| More healthy foods are appearing on store | | | | Then four. Then five. I experimented with more |
| shelves. When I saw a carton of egg whites at | | | | butter, more flour, two whole eggs, low-fat |
| my grocery store I immediately thought of | | | | cheese, and one percent milk.Every souffle fell. |
| cheese souffle. Cheese souffle is one of my | | | | Much as I love cheese souffle, I was getting tired |
| favorite foods, but it's high in fat, and I hadn't | | | | of the same whacky lunch. Despite a reputation |
| made one in years. If I could come up with a | | | | as a gourmet cook I felt like a failure. By the end |
| healthy recipe I could eat cheese souffle again.I | | | | of the week I had consumed so many egg |
| bought two cartons of egg whites, fat-free | | | | whites I felt like a giant parade balloon - a thin |
| cheddar cheese, and fat-free milk. "This should do | | | | person filled with air. Maybe I'd float around the |
| it," I thought to myself. On Monday morning I | | | | kitchen. Heck, I could float around the |
| wrestled the souffle dish from the back of the | | | | neighborhood.On Saturday morning I announced to |
| cupboard, assembled my ingredients, and began | | | | my husband, "I'm going to make one last souffle." |
| what turned out to be "The Great Cheese | | | | (It was a dramatic announcement.) Years ago, |
| Souffle Experiment."My first souffle was made | | | | when we weren't as health conscious, I used to |
| with one tablespoon of butter, instead of three, | | | | make souffle for dinner. My husband would come |
| and a teaspoon of margarine. Butter is a thickener | | | | home hungry and smell the baking souffle when |
| and, to compensate for less butter, I added extra | | | | he got out of the car. The oven was next to the |
| flour to the sauce. I added a teaspoon of Dijon | | | | door I would stick a "Don't slam, souffle in oven" |
| mustard to bring out the flavor of the cheese. | | | | sign on it.The note always made my husband |
| The classic recipe calls for six eggs, but I used | | | | smile and he always raved about my cheese |
| one whole egg, and egg whites for the rest. To | | | | souffle. And so, with great care and |
| stabalize the egg whites I added a teaspoon of | | | | determiniation, I prepared souffle number six. |
| cream of tartar.When I put the souffle in the | | | | When I put the souffle in the oven it looked |
| oven it looked perfect.The souffle started to rise | | | | perfect. I kept peeking in the window to see if |
| and the aroma of melting cheese wafted through | | | | the souffle was rising. It rose steadily and looked |
| the kitchen. "This is going to work," I said to | | | | like a cook book photo. Had I invented a healthy |
| myself. But it didn't work. Fifteen minutes before | | | | cheese souffle?Five minutes - just five minutes - |
| the souffle was due to come out of the oven it | | | | before the souffle was due to come out of the |
| fell. My classic cheese souffle had turned into a | | | | oven it fell. We ate the brown, crusty, delicious |
| cheese tortilla. I don't like to waste food, so I ate | | | | top for lunch, along with a green salad. Though it |
| part of the souffle top for lunch."Oh well," I | | | | wasn't the best lunch I've ever served, my |
| thought. "Tomorrow is another day." On Tuesday | | | | husband appreciated my efforts. I've given up on |
| morning I got out the souffle dish, assembled my | | | | inventing a new cheese souffle. Sometimes you |
| ingredients, and made souffle number two. This | | | | shouldn't mess with a good thing!Copyright 2006 |
| time I used two tablespoons of butter. I was | | | | by Harriet Hodgson Hodgson has been a nonfiction |
| careful to beat the egg whites until they were | | | | writer for 27 years and is a member of the |
| stiff, not dry, and folded them ever-so-gently into | | | | Association of Health Care Journalists. Before she |
| the cheese sauce.When I put the souffle in the | | | | became a health and wellness writer she was a |
| oven it looked perfect.But the same thing | | | | food writer for the former "Rochester Magazine" |
| happened. Fifteen minutes before the souffle was | | | | in her hometown of Rochester, MN. Her 24th |
| due to come out of the oven it fell. Again, I ate | | | | book, "Smiling Through Your Tears: Anticipating |
| part of the brown, cheesy top for lunch. Cooking | | | | Grief," written with Lois Krahn, MD, is available |
| is chemistry and, since I'm not a chemist, the only | | | | from A five-star review of the book is also |
| thing I could do was make souffle number three. | | | | posted on Amazon. |