Sformato di Carciofi alla Fiorentina

Halve the lemon and squeeze the juice into a large bowl of cold water. Trim the artichokes: snap off the tough outer leaves until you reach the pale yellow-green ones, cut off the top third, and use a teaspoon to scrape out the hairy choke. Drop each heart immediately into the acidulated water.

Bring a saucepan of salted water to the boil and add a squeeze from the spent lemon half. Drain the artichoke hearts, add them to the pot, and cook for 18–20 minutes until completely tender when pierced with a knife. Drain and let cool slightly, then roughly chop.

In a wide pan over medium heat, melt 20 g of the butter with the olive oil. Slice the shallots thin and cook for 5 minutes until soft and translucent. Add the chopped artichokes, season with salt, and cook together for 3–4 minutes until any excess moisture has evaporated. Remove from heat.

Make the béchamel: melt 30 g of the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook the paste for 1 minute. Pour in the milk in a steady stream, whisking constantly, and cook for 5–6 minutes until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon heavily. Season with salt, pepper, and a generous grating of nutmeg.

Preheat the oven to 160°C. Bring a kettle of water to the boil. Use the remaining 10 g of butter to grease 4 individual ramekins (150 ml each) generously, then coat the insides with fine breadcrumbs, tapping out any excess.

Transfer the artichoke-shallot mixture to a food processor and blend to a smooth purée. Scrape into a large mixing bowl.

Add the béchamel, lightly beaten eggs, and grated Parmigiano-Reggiano to the artichoke purée. Mix until uniform. Taste and adjust seasoning — the batter should be well-seasoned, as flavour softens slightly in the oven.

Divide the batter among the prepared ramekins, filling to about 1 cm from the rim. Place the ramekins in a deep roasting tray and pour boiling water into the tray until it reaches halfway up the sides of the ramekins.

Bake at 160°C for 35–40 minutes. The sformato is ready when the top is set and lightly golden and the centre has only a faint wobble when the tray is nudged gently.

Remove from the oven and leave the ramekins in the water bath for 5 minutes — this helps them firm up and prevents tearing on unmolding.

Run a thin knife around the inside edge of each ramekin, place a warm plate face-down on top, and invert firmly. Lift the ramekin away — the sformato should slide out cleanly. Serve immediately, with a drizzle of Tuscan olive oil or a spoonful of tomato coulis alongside.