Swiss Chard Farçous

Typically prepared as a hearty pancake main course, this version of farçous is slightly untraditional – it’s made into a soufflé. This allows you to incorporate any additional ingredients you desire, such as chopped nuts, dried fruit, fresh herbs or spices.

By Chef Francois Castro / Photography By Cole LoCurto | February 03, 2023

Ingredients

SERVINGS: 4

For Swiss chard purée

2 pounds Swiss chard, stems removed and reserved
1 heaping tablespoon salt

For red onion marmalade

3 cups small diced red onion
1 cup small diced Swiss chard stems
2 cups red wine vinegar
2 cups sugar

For farçous

1-1/2 cups cornmeal
2 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup boiling water
1/4 cup melted butter
4 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
2 cups Swiss chard purée

Instructions

To make Swiss chard purée:

1. Prepare an ice bath by filling a large bowl with ice and cold water. Set aside.

2. Chop Swiss chard leaves into medium size pieces. Fill large pot with water and bring to a boil. Add salt to season the water, then add Swiss chard leaves. Blanch leaves for 2 minutes, then remove and place in ice bath to cool quickly.

3. Once cooled, squeeze leaves into a ball to remove excess water. Place leaves into food processor and blend until smooth consistency.

To make red onion marmalade:

4. Put all ingredients in a small pan and simmer over low heat until liquid has evaporated. Remove from heat and cool in refrigerator until ready to serve.

To make farçous:

5. Preheat oven to 325°. Mix cornmeal, salt, sugar and baking powder in a large bowl. Add boiling water and stir well. Incorporate melted butter and allow mixture to cool.

6. Separate eggs. Add buttermilk and egg yolks to cornmeal batter, then mix in Swiss chard purée. Whip egg whites until stiff peaks form. Carefully fold egg whites into cornmeal batter in small batches until thoroughly combined.

7. Pour batter into a 4-cup soufflé or casserole dish. Make sure there is ¼-inch space between batter and top of dish to allow the soufflé to rise. Carefully place dish in oven and bake for 25 minutes. To serve, garnish with red onion marmalade.