by Melissa Close-Swickard

Created on: March 05, 2011   Last Updated: August 30, 2011

Souffles are not easy to make, so it is suggested that you make a practice one before serving to guests (important ones, that is) to avoid serving a dish that looks like a golden brown cake falling sideways.  A souffle can be hard to make, but then end result will taste good enough to make the hard work worth every effort.

As you will see, you can be very creative by experimenting with different ingredients.  To get the most out of your souffle with respect to flavor, chop or grate your fish/meat or cheese, and make into that ¾ cup.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons all purpose flour

1 1/4 cup milk or broth-  can use chicken, beef or vegetable

1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar

4 egg yolks

6 egg whites

 ¾ cup (packed) chopped smoked salmon (my personal favorite)

 (do you have fish allergies? Use grated cheese, or another cooked meat or vegetable in lieu of the salmon)

¼ teaspoon salt

Whisk flour and cold milk together until smooth.  Then, make a sauce by melting butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and milk, stirring until boiling. Remove saucepan from heat and let stand 1 minute. Blend in egg yolks 1 at a time, and then add your salmon or cheese, etc.

Mix well and set aside, letting it rest to room temperature.

Butter and flour a 1 1/2-quart souffle dish, and set aside.

In a bowl, beat all egg whites with salt and cream of tartar, using an electric mixer.  Beat until stiff, and stir 1 cup of egg whites into your sauce and then pour all of it into your souffle pan.  Put remaining egg white mixture on top of the souffle, but DO NOT MIX.

Put the souffle’ on middle oven rack and bake for about 25 minutes, until souffle’ is puffed on top.  Do not open the oven door during the first twenty minutes, and when you do open the oven door, OPEN GENTLY and when souffle is done, use care when removing from oven.

Serve immediately on tiptoes and in whispers, you don’t want that souffle’ to fall!

However, should that souffle fall, all is not lost.  Mash it down evenly, and sprinkle the top with your favorite grated cheese and put under the broiler for a few seconds, until the cheese melts.

Voila!  You now have a frittata to serve.

Good Luck!

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