Baking+a+Soufflé


 * Cheese Soufflé**

Although one traditionally thinks of soufflés as mercurial dishes, they are actually no harder than hard boiled eggs and only have five basic steps.


 * First you separate the eggs (which is so much fun when you use your hands)
 * Then you make a thick béchamel sauce (which is basically a Southern gravy, albeit a really fancy, bland one)
 * Next you add the egg yolks and any seasonings (like pepper and nutmeg) to the sauce
 * After that, you whip the egg whites to soft peaks and fold them into the sauce/yolk mixture
 * Finally you bake the soufflé

Because a soufflé needs to be eaten right after you bake it, I planned a whole meal for my family. I skipped youth group so I could cook dinner and eat with my family. But then my dad told me he had a meeting, so it was down to the three of us girls. I put the soufflé in the oven, washed all the dishes, set the table, and made a salad. I had everything ready and I had told my family to be ready.

Then the moment of truth. . . I pulled the soufflé out of the oven and called my family, or all that was left of them. . . and suddenly they were very busy. With very important things. That they couldn't have possibly done in the forty minutes while the soufflé was cooking. So I sat there and admired my beautiful, puffy soufflé before it deflated.

Then my mom strolled into the kitchen. And she thought the soufflé was so beautiful that she decided to go find the camera and take a picture before it deflated any more. And then she fiddled around with the camera a while because she was just positive it had a special setting for photographing food.

After my sister put up the chickens (and fed the dog and did all the other chores she normally puts off for as long as possible) she moseyed into the kitchen. By then my mom and I had already served everyone, and our chunks of soufflé were getting deflated-er and sorrier by the minute. So instead of saying grace so we could eat, Kate decided to get out and light a ton of candles before we ate. Which was actually a nice touch, but she really could have done it earlier.

By then I was pretty ticked off, but I was determined to enjoy my soufflé. Which I did, because it was like eating a warm cheesy cloud with a crunchy, silver lining. Absolutely amazing! The only thing I would do differently would be to bake the soufflé in indivdual servings so I could eat mine while it was still hot and warm.