Separating the eggs helps the souffle brown up nicely
A recipe that I inherited from the last innkeeper tasted great and worked well for a house full of guests, but something about it always bothered me. It was called a “soufflé”, but I had my doubts. The recipe called for layering cheese, then a cream mixture, a layer of herbed eggs topped with more of the cream mixture. In my mind the result, while tasty, wasn’t light and airy enough to be called a soufflé. I looked up the definition and then went to work. While the result may still not be a classic French soufflé, separating the eggs and beating the egg whites adds the airy feel I was looking for and the presentation is much prettier as well. With some sour cream praline biscuits and roasted chived potatoes this makes a really special holiday brunch. Serves 8.
Herbes de Provence Soufflé
- 4 cups shredded cheese- choose your favorite, mild cheese or a combination of Monterey jack and cheddar.
- 14 eggs
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 Tbs Dijon mustard
- 1/4 tsp white pepper
- 2 Tbs Herbes de Provénce Blend ( I prefer one heavy on the lavendar)
- Preheat oven to 350°
- Spray an 9″x13″ glass baking dish with nonstick spray
- Spread cheese in bottom of dish
- Whisk the cream, mustard and white pepper until it just begins to thicken
- Separate the eggs into two mixing bowls.
- Whisk the Herbes de Provence into the egg yolks
- Beat the egg whites until quite frothy then fold into the yolk/herb mixture
- Pour half of the cream mixture over the cheese
- Pour the egg mixture over the cream layer
- Pour the remaining cream over the eggs
- Dot with butter
- Bake for 40 minutes
- Let settle for 5 minutes, cut into squares and serve.