Thursday, February 7, 2008

Cheese Soufflé

If you invite someone over for lunch -or say, a romantic Valentines dinner- and inform them that you are preparing a cheese soufflé, chances are their eyes will light up with respect (and possibly lust) at your apparent culinary genius.

Let’s leave them to believe that, shall we?

I was making this before I hit puberty. Since it was a family favourite it was one of the first things my mother taught me to cook. It’s quick, easy and delicious.

Easy Cheese Soufflé

1 1/2 cups soft white commercial bread shreds- about 1/2 to 1 inch in size.
1 1/2 cups shredded medium-sharp cheddar *
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp dry mustard
1/4 tsp curry powder- yep: the crap commercial kind
1 cup hot milk
3 eggs, separated

Butter a 1 1/2 quart baking dish. Set aside.

In a large bowl, mix the bread shreds, cheese and seasonings.
Beat the egg whites until the form stiff peaks and the yolks until blended.
Pour milk on top of bread mixture and mix.
Add egg yolks and mix.
Very gently fold in the egg whites with a spatula. Don’t overdo it; globs of egg white are ok- just try to have an overall yellowish cast to the mess.

Pour into the buttered dish and bake at 350°F for 30 minutes (and not one minute longer!) until puffed and golden. Soufflés will deflate fairly quickly- you have less than five minutes for optimal appearance. I suggest starting your meal with a nice soup while the soufflé is baking. Serve immediately when done with assorted salads, sliced baguette, pickles etc..

* I’m not a big fan of food additives, even ones like colours but in this case, the orange cheddar makes this soufflé much more appetizing.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Stupid question: what's a white bread shred? I have never heard of that.

Michael said...

"Stupid question: what's a white bread shred?"

There are no stupid questions! I am sure others are wondering the same thing.

Basically, if you tear a slice of bread into small pieces, you would have a 'shred'. Common cooking term? Um...no; just how I have always heard it described.

Thanks for asking for clarification. Enjoy your soufflé!