Spinach Roulade with Roasted Sweet Red Pepper Sauce

The first time I tried this outstanding recipe, I was certain it would fail. Not only did it not fail - but it was a huge success! If you’re seeking a spectacular first-course appetizer to wow dinner guests, this is it! You may feel the urge to give up, partway through. Don’t! With the help of Ron’s photographs, I’ll lead you through this, step-by-step. Assuming you follow the recipe and method exactly as written, nothing will go wrong.  This make-ahead recipe is challenging - but well worth the effort. It can be prepared two days in advance of a special-occasion dinner, so you won’t feel pressured or stressed. While it isn’t essential to prepare a sauce, this Spinach Roulade takes on gourmet proportions if you circle each slice with Roasted Sweet Red Pepper Sauce.

Spinach Roulade with Roasted Sweet Red Pepper Sauce: 

To Prepare the Roulade:

¼ c. (60 mL) water

One 10-½ oz. (300 g) frozen, chopped spinach   

1 tbsp. (15 mL) butter (no substitutes)

4 eggs, separated, with whites chilled

¼ tsp. (1.25 mL) salt

¼ tsp. (1.25 mL) pepper

⅛ tsp. (0.63 mL) nutmeg

4 tbsp. (60 mL) commercial, shake-on Parmesan cheese, divided

8 oz. (250 g) brick-style cream cheese, softened

1-to-2 tbsp. (15-to-30 mL) light cream

1 roasted red bell pepper (“capsicum”), halved, stemmed, seeded, and blotted dry (see Note)

Be prepared to preheat oven to 400 deg. F. - but not yet. Trim enough waxed paper to fit a 14x10-in. (36x24 cm) jelly roll pan (see Further Note). Set aside. Bring unsalted water to the boil in a small saucepan. Add spinach, bringing water to boil again and cooking 2 min. 

Cook frozen, chopped spinach quickly. Do not rinse. 

Drain, cool, squeeze out excess water.

Add fully cooled spinach to wide-based blender with butter and 4 egg yolks. Purée at high speed, scraping down sides and lid of blender goblet as needed. Add salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Chill 10-to-15 min. in medium bowl inserted into larger bowl containing ice water bath.

Mess = Success!

Preheat oven to 400 deg. F. In separate medium-sized bowl, beat egg whites until stiff. Fold in chilled spinach mixture until well combined. 

Spinach-egg white mixture will form Roulade base.  

Pour into waxed paper-lined pan, smoothing top with wide spatula and spreading almost to edges of paper. Place Parmesan in shaker bottle with large holes or slots, shaking half over top of spinach mixture (see One Last Note). Bake 12 min., until sides of spinach are solid but centre remains slightly soft.

Pour into jelly roll pan lined with waxed paper.

Smooth surface with wide spatula.

Sprinkle with half Parmesan. 

While mixture bakes, sprinkle remainder of Parmesan inside second, larger sheet of waxed paper on cookie sheet, for stability. 

Shake Parmesan onto waxed paper.

Also while mixture bakes, beat together cream cheese and light cream until smooth.  Set aside. Slice roasted red pepper into lengthwise strips about 1/4-in. (0.625 cm) wide. Set aside. When hot Roulade emerges from oven, cool 1 min. before inverting over second sheet of Parmesan-sprinkled paper.

Invert hot Roulade over Parmesan-
sprinkled waxed paper.

Peel waxed paper from top of Roulade. 

Roulade will be pliable, but surprisingly strong. Carefully insert small, sharp paring knife between the hot Roulade and corner edge of top baking paper, separating the two. Working the knife along the paper as needed, slowly peel back the paper. As you uncover the delicate, still-moist Roulade, lightly rest your hand on it to ensure it doesn’t break. Haste makes waste: Take your time with these steps. 

Spread cream-cheese mixture evenly over cooled Roulade. 

Ron spread cream-cheese mixture to help me out.

Working parallel to long sides of Roulade, stagger rows of roasted red pepper over cream cheese. Staggering rows will allow distribution of pepper throughout sliced, finished Roulade. 

Stagger slivered, roasted red peppers
parallel to long sides of Roulade.

Roll spinach-cream cheese mixture from narrow end.

Starting at a narrow end, roll Roulade tightly before wrapping in cello. Chill several hours or overnight.

Wrap tightly and refrigerate overnight.

To serve, unwrap and trim away uneven edges. Slice Roulade into ¾-in. pieces. Transfer to serving plates, ringing with Roasted Sweet Red Pepper Sauce, if desired. I spooned the sauce around the Roulade; next time I’ll use a squeeze bottle to apply a little less sauce.

My taste-testers gave this 4-stars!

 Note: Gourmet food stores also sell skinned, roasted red peppers, saving you a whole lotta time! I encourage you to do that. If you decide to make the optional Roasted Sweet Red Pepper Sauce to decorate the plate for this Roulade, be sure to roast two red peppers, using one for the strips in the Roulade, and one for the sauce. 

Further Note: My jelly roll pan is 15 in. (38 cm) long, which nonetheless worked very well. Because waxed paper is a little thinner and more pliable than parchment paper, I do not recommend using parchment in this recipe.

One Last Note: Using a shaker bottle ensures lump-free, even distribution of Parmesan.

To Prepare the Roasted Sweet Red Pepper Sauce:

1 whole red bell pepper (“capsicum”), halved, stemmed, and seeded

Olive oil, as needed

2 tsp. (10 mL) balsamic vinegar

1/4 tsp. (1.2 mL) salt

1/4 tsp. (1.2 mL) granulated sugar

1/4 c. (60 ml) Chinese plum sauce

2-to-3 drops red food gel

Set oven to “broil” with rack in upper position and oven door ajar. Brush peppers with olive oil. 

Brush seeded red peppers with olive oil.

Broil 20 min., skin-side up, until charred and blistered. 

This is the look you want. If you have a gas stove, roast 

seeded peppers over an open flame.

Transfer to well-sealed plastic container and allow to “sweat” 30 min., until almost - but not fully - cool (see And ...). Peel and discard burned skin. 

Peel away skin ...

Using blender or small food chopper, buzz skinned red pepper, vinegar, salt, sugar, plum sauce, and red food gel until mixture is smooth. Refrigerate until needed. This quantity yields about ½ c. (125 mL) sauce. Place Spinach Roulade onto appetizer plate, spooning Roasted Sweet Red Pepper Sauce around edges.

And ... It’s far more difficult to remove the charred skin from a cold pepper. Be sure your roasted pepper remains warm after sweating.