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