The Dreaded Souffle

So...

Since I have been feeling more ambitious in the kitchen, I decided that it was time to try the dreaded souffle. Deflating, dense, and able to stump even the most accomplished of cooks, the souffle has this myth that it is one of the most difficult culinary feats to pull off. You can't open the oven door or it will deflate, you need to make sure that your egg whites puff and are stablized, etc. I have heard it all.

For this mission, I had my trusty Julia Child cookbook handy; there is no way that I am gonna try and get creative on this one: Savory Cheese Souffle.

As I read the directions, it doesn't actually sound that bad. Julia offers tips and hints. For instance, vinegar and salt can be used to clean the egg white beating bowl to get rid of grease that will inhibit egg whipping and stablized the beaten whites. She says nothing about not opening the oven door, to my surprise!

So I made the souffle-based bechamel sauce, added the yolks, whipped the whites and poured it into a lined and collared souffle dish. 25 minutes and 5 peaks later, the perfect souffle emerges. Yes its a little soupy at the bottom, but the top is magnificent, airy, cheesy, gooey, and rich. Mmmmmmmm.

I think I am gonna change my mind about eggs not being a good food. Ever since I was 2, I hated eggs. The only "good eggs" were in cookies and cakes and at best French Toast. Today I still think that eggs are not the greatest food on the planet, but properly cooked and seasoned in a quiche or a souffle, can make a fine meal aside a green salad.