My mother grew up in the mid-west, and mostly cooked normal mid-western foods like ham, roast beef, hamburgers, hotdogs, and casseroles. Lots and lots of casseroles. But she also had a lot of recipes that were more exotic. One of those was cheese souffle. On souffle night, it was all hands on deck. One person to make the white sauce, one person to grate the cheese, one person to beat the egg whites.
Here's a variation of her recipe that allows you to put in some vegetables.
White Sauce Ingredients
4 T butter
4 T flour
1 C milk
1/4 t ground mustard
dash of cayenne pepper
salt and pepper
Souffle Ingredients
2 C shredded cheddar cheese
3 eggs, separated
1/4 t cream of tartar
Optional Vegetables (select one of the following)
2 C spinach, chopped, cooked, and drained, OR
2 C broccoli, chopped, cooked, and drained, OR
1 1/2 C corn cooked, with 1/2 C chopped onions and green peppers
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350. Heat some water in the kettle.
Make a thick white sauce by melting the butter in a small saucepan. Add the flour, ground mustard, salt and pepper and cook for a few minutes. Stir the milk in slowly so there are no lumps. Cook until thickened. Add the cheese and stir until it is melted. Remove from the heat and let cool for a few minutes.
Add the egg yolks, and beat thoroughly. Stir in the vegetables.
Beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar until stiff peaks form. Fold the cheese mixture into the egg whites.
Pout the mixture into an ungreased 1 1/2 quart straight-sided souffle dish. Put the souffle dish into a 9x13 pan (or some other pan that the souffle dish will fit into. Put the pan into the oven, and pour 1" of water from the kettle into the pan. Bake for 45-55 minutes until the souffle is brown and puffy. Do not open the door until at least 35 minutes in.
Serve while HOT.
