Grits, Cheese, Corn, and Onion Souffles

Last weekend, I tried a few new and different dishes, and all of them had one thing in common. Everything I prepared was incredibly simple and shockingly good given the scant active time involved. Souffles, so dramatic in appearance but simple to create, clearly fit this description. This recipe from Bon Appetit’s June issue was the main dish of our Sunday brunch.

After making corn cream and macque choux the night before, I had some remaining fresh corn. It just seemed like a perfect fit to include it in the grits soufflés. And, it was. The airy egg texture was contrasted by a fresh burst of corn. I didn’t have any leeks, but the 3/4 c yellow onion plus green onions provided enough flavor from the allium family. The pepper Monterey Jack was a nice addition, and more heat from fresh jalapenos would be a consideration in the future. I garnished the finished soufflés with chopped cilantro.

When dishes require a lot of chopping, marinating, blanching, basting, waiting, mixing, turning, slicing, etc., you feel like you really earned the right to a delicious meal. As you gladly get to finally sit and taste, you think, yes, this was worth all of that. Last weekend, I felt almost guilty that I wasn’t even a little fatigued after preparing these meals. It was like some magic happened that made amazing meals come out of nowhere. I sat, ate, and was delighted to enjoy really great, nearly effortless food.