The Incredible, Edible Soufflé

OK, no cheating. See if you can correctly answer this question from the New York Times “The Great News Quiz of 2022” published in December:

“Year-End Consumer prices increased 7.1 percent in the year through November. Put these categories in order of how much their price increased in that 12-month period, with the largest percentage increase at the top:

• Rent
• Energy
• Used cars
• Eggs
• Smartphones

You don’t have to be an economist, or a devout ovumphile (pretentious make-believe word alert!) like me, to know that the correct answer puts eggs at the top of the list.  You only need to have visited your local dairy aisle in the last six months.

Because of avian flu, the average price of a dozen eggs at my Publix now exceeds $5.  What? You say you insist on eggs from cage-free, pasture-raised chickens? You must be rich rich.  The status-conscious no longer flaunts her wealth by flashing a Louis Vuitton bag; she simply orders an omelet.

The interesting thing to me is, even while the price of eggs has soared, your dairy aisle still likely looks like this:

Why?  I can only conclude that despite their sky-rocketing price, eggs are still undervalued.  Consider that the scrumptious recipe below—an amazingly easy, show-stopping soufflé that serves six—can still be created for about $10.

But it’s not just thrift that makes this Strawberry Kitchen original a keeper (note the Pegster’s trademark cute recipe card and grade-school teacher penmanship).  It’s that the recipe really, truly, involves dumping a bunch of pedestrian ingredients into a blender, pouring the mixture into a soufflé dish, baking for 45 minutes, then serving a perfectly-risen soufflé to a chorus of oohs and ahhs.  During the cooking time, toss a salad, heat up some rolls, and you’ve got dinner, or the perfect ladies’ luncheon. Lose the rolls and you’ve got a decadent but low-carb feast.

I hope you’ll try this recipe, which, at less than $2 a serving, is still an eggselent bargain.

PS–The correct answer to the question above is: Eggs; Energy; Rent; Used cars; Cellphones.

PPS—for an extra hit of nostalgia, I wonder how many of you Strawberry Kitcheneers remember this 1978 ad, obviously created to counter the cholesterol backlash against eggs?

Never-Fail Cheese Soufflé

Recipe by Betsy OwensCourse: Breakfast, Entrees, UncategorizedDifficulty: SOOOO easy

Servings

6

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

45

minutes

Ingredients

• 1 T. butter, melted

• 1/2 cup heavy cream

• 1/2 tsp. dry mustard (optional)

• 1 tsp. dill weed (or 1 Tbs. fresh)

• 8 oz. cream cheese

• 6 large eggs

• 1/4 cup grated parmesan

• 2 cups grated extra sharp cheddar cheese (about 10 oz.)

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350.
• Butter a 2-quart soufflé dish
• Place all ingredients in a blender, and blend, ON HIGH, for about 90 seconds.
• Pour mixture into prepared soufflé dish.
• Bake for 45 minutes, until well-risen.
• Serve immediately.