Cheddar Corn Soufflé

Soufflé Anxiety

Truth be told, I was contemplating going rogue again.  I know, I know, snap out of it!  But the thought of making a soufflé seems kind of daunting.  I've never made a soufflé before.  Part of me does wants to try it.  But it seems so fussy and well I'm a little intimidated by it all.  I will need to go out and purchase a soufflé dish, as I don't own one.  And maybe getting a dish will inspire me.  Probably just inspire me to do more shopping!

Worry not, I am going to follow through and make this soufflé.  (yay, me)  But first I have to do some sorting out, in the kitchen.
The hubbie has given me the best present ever. (well for me)  That's right, I don't need no diamond rings or sparkly jewellery (though I wouldn't say no)....but honestly these  got me more excited (than is probably normal). 

Double Pull-Out baskets for three of my kitchen cabinets!!!!  EEEEEEEE!!!!!!! 

 
 
 All three are different sizes and there is enough room beside each to put my baking sheets alongside of them.  And these have now freed up space in my upper cabinets.  So I have spent a whole day organizing my kitchen.  It has truly been an all day event....and I'm not done!!    Hubbie called them my Easter Baskets.  I love them! (and him!!)  I love that I no longer have to reach way in the cabinets to pull things from the back now....just pull out the baskets.  I'm not going to lie, I'm crazy excited about these!!!  There may have been dancing in the kitchen.

 

So this is how I spent Easter Friday.  No time to actually do any of my baking, since the kitchen was in a shambles all day.  Looks like tomorrow will be my day to bake....if I can remember where I moved everything (yes everything) in my kitchen. 

 

 

I even cleared off my butcher block island so that I can actually see the butcher block.  I vow it will not become the place where things go to vegetate...unless they are vegetables or a vegemite sandwich (Men at Work tune now fully ensconced in head). 

 

 

 

And now I lay me down to sleep.....and pray that my overworked muscles won't hurt too much tomorrow.  Stay tuned....may be a day of blogging from bed!

 

 

Today has arrived and yep, I'm feeling those muscles!! But a soufflé is calling out to be made; so back to the kitchen I go.

 

First to grate some cheese.   A cup of sharp cheddar.

 

 

And a couple of tablespoons of parmesan to coat the soufflé dish. 

 

I couldn't find a soufflé dish at HomeSense  (which didn't make any sense at all) and I didn't feel like going to another store, so I went with this dish.  I am hoping the sides are tall enough and I don't have a soufflé mishap.

 

 

Also need to grate some nutmeg.

 Salt, pepper, nutmeg and cayenne.















Made a roux with the melted butter and flour.

 

And added the milk to that.  This got thick real fast.  Faster than the 8-10 minutes indicated in the recipe. 

 

 

To this thick mixture, I added the spices and then the egg yolks to make a nice looking batter.

Eggs whites needed to be whipped stiff.   

 

Then the egg whites, cheddar and corn need to be gently folded into the batter.  Careful not to deflate the egg whites. (as they are necessary to help my soufflé 'rise up...rise up')

 

And here it is ready to be baked.  (good luck little buddy...we're all counting on you)

 

Yay, no soufflé mishaps!  I think it turned out lovely.  I did keep it in an extra 10 minutes, as it seemed a little jiggly in the middle.(and I know jiggly!)  But other than that, it is looking très bon!

 

 

 

And now for a taste.  

Well, for my first attempt at a soufflé, I'm very pleased.  I really like the flavour of the nutmeg, pepper and cayenne combined with the cheese and corn.  I should have added more corn as suggested by the Baked Boys.  I liked getting bites of the corn.

 

I would definitely make this again.  It seemed very straightforward and quick to pull together.  And I think it would be a great dish to present to dinner guests. 

Kudos to the Baked Boys for this recipe!

If you're curious to see how everyone else did, hop like a bunny over to Baked Sunday Mornings.