I do not have in my possession- a Southern cookbook that does not have multiple recipes for the classic French soufflé – sweet and savory, for dessert, a side dish or even a main luncheon dish. The Classic Cheese Souffle, is a true high wire act of
- whisking egg whites,
- preparing an egg yolk custard base,
- then carefully folding in the egg whites;
- not to mention not opening the oven or the whole thing will collapse-
Well, who wants to go through all of that? And though soufflés are stunning- they must be served immediately. The truth is though, most Southern cooks who make souffles regularly will tell you they are not hard, the base can be made hours ahead and chilled- it’s all of that whipping egg whites and folding right before baking that makes souffles seem high wire and in danger of falling flat! Even so, Cheese Souffle seems to have been considered part of a Southern cook’s repertoire to the extent that quite a few cookbooks even have a strong suggestion that Bless-ed is the Bride who can pull off at least one soufflé for her new husband! I would go a step further and say- Bless-ed are the guests who are served at least one soufflé! Recipes abound for Bride’s Cheese Souffle, some are blatantly named Mock or Fake Cheese Souffle, just in case poor Audrey Virginia Wallace-Calvin needs to see can’t fail in black and white print!
‘Darlin’ we know you bragged to John Wesley Calvin III, that you could actually cook, but believe me, you can fool him with this one!’ 
It has literally been decades since I have even attempted to make a real soufflé, yet in Spring with eggs in plentiful supply, milk and sharp cheddar cheese on hand; I decided to make a Faux Cheese Souffle. I assembled the ingredients the night before. The Faux Cheese Souffle was surprisingly easy, it is light and fluffy with full flavor, holds very well and can also be re-heated. Let me tell you how it was done:
Faux Cheese Souffle
- Butter an 8 cup soufflé dish generously
- Trim the crusts from 8-10 slices of white loaf sandwich bread. On one side only, butter each slice, then cut in fourths.
- Finely grate 1 pound of sharp cheddar cheese (must be sharp or even extra sharp cheddar) Divide in half.
- 4 Large Eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon of Salt
- 2 cups of Whole Milk
- 1½ teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 teaspoon of dry mustard (I prefer Coleman’s®)
- Pinch or two of Cayenne Pepper
Layer half of the buttered, quartered bread in the bottom of buttered soufflé dish, making sure bread is buttered side up. Cover with half of the grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese. Repeat this with more buttered bread and the other half of the grated cheese. In a bowl-
Whip the 4 large eggs well, add salt, then whole milk and spices mixing well. Pour this mixture over the layered bread and cheese. Cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight or up to 24 hours. Preheat the oven to 350º uncover faux cheese soufflé mixture and bake- center rack of oven for 45 minutes to one hour. The soufflé will be puffed, golden brown and bubbly, with the center of the soufflé set. * The addition of bread is what helps the soufflé hold up, the overnight soaking keeps the soufflé light and fluffy. You may serve immediately or allow to cool for a buffet table, a meatless meal, a light luncheon or with Baked Ham or Roast Beef or Petit Filet Mignon. 
A side salad is wonderful or crudites of fresh vegetables. Serves 6-10. This is a light but rich dish! I hope you’ll give it a try- impress yourself, your family or even your guests and only you will know it’s a Faux Cheese Souffle!
Love y’all, Camellia
*photographs are obviously mine. Recipe was gleaned from several cookbooks I own- I adjusted seasonings to my liking, some do not call for dry mustard, some call for more or less Worcestershire sauce and others (though rarely) omit cayenne pepper.
Spring is a time of renewal and hope…there is nothing quite like nature to inspire us here at Camellia’s Cottage. The use of natural materials for Spring table settings, home décor and even in the garden brings the Earth’s best inspirations. As the Earth renews and indeed is resurrected, the arrival of Easter coincides. I was inspired by Easter’s proclamations…
Classic Southern Sandwiches… A whole new category of Southern food began with the advent of the pre-sliced Pullman loaf of bread. If you were driving through Birmingham late at night years ago, you could see the fires of Sloss Furnace and smell the delightful aroma of fresh baked bread! Dainty Sandwiches were served in the nursery all the way to the grave as funeral food. Whole generations of children learned their shapes from dainty crustless sandwiches- rectangles, squares, triangles and circles. Dainty sandwiches, easy to pick up and digest- well, they became a perfect funeral food- with fillings to die for… Generations of school children had crustless Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches packed in brown bags- I know this because my best friend in second grade- lorded over me with hers by slowly mashing the filling up to the edge of her triangle and batting her pale blue eyes at me, then she would run out her little pink tongue and lick it off, while I was at the mercy of the lunch ladies to fix my plate with arguably the finest food in the region at Minnie Holman Grammar School. I do admit to trading a big warm yeast roll for a half of her dainty crustless sandwich! Crustless Sandwiches became known and revered as Tea Sandwiches. The finest cooks took almost as much time decorating Tea Sandwiches as they did icing Petit Fours for Afternoon Teas, Coffees, Bridal Tables and Ladies Luncheons. In fact our Southern mothers insisted on removing the bread crusts for dainty sandwiches and for toast points- leaving the crust on- just wasn’t done. However, two Classic Sandwiches did allow for crusts and were often eaten- privately (I’m sure) or by common folk who had the nerve to leave the crusts on…these two classic sandwiches are revered by Southerners- the Tomato Sandwich and the Classic Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato Sandwich. I do not know of a Southerner who doesn’t love a summer Tomato Sandwich above all others, but will turn their nose up if tomatoes are not in season. Second on the favorite sandwich list has to be the Classic BLT.
Now, I know there are Designer Versions out there and yes, some are very good- the problem is- once you veer away from Bacon Lettuce and Tomato- you don’t have a BLT anymore! Now, before summer tomatoes get ripe and for the few short weeks they are available to us, still warm from the vine- Southerners console ourselves with a hothouse tomato or maybe an early tomato shipped from Florida- but we know it won’t taste right in a Tomato Sandwich. Here’s the solution- what seems like an interminable period of time, when the tomato plants are in the ground and the flowers are set…on a warm sunny day- we dream of a Tomato Sandwich but we whet our appetites with a Bacon Lettuce and Tomato Sandwich. We actually leave the crusts on! Let me describe a real one…
Thorns, in Scripture symbolize troubles. Troublesome people, troublesome habits and troubled people.
Lord Jesus, as daffodil trumpets herald the beginning of Spring and the Dogwood dares to bear blood tinged white blossoms centered with a Crown of Thorns- we know that it not right for so many of us to be wracked with mental agony, fearful of the future and plagued with anxious fretful minds. Too often we are tired, worried with the strains of life, burdened with responsibilities, splintered by hurtful words, choked out and suffocated by prickly concerns in lives too full and complicated. Thorns…stunt our growth, halt our progress and reduce our growth and productivity. So we pray with heavy hearts, bringing burdens we have tried to shoulder on our own- yet even as we lay them before You, plead for relief, recount the burdens once again…something strange inside of us begins to gather our troubles back up again-
Long before Spring gets into full swing… Camellias grace the South with their gorgeous blooms. The Camellia is the state flower of Alabama and rightly so, from the southernmost coastal region to the northern border, Camellias thrive. 
Alabama author Harper Lee put a White Camellia in a supporting role in ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ and CoCo Chanel elevated the White Camellia to star status as her trademark lapel pin. 
