Cheese Souflee (Egg whites only)

This Cheese Souffle is one of many things I made around/after Christmas. Up until I had gotten a copy of Mastering the Art of French Cooking I have never had a souffle. The extent of my souffle knowledge was limited to foodnetwork and The Long Long Trailer ( a amazing Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz movie, you should watch it). But I can happily say that I am a souffle lover. I made Julia's (we are on a first name basis now) egg white only recipe first because I had a bunch of egg whites. Most of which was left over from several days of making Eggs Benedict for breakfast. I have since made a souffle with both white and yokes and I have to admit I prefer the egg white only one. It was soft and creamy in the center and tasted like a cheese cloud.  Now Julia calls for a souffle mold, I don't have one. But I do have a round casserole dish with high sides. So I used that. I also didn't go through the trouble of creating a wall of paper around the dish. This recipe called for Swiss cheese, which I did not have. So I used what I had, and you should do the same. I used Parmesan cheese and Cheddar cheese and it tasted just fine.

You will need:
21/2 tablespoon butter
3 tablespoon butter
3/4 cup warm cream
6 or 7 egg whites
3/4 grated Swiss cheese
3/4 cup Swiss cheese diced
Salt and pepper to taste

1) Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Butter your dish and sprinkle with cheese.
2) Melt the butter, once melted add the flour and cook for 2 minutes do not brown the flour.
3) Take off the heat and add the cream and salt and pepper. Add back to the heat and stir for 1 minute. Remove from heat and set a side.
4) Whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff peaks form.
5) Add 1/4 of the egg whites to the flour and cream mixture. Be careful not to deflate the white to much.
6) Add 2/4 cup of the grated cheese and all the diced cheese. Then fold in the rest of the egg whites.
7) Place the mixture in your dish and place in the oven. Do not open the door for at least 20 minutes. Cook for 25-30 minutes.
8) Serve immediately

If you open the door before the souffle is set it will not rise and sink in the center. It will however shrink once it is removed from the oven.

Enjoy!