Cheesy Grits Souffle

I came across this recipe in my June 2007 Cuisine at Home magazine. I've never made a souffle before and thought this sounded great. Grits, smoked cheddar and corn, who wouldn't love it? Flavor wise it was very good, but it really tasted like a light and airy omelet, it was very eggy. I think I was hoping that it would be more like corn bread or at least a cornbread-frittata combo. It turned out great and looked pretty, but...It might be a good brunch item to serve your friends, they will be impressed with the work that goes into it.
The recipe calls for beating the egg whites to medium peaks, which means beating them until they droop from the beaters, yet hold their shape and don't slide off.

Cheesy Grits Souffle

2 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup yellow corn grits
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup frozen corn kernels
3/4 cup smoked Cheddar, grated
1/2 cup Parmesan, grated
1/3 cup scallions, chopped
2 egg yolks (reserve whites)
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/8 tsp. cayenne
3 egg whites

Preheat oven to 400, coat a 2-qt. baking dish with nonstick spray. Bring water to a boil in a large saucepan. Add grits in a steady stream, whisking constantly; reduce heat to low. Simmer, stirring often, until grits are thick and creamy, 15-20 minutes.
Off heat, stir in cream, corn, cheeses, scallions, yolks, salt and cayenne. Transfer to a large bowl and cool to room temperature, stirring often to prevent a "skin" from forming.
Beat the whites in a bowl to medium peaks. Blend 1/3 of the whites into the grits, then gently fold in the remaining whites. Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and bake for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean. Serve immediately.

Egg in a Nest

In my vast collection of recipes, I saw this picture of an egg nestled in hash browns, but could not locate it when I wanted to prepare the dish. So I came up with this one. They turned out pretty tasty and you could use any type of cheese.

Egg in a Nest

1 cup refrigerated shredded hash brown potatoes
1/3 cup Asiago Pressato cheese, shredded
2 eggs
seasoning salt and black pepper

Spray 2 ramekins (4 1/2 x 2) with cooking spray. In a mixing bowl combine potatoes and cheese; season with salt and pepper. Divide in half and place in ramekins; pressing into bottom and up the sides. Place in a preheated 375 degree oven for 10 minutes. Remove ramekins and crack an egg into each. Season with salt and pepper and return to oven for ten minutes. After the 2nd 10 minutes put under broiler for 3 to 4 minutes, being careful not to burn.