Lazy Soufflés

So the other night, Daddy came over with some steaks for Hubs to grill for us.  I scrambled out of the office around six thirty, warned Daddy (a notoriously early eater) that we would be eating "Continental" style, and careened my buggy through the grocery.  Flinging off my lady lawyer heels and slinging on an apron, I got to work. Halved some Brussel sprouts and chopped an onion, tossed with some olive oil salt and pepper- into the 400 oven for about half an hour and done.

That's when I decided to get ambitious. 

"Hmmm."  I thought, staring into the depths of my fridge.  "I'm feeling rather culinary genius-like.  What shall I create?"  Seeing a bag of angel hair shredded cabbage, I thought that a soufflé with the cabbage would be a perfect addition to my fall menu. 

I started with a bechamel sauce- butter, flour, and milk.  Then let cool and added a couple of egg yolks.

 It was thick as hell. 

That's not how it's how it's supposed to be.  But, I said "expletive-it", and soldiered on, whipping my egg whites.

 I was getting a touch frantic at this point, as Hubs was wandering about the kitchen asking me random questions, and my Dad arrived, asking when we were going to eat. A touch of yolk went into my whites, but I scooped it out, and decided to move on. 

 Hmmmmph.

I whipped my egg whites further.  They stiffened to  certain point, then decided to stiffen no more.  "Well", I thought, "I'm sure that's good enough." I folded the whites into my cabbage bechamel mess, then spooned them into my buttered and Parmesaned ramekins.

Optimistically, I stuck them in the oven and did not even peek for 25  minutes, dreaming of pouffy mini-souffles. Well, I wasn't missing much by not peeking, because those soufflés had not risen a whit.  I closed the oven back up, and decided to eat the rest of out meal.  Thank goodness I had bread on hand, because Brother came by too, and I had barely enough Brussel sprouts as it was. 

A good hour of cooking later I realized that my soufflés were bound and determined not to rise.  I pulled them out of the oven anyway, poured a brown butter sauce on top, and served them to the hungry boys at my table.

Who loved them. 

Dense cabbage not-soufflés.  Just goes to show a little butter goes a long way.