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| Cheese Souffle |
As Christmas rushes full speed toward us, I'm sharing a recipe that we enjoyed at Thanksgiving. (I'm a little behind with posting recipes.) This was delicious and it would certainly fit into a Christmas menu, too.
Jessica brought a friend home for Thanksgiving and since he was away from his own family over the holiday, she asked if his family had a traditional Thanksgiving recipe. His answer was cheese souffle. Since it's not something that has ever turned up on our Thanksgiving table, she asked if he would like to make it for the big family dinner. His family always has cheese souffle like our family always has macaroni and cheese. Having the souffle was a way to make him feel at home.
Well, it was so good on Thanksgiving Day that before they headed back to the city a couple of days later, he made it one more time for us. Where we live, dishes like this souffle and our mac & cheese are served as side dishes. But I also think if I added a salad, this souffle would make a great supper.
CHEESE SOUFFLE
3 cups saltine cracker crumbs (a little less than 2 sleeves)
4 cups grated extra sharp cheddar cheese (Cracker Barrel--with the red wrapper)
3 cups milk
4 extra large eggs
Red cayenne pepper and salt to taste
Put saltines in a ziploc bag and crush with your hand to make crumbs.
Heat milk to tepid and pour over crumbs and cheese. Mix.
Add beaten eggs and rest of ingredients. Pour into greased soufflé dish.
Bake at 350 degrees for almost 1 hour, uncovered. Done when a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.
I don't own a true souffle dish, but a round 2-1/2 qt. CorningWare French White baking dish worked just fine. And here's a tip for warming the milk— heat the milk in the microwave, in 30-second bursts, stirring each time, until it's the right temp.
This is beautifully puffed when it comes out of the oven. And then it falls pretty quickly. Know that is normal and does not affect the taste. It is also good to know that the leftovers are delicious. Just warm it a bit in the microwave.
Thanks to Todd (and Todd's mom, I'm sure) for sharing this recipe with our family.
I love the thought of Todd in the kitchen cooking for you! What fun! I am so glad to have this recipe. It sounds like a variation of what my mom used to make - called "Blender Souffle." It called for (buttered) white bread instead of saltines, but you whirred everything up in the blender, and it was so delicious and comfort-food-ish. I bet the salty crackers are even better though. Can't wait to try this!
ReplyDeleteHe is quite the cook. I'd let him cook in my kitchen any time!
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