Bite This! Yvonne’s Herbed Cheese Soufflé

When I was a teen, I didn’t have much interest in cooking. In fact, when my older, and more domesticated sister-in-law gave me The Good Housekeeping Cookbook for Christmas one year, I smiled, thanked her with Academy Award worthy enthusiasm, and mentally filed the gift under “D” for dust catcher.

But months later, on a boring Sunday afternoon, I was struck with an unfamiliar desire to cook something. My German mother—a fabulous cook—was excited, and itching to teach me how to make her classic schnitzel, or a goulash. I had no interest in learning how to make any of the household standards (Why risk being asked to pitch in with the cooking on a regular basis?). Instead, I dusted off that rejected cookbook picked a recipe that intrigued me—mostly because it was something my mom would never make: A Classic Herbed-cheese Soufflé.

It sounded exotic, and I figured if I could get that sucker to rise, I could impress all my friends.

So I tested the recipe out on my family, and miraculously, it rose perfectly! It rose perfectly again when I made it for a friend and again, when I made it for another. In fact, that soufflé was so impressive and reliable that it quickly became my signature dish. Just add a salad, and voila! You’re a super chef. Sandy can attest to the quality of the product, because she was one of my first culinary victims. (Sandy’s note: So true: it was a magnificent creation!)

This past fall, after reminiscing about that recipe, I found a soufflé dish at a garage sale and decided to make my old standby. And guess what? It was just as easy and perfect as I remember.

So if you want to impress your friends and family (and yourself), I will now share the secret to my culinary success, courtesy of a well-used Good Housekeeping Cookbook:

Classic Herbed-Cheese Soufflé

¼ cup butter
¼ cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
Dash cayenne pepper
11/2 cups milk
2 4-ounce packages of shredded Cheddar cheese (2 cups)
6 large eggs, separated
*2 tbsp chopped parsley
*½ tsp thyme leaves
(*Note: a few teaspoons of dried herbs, like basil, oregano, Italian seasoning and thyme also work fine)

About 1 and 1/4 hours before serving:

Preheat oven to 325°F. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, into hot butter, stir flour, salt and pepper until smooth. Slowly stir in milk and cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce is smooth and thickened. Add cheese and heat, stirring, just until cheese melts. Remove from heat.

In small bowl, with fork, beat egg yolks slightly. Into egg yolks, beat small amount of the hot sauce; slowly pour egg mixture into sauce, stirring rapidly to prevent lumping. Stir in parsley and thyme. Set aside.

In large bowl, with mixer at high speed, beat egg whites just until stiff peaks form. With rubber spatula, gently fold cheese mixture into egg whites; pour into 2-quart soufflé dish or casserole. With spoon, make 1-inch-deep circle in top of cheese mixture, 1 inch from side of dish. Bake soufflé for 1 hour or until puffy and golden brown. Serve immediately.

Makes 6 servings.

(This will rise up beautifully—over the top edge of your dish—but as soon as you cut it, it will deflate!)