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