(Photo: Kang Kim for New York Magazine. Illustrations by John Burgoyne.)

Ramps and leeks get all the glory this time of year, but spring onions (a.k.a. green onions), with their healthful tops attached, have their fans too. Milder in flavor than fully developed bulb onions, they’re delicious simply drizzled with extra-virgin olive oil and grilled, and even better in this Italian flan recipe from Del Posto’s Mark Ladner.

Mark Ladner’s Spring Onion Sformato
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 pound spring onions including tops, roughly chopped (available at Greenmarket)
1/4 cup fresh spinach juice (available at the Life Thyme Natural Market juice bar)
1 whole egg
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup heavy cream
Cooking spray, such as Pam

Preheat oven to 325. In a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil. (1) Add the onions, cover, and sweat until soft and translucent. (2) Transfer to a blender and purée until smooth (adding a little water if necessary) to yield 1 cup. Set aside to cool. In a large bowl, combine the onion purée, egg, yolks, spinach juice, and cream. (3) Spray six 2-ounce soufflé cups with the cooking spray, and fill each one about three-quarters full with the sformato batter. Carefully place the filled soufflé cups in a 125-degree water bath in a large Pyrex dish or hotel pan and transfer to the oven. Bake for 45-60 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through, and checking periodically until a toothpick inserted into one of the centers comes out clean. Invert the molds and serve with grilled ramps and grapefruit segments.

Related:

• Archive: “In Season”
• Articles by Robin Raisfeld | Rob Patronite
• Table of Contents: May 28, 2007 issue of New York | Subscribe!