Individual Egg Soufflés

Sounds fancy, looks fancy, super easy.

I do cheat a little here by using frozen puff pastry dough.  However, you could make it without the pastry and it would still be stellar.  Spray large muffin tins or ramekins with olive oil or grease with a little butter.  Line with square of parchment paper.  Place a square of pastry dough into each tin and press down.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Pre bake the pastry for about 5 minutes.

Next, whisk together eggs (I used 5 for 7 soufflés), egg whites (~1/3 cup), grated cheese, meat, herbs, shallots.  This one had cheddar, prosciutto, shallots and fresh thyme.  At this point, anything goes - try gruyere, chives, (bacon)...  The only thing I would avoid is anything with too much liquid.  If using mushrooms or tomatoes, I would cook them down a little to avoid making the soufflé too heavy and mushy.

Bake for about 15 min. and then turn the oven down to about 350 for another 10 or 15.  Keep an eye on them.  When they are done, they will have risen above the tins and you can check for doneness by inserting a toothpick.  If it comes out dry, they are fully cooked.  Serve immediately - I nearly forgot to take a picture of these - they were about an inch higher!