what's it taste like?

The view from way up here ain't bad. I imagine that if I shrink myself to about the size of my pinky nail and sit on the tippy top of one of my squash souffles, I'd see something similar. Except that faraway hill would be my fridge.

Souffle. Is there any word in the culinary world that's more fun and sophisticated to say? I could've definitely been more delicate but they would've sunk anyways. Quite dramatically too. Like, get over yourself. So what if Gordon Ramsey refers to you as the most daunting culinary masterpiece.

I'll confess that I definitely had to look up "What is a souffle supposed to taste like?" because I can't tell if I incorrectly remember having had souffle before. I think a chocolate one on a cruise? But honestly, I don't think I have.

How have I never sought one out at a restaurant? Never saw one on a dessert menu and decided to throw all self control out the window because it's basically just air? Why have I never sought out a restaurant that might serve the best souffle ever?

I couldn't tell you. But I knew I had to make one when I came across the Halloween souffle recipe from Plenty. It's mainly because I already had a red kuri squash from the market sitting on my countertop. It's also because I had attempted a pumpkin souffle once before that failed. So I guess a souffle is supposed to be soft and wet, seeming almost undercooked. In case you're like me, and started a home cooking project without fully understanding what you're doing.

squash souffle
one 3/4 lb squash
olive oil
3/4 t brown sugar
sea salt
2 T butter
2.5 T AP flour
1 c + 1 T milk
5 eggs, separated
1/2 t chile flakes
1 T oregano
2 1/2 oz goat cheese (or sour cream if you're like me and couldn't find goat cheese but thought sour cream was necessarily in the actual souffle and not meant as a side condiment...)
-chill ramekins
-preheat oven to 350F
-cut squash in half, rub with lots of olive oil and sprinkle with sugar and salt, roast for 45 min, scoop out flesh when cooled and mash up 4 1/4 oz for souffles
-turn up oven to 400F
-brush ramekins with melted butter and coat with flour
-melt 2 T butter in large saucepan, stir in flour and cook, gradually add milk and stir until sauce is thickened and bubbling
-in bowl, mix squash, egg yolks, chile flakes, oregano, sour cream (but really cheese), salt; add sauce and stir until smooth
-whip egg whites until stiff peaks form, stir in a little of the whites to loosen squash mixture, fold in rest of whites carefully
-fill ramekins to just below the rims, stick in oven and bake 10-14 minutes (but like test one first)
Note: would've really been improved with cheese. Just go seek out the goat cheese at any cost... unlike me.

By the way, I ate my large teacup souffle with daube braised lamb cheeks with parsnips leftovers from Mua. And it was kind of the perfect accompaniment.

Nuked the salty leftovers and piled it over the cold and deflated souffle. I know this sounds not fantastic... but it was. The hot and cold, the salty and not salty enough, The sauce on air. It worked well enough for a quick filling bit on a volleyball day.