Susan Spungen's Stress-Less Cheese Soufflé

Makes 4 servings

Making a soufflé isn’t as tricky as you might think, given all the dire warnings (Don’t you dare open the oven! Avoid loud noises!) that usually come with recipes for them. In fact, you can assemble a soufflé many hours ahead of time, as long as you put the soufflé mixture in the dish it will be baked in and stick it in the fridge (yes, really!). Also, let’s manage our expectations of loftiness, and let’s be OK with a slightly sunken soufflé. Your guests will think you are a real genius pulling this thing out of the oven and serving them scoops of piping hot cheese heaven. Making it in a flat baking dish means it doesn’t have so far to fall, and also creates a lot more surface area to brown, turning it into something a little different and more casual than the classic toque-like affair. You can add any herbs you like to this soufflé, or even finely chopped cooked spinach. I like to serve this for brunch, lunch, or a light supper with a simple but exceptional green salad. I still advise you to time this so you can serve it immediately upon removing from the oven for the best effect.