Brunch Club - A Simple Souffle?

Hello! You should call me Substitution Sally, because I clearly just used this recipe to change practically everything! Here's what I started with: www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/cheese-souffle-recipe/index.html

And here's what I did to change it:

1. I didn't have any parm cheese, so I used some Gouda.
2. I didn't have a souffle dish, so I used a spring form pan.

3. I didn't have any garlic powder, so I used the same amount of garlic paste.

4. I didn't have any cream of tartar, so I used the same amount of lemon juice.

5. I added about 1/4 cup of roasted tomatoes.

6. I added about 1/4 cup of roasted red pepper.

7. I added about 6 oz of Gouda on the top of the souffle.

And, you know, for all these substitutions, it turned out delicious. My only mistake, and this was a relatively substantial mistake (as far as presentation was concerned) was adding the cheese on the top. I put it on with 5 minutes left to cook. I added it for two reasons. One is that I thought the top was getting a little too brown. But I could have fixed that by using foil. The second is that I really really love cheese. There is no fixing that. And I had all this delicious cheese in my fridge to use!

Why is putting all that delicious cheese on the top a mistake, you ask? Oh, because the souffle was so light and delicate that the 6 oz of cheese proved too heavy and caused my souffle to squish a little. And then the car ride over to brunch club caused it to squish more. And then cutting through that crusty layer of delicious cheese? Souffle explosion.

But it tasted delicious! I think if you make this recipe (with or without all my substitutions) I'd recommend adding somewhere between 1/4 and 1/8 teaspoon of fresh ground black pepper. A word of warning: this recipe has the potential to go terribly terribly wrong. You're doing a lot of things at once. And there is the dreaded requirement that you temper the egg mixture. Always a dangerous proposition, especially as far into the recipe as this was. But if you temper with tiny amounts at a time, you'll be fine. I honestly started with about a tablespoon at a time, and gradually increased to about a cup at a time. Better to be safe and slow than sorry, right?

Otherwise, this morning was another delicious and successful brunch club! Excellent work everyone!