Every year at Thanksgiving, Vrghr tries to add one dish to the menu that he has never attempted before.

This year the special dish was Individual Corn Soufflés! And thankfully, they turned out a treat!

These were loaded with cheese, and a lot of bacon along with the corn. Lovely, complex flavors, fluffy texture, and delicious results.

Whew! Wuff was just a wee bit worried out the outcome, especially trying this out for the first time with guests, as a Soufflé is notorious for being a bit tricky to create. Whipping the egg whites until airy and stiff, getting the custard right, and having the whole thing rise up nice and puffy while baking without falling... But it all worked out really well! And turned out to be not nearly as hard as imagined!

Yes, this probably isn't a "beginner" technique. But its not nearly as advanced as wuffy feared. If you can comfortably and confidently create successful omelets, you can likely create these just as easily, though they do take a few more steps.

But the results are entirely worth it!

And, surprisingly, they are still REALLY good the following day, even though (like all Soufflés) they will collapse within a dozen or so minutes after removing from the oven. Just remove them from their bowls, plop them down in a bit of the turkey gravy and side with a slice of turkey and some cranberries, microwave a few seconds until warmed, and you have a wonderful treat and a quick, light meal!

If you're feeling adventurous, Vrghr STRONGLY recommends giving these a shot! They make an impressive dish, and they really taste delicious!

Ingredients

Butter, for rubbing the bowls
1 package (12 oz) C frozen corn
5 strips thick-sliced ("Streaky" "American") bacon, cut crosswise and then cut into 1/4-inch strips
3/4 C Milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
6 large Egg Whites
4 large egg yolks
2 C (1 6oz wedge) shredded Comté cheese (Vrghr used Fontina)
2 TBS chopped fresh Chives
1/2 tsp dried Thyme
1/4 tsp ground Black Pepper

Individual Ramekins (at least 8)

Baking/cake pan for water bath. Immersion (stick) blender.

Directions:
An IMPORTANT note about separating the eggs: Crack each egg above a small bowl. Pour the white and yolk into your fingers. The whites will drain out into the bowl. Pour the separated yolk out of your fingers and into a separate bowl, and then dump the whites from the small bowl into the stainless mixing bowl you will use to whip them.
Repeat for the next egg, draining off the whites into the stainless bowl every time.
This way, if a yolk breaks and a drop of the yolk falls into the whites in the small bowl, you won't "contaminate" the whole batch of egg whites, just the one you're currently separating.
NOTE: If even ONE DROP of egg yolk falls into the small bowl with the whites, pour that into the batch of egg yolks and rinse out the small bowl thoroughly (don't use soap, just water). The fat from the yolk (or soap from a rinse) can keep the whites from whipping up properly later. But getting whites into the yolks won't hurt anything.

Preheat the oven to 350°.

Generously butter the ramekins (and an extra bowl for the remaining soufflé batter if you don't put it all in the ramekins)

Add the egg whites to a very clean (no soap, no butter or any sort of oil or fat!), large stainless steel bowl. Place bowl and whites in the refrigerator to chill (helps with whipping) while making the corn custard

In a medium sauce pan over medium-high heat, cook the sliced and chopped bacon until browned but not completely crisp. Pour off (and save for other uses) all but about 3 TBS of the rendered fat

Add all but 1 C (reserve) of the frozen corn, the grated cheese, the spices, and the milk. Stir until the cheese has melted and combined (it will be pretty lumpy, but don't worry - we're about to fix that)

Remove from heat, and using an immersion (stick) blender, blend until everything is a smooth, thick porridge-like consistency. During the blending, the mixture should cool down enough not to scramble the yolks you will add next. Whisk in the chopped chives, reserved frozen whole corn kernels, and the cream. Then whisk in the beaten egg yolks. Cover and set aside until the egg whites are ready

TIMING NOTE: The Soufflés will take 35-45 minutes to bake, depending on your individual oven. Then they will only hold about 10 minutes after removing. So now is the time to take stock of the rest of your meal. You want to whip up the egg whites and fold the corn mixture in right before adding the Soufflés to the oven, to keep the most air in them. Time the next steps accordingly, so you can take them right out of the oven when everyone is ready to eat, and set them on the table!

Remove the large stainless steel bowl with the chilled egg whites from the refrigerator. Using an electric mixer or the whisk attachment on an immersion blender, beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt (optional, and a pinch of Cream of Tarter) at high speed until they hold firm, dry peaks (takes 3-5 minutes)

Stir one-third of the whites into the corn base to lighten it, then gently fold in the remaining whites until just barely blended. It is okay if there are still some lighter steaks within the results. Don't work them too much, or you'll work out the air you so carefully whipped into the whites.

Gently ladle the mixture into the prepared soufflé dishes. Place the individual dishes into a large cake pan and carefully pour hot water into the cake pan, being careful not to splash it into the ramekins, until the water comes about 1/3-1/2 way up the sides of the individual ramekins. Note: if you have leftover batter and put it all into a larger baking bowl, you probably don't need to use a water bath for it. The water keeps the smaller ramekins from getting too browned on the bottom, but the greater volume in the larger bowl should take care of that.

Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until they puff up and nicely brown on top (see photo). They may still be slightly jiggly in the center

!!SERVE IMMEDIATELY!!

!DEVOUR!