Light and healthy dinners

I have been asked several times for my herb roulade recipe so here it is! It’s a perfect one for a picnic or as a light dinner. It can be made well in advance and will keep well unfilled or filled in the fridge or even covered at room temperature. There is also room for creativity with this recipe: pick a filling of your choice such as chicken or tuna mayonnaise, or even a mix of spinach and ricotta for a vegetarian option.

Herb roulade (serves 6)

You will need:

25g butter
40g plain flour
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
200 ml milk – any milk of your choice will work fine
50g cheddar cheese, grated
4 eggs, separated
A handful of fresh mixed herbs such as basil, chives and parsley, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
A greased and lined swiss roll tray

Making the roulade

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter, then add the flour and mix very well, cook gently while mixing continuously for a couple of minutes.  Add the mustard and gradually add the milk, stirring all the time. The mixture should be lump-free. Bring the mix to the boil, lower the heat and cook for about 5 minutes stirring all the time. Set aside and allow it to cool slightly.

Once the mix has cooled down, add the grated cheese, egg yolks, chopped herbs and seasoning and mix well.

Using an electric mixer, whisk the egg whites until stiff. Then, fold into the mixture. It is important to stop mixing as soon as the texture appears homogeneous, that is in order to keep as much air from the egg whites as possible so that the roulade turns out as light as possible.

Pour the mix onto the prepared tray and spread evenly.

Bake in a preheated oven to 200˚C for about 20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow it to cool down before filling and rolling.