One Sunday spring dinner when our children were young, I made a fruit stuffed pork roast and an asparagus souffle. A bit ambitious I will admit, but I had wanted to try them for quite a while. The smell of that meal cooking had been wafting around the house for a couple of hours and I couldn’t wait to eat.  As we sat down my son Jonathan looked at his plate and announced he hated asparagus. Across the table my daughter Lucy saw the pork and started sobbing because she had just watched a movie with a cute little pig as the main character.  Our solution: Lucy just had asparagus souffle and Jonathan ate the pork. Both were delicious by the way, and though I don’t eat pork roasts very often these days, I do still make the asparagus souffle.

 A souffle is a flavored sauce (such as cheese, fish, vegetable, or chocolate) lightened up with stiffly whipped egg whites folded into it. Then the souffle is baked until it rises and turns golden brown. Traditionally it is made in a Charlotte Mold which is a round kind of casserole dish and the souffle that puffs up has a light foamy texture.We hear many disaster stories about baking souffles, leaving the impression that you have to be a master chef to make one.  They really aren’t difficult, though. It does take a few steps, but the good news is that you can make this souffle ahead and keep it in the fridge until you’re ready to bake it. The sides of the dish you cook this souffle in are only a couple of inches high so it doesn’t rise as high and it doesn’t have far to fall when it starts to deflate (which it will about 10 minutes after you take the souffle out of the oven).

 You might have had your fill of eggs (since this is the week after Easter), but hopefully they were just the chocolate ones.  Asparagus has been in the markets for a couple months and now at its sweetest. This versatile dish can be served for a brunch, lunch, or light dinner.

Note: If you have just pulled your eggs out of the fridge you can get them to room temperature more quickly if you put them in a bowl of warm water. You might have to drain and refill once or twice. (Do not put them in boiling water or they will cook). Gruyère has a stronger flavor than parmesan so if you use just Gruyère, decrease the amount by a couple of heaping tablespoons. Also you can make this souffle ahead of time and place it in the fridge until you are ready to eat.

 Adapted from The Silver Palate Cookbook

 4-5 servings

 Ingredients:

• 1lb. asparagus

• 1 leek (white and very light green part only)

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

• 4 egg yolks at room temperature * see note above

• 5 egg whites at room temperature *see note above

• Pinch of cream of tartar and salt

• 1 cup milk

• 2/3 cups grated parmesan reggiano, or Gruyère * see note above

  
  

Directions:

   Preheat the oven to 425°

1.     Slice the leek lengthwise and then into thin half circles. Drop them into a bowl of water and let them sit so that the silt will drop to the bottom of the bowl. 

2.     Snap the ends of the asparagus and cut them into 2” pieces. Put them into a saucepan and cover with about an inch of water. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook them for about 4 minutes. You want them cooked through but not mushy. Drain them and set ¼ cup or so aside; then using an immersion blender puree the rest.

3.     Drain the leeks, melt the butter in a medium-sized sauté pan over medium low heat. Add the leeks and a pinch of salt. Cover and steam for about ten minutes, stirring occasionally.  When they are tender add the flour and incorporate it until all the lumps are gone and the flour has cooked a bit. Cook for a couple minutes while you warm the milk in the microwave. Add the milk in a slow stream, stirring the mixture until it thickens, and the liquid is completely incorporated. Take the pan off the heat and add the egg yolks one at a time whisking after each, then the asparagus puree, the chopped asparagus, half the cheese and a pinch of salt and pepper. Butter a 9”x 12” gratin dish and sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Beat the room temperature egg whites at high speed in a dry bowl. After a couple of minutes when the whites become foamy add a pinch of salt and cream of tartar. Continue to beat until stiff peaks form. Spoon out about a third of the whites into the asparagus mixture and mix thoroughly to lighten the sauce. Next add half of the remaining egg whites and slowly fold the whites while turning the bowl at each fold. You want to see big white streaks. Repeat with the remaining egg whites. Pour into the prepared dish. At this point if you are not eating this right away, you can cover it and refrigerate it until ready to serve.

When you are ready to eat place in the oven. Immediately turn the temperature down to 375°. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.