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Cheese Souffle
Into a cup of hot cream stir the beaten yolks of 3 eggs, a half cupful of soft bread crumbs, and a cupful of grated American cheese; season with a little salt, a dash each of cayenne and mace. Cook three minutes, or until the egg thickens. Fold in the stiffly beaten egg whites, pour into the buttered souffle-dish, and bake about fifteen minutes in a moderately hot oven. Serve the moment it has reached the right stage of puffiness, when it should be slightly browned on the top. If one has no cream, milk and a tablespoonful of butter can be used.
A small, quickly made souffl\ttempered by a cooked cheese base rather than a flour roux. Everything hinges on getting the custard base thick but not scrambled before the whites go in.
- The base is the risky stepThree minutes over direct heat will curdle the yolks if the pan is hot. Use low heat or a bowl over simmering water, and stir constantly until it coats the spoon like a thin custard.
- "Moderately hot oven"Period ranges put this at roughly 375 to 400F. Fifteen minutes suits one shallow dish of this size; a deeper dish will need longer and should not be opened early.
- American cheeseIn a book of this period this means ordinary factory cheddar, not the processed slices sold under that name now. Use a sharp or medium cheddar, grated fine so it melts into the custard.
- MaceGround mace is the outer coating of nutmeg, warmer and less sweet. A dash means a pinch; nutmeg substitutes acceptably at slightly less.
- Egg whitesThree, from the same eggs whose yolks went into the base. Beat to firm but not dry peaks and fold in two additions, the first to loosen the base, the second gently.
- Dish and yieldA cup of cream plus the other additions and the beaten whites will roughly fill a 1-quart souffle dish. Serves two, or up to four as a first course.
- The milk substitutionMilk with a tablespoon of butter works as the recipe says, but the set is looser. Whole milk, not skim.
- ServingA souffl\ttempered of this kind begins to fall within two or three minutes of leaving the oven. Have the plates and the table ready before it goes in.