butter
¼ cup shredded Asiago cheese

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Beat 4 eggs. Mix in milk, cheeses and salt. Stir in spinach, onion and cooked sausage.
• Microwave egg mixture for 30 seconds on high, and then stir.  This is a critical step, so don’t skip.  Repeat 4 to 5 more times or until you have a very runny scrambled egg mixture. This process will tighten up the eggs enough so that the puff pastry won’t sink into the eggs when it’s folded over.
• Brush melted butter inside four 4-inch baking dishes or ramekins. Line each ramekin with the puff pastry, then spoon equal amounts of egg mixture into each ramekin. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of asiago cheese on top of the egg mixture in each ramekin, and then gently fold the puff pastry over the mixture.
• Beat the last egg in a small bowl, then brush beaten egg over the top of the puff pastry in each ramekin, then sprinkle with more Asiago cheese.Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until dough is brown. Remove from oven and cool for 5 minutes, then carefully remove the soufflés from each ramekin and serve hot.

*Original recipe called for Pillsbury Crescent Roll dough but I found after making both versions, that puff pastry closely resembled the texture and flavor of Panera’s.