Ham and Cheese Souffle Roll

Pic courtesy of Our Best Bites

I kinda went out on an adventurous limb when I made this. I mean, we've all heard tales of souffles and how temperamental they can be. But, I'm telling you, this was surprisingly easy and SOOOO good. It was such a refreshing departure from the regular old scrambled eggs, quiches, and frittatas that usually grace our tables for breakfast. I actually made this Christmas morning and everyone raved. I have to note that the recipe on Our Best Bites where I got it, called for a parsley sauce (basically it was a really oniony Ranch dressing) over the top. I made it and I really didn't love it and no one else was a huge fan. So, what I would recommend is a simple, light cheese sauce, like an alfredo sauce that can even be found here or maybe a light smooth red sauce or salsa. Or, it was also REALLY good plain, if sauce isn't your thing. It is such a pretty meal, and very sure to impress.

*For a wonderful tutorial and step by step pics and instructions, go to Our Best Bites.

Ham and Cheese Souffle Roll
Our Best Bites from Better Homes and Gardens 15th Edition Cookbook
Prep: 50 min, Bake: 65 min, Chill: 2-24 hours, Serves: 8-10 slices

4 Tbs butter (this is for the actual recipe. Use additional butter for greasing pan)
1/2 C flour
1/8 tsp black pepper
2 C milk
6 egg yolks, lightly beaten
6 egg whites
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
6 oz thinly sliced ham (go to the deli counter and ask for thin slices)
6 oz thinly sliced Swiss or provolone cheese
Sauce-see suggestions in notes above
*Heavy Duty foil (really, that's what it's called. Heavy Duty! It's larger and stronger than normal foil and that's what you'll need.) I used my silpat in a jelly roll pan and it worked wonderfully.

*Some of you asked about using parchment paper instead of foil. I asked our friend Juli from the BHG test kitchens and she tested it out for us! Here are her notes: We didn’t ever test it using parchment, but I tried it today and it worked very well! You do still have to work slowly, and coax the souffle with a spatula to get it to release, but it does, and with most of the lovely browned surface intact. I also inverted onto a sheet of parchment, and that worked fine for rolling up, and now I can bake on that same sheet of parchment.

1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Line a 15x10x1 inch baking pan with foil (a large rimmed baking sheet) extend foil about 1 inch over edges of pan. Grease well with butter and lightly flour the foil.

2. In a medium saucepan melt 4 Tbs butter. Stir in flour and pepper. Gradually and slowly stir in milk while whisking to remove lumps. Cook and stir until mixture is thickened and bubbly; cool slightly. Place egg yolks in a medium bowl; gradually stir in milk mixture. In a large bowl beat egg whites and cream of tartar with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form (tips stand straight.) Fold some of the beaten egg whites inot the egg white mixture. Fold egg yolk mixture into the remaining beaten egg whites. Spread in the prepared baking pan.

3. Bake about 20 minutes or until souffle is puffed and a knife inserted in center comes out clean.

4. Meanwhile, place a long sheet of heavy foil (about 22x18 inches) on a large baking sheet. Generously grease teh foil. After baking souffle immediately loosen edges of souffle from baking pan. invert souffle onto the foil-lined baking sheet. Carefully peel off foil.

5. Place ham and cheese slices in single layers on top of souffle. Starting from a short side, use foil on baking sheet to lift and help roll up souffle. Don't roll the foil inside. use the foil to lift souffle roll onto another flat baking sheet. Cover souffle with foil and chill for 2-24 hours.

6. Before serving, preheat oven to 350. Bake souffle roll, covered with the foil, about 45 minutes or until heated through. To serve, uncover and transfer souffle roll to a warm serving platter (a giant spatula works well, you can sort of slide the whole roll while helping it with the spatula). Slice with a serrated knife and serve with sauce of choice, if desired.