Cheese & Herb Souffle

Ingredients:

• 2 oz. unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour (or gluten free flour blend)
• 2/3 cup milk (can be low or non-fat)
• 1 cup ricotta cheese (can be low fat cheese)
• 4 egg yolks
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh tarragon
• 6 egg whites
• 1 cup half-n-half
• 6 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Spray 6 x 3.5 inch souffle dishes with cooking spray. Set dishes in a 9x13 inch baking pan.

2. Melt the butter in a large pot over low heat. Add the flour and whisk for 30 seconds. Whisk in the milk until mixture thickens. Cook for an additional 30 seconds. Remove from the heat and stir in the ricotta cheese. Stir in the egg yolks and herbs. Season well with salt & pepper.

3. Whip the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the whites into the ricotta mixture.

4. Spoon into the prepared dishes. Place back in baking pan. Pour in enough boiling water to come hallway up the sides of the souffle dishes.

5. Bake for 15-20 minutes until the souffles are well risen and lightly browned. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10-15 minutes. Gently ease the souffles out of the dishes and place in a lightly sprayed baking pan. (Note: at this point you can cover the baking pan with plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator to bake at another time. I make these souffles the night before and store in the refrigerator overnight. The next morning I remove the plastic wrap and bake as below.

6. Increase oven temperature to 400F. Pour the cream over the souffles and top with Parmesan. Return to oven and bake for an additional 15 minutes.