Servings: 6

1½ cup milk; or ¾ cup evaporated milk plus ¾ cup water 1½ cup milk; or ¾ cup evaporated milk plus ¾ cup water
6 eggs 6 eggs
¼ cup butter or margarine ¼ cup butter or margarine
¼ cup flour ¼ cup flour
1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon salt
speck cayenne pepper speck cayenne pepper
½ pound sharp American cheese, processed or cheddar ½ pound sharp American cheese, processed or cheddar

Start heating oven to 300°F. In saucepan, heat, but do not scald, milk. Separate eggs, putting whites in large bowl, yolks in small one.
In a double boiler, melt butter. Stir in flour, then heated milk, salt, cayenne; cook, stirring, until smooth and thickened. Thinly slice cheese right into sauce. Stir until cheese melts completely and sauce is velvety smooth; remove from heat.
With fork (or wire whisk), beat egg yolks until well-blended. Stir in a little of the cheese sauce. Slowly stir this mixture back into rest of cheese sauce.
With electric mixer or egg beater, beat egg whites until stiff but not dry. Slowly pour in cheese sauce, folding until no large areas of egg white remain.
Pour mixture into ungreased 2-quart straight-sided, round casserole till ¼" from the top. (Bake any extra mixture in small ungreased casserole.
To form crown, with teaspoon, make shallow bath in soufflé mixture about 1" in from edge of casserole all the way around. Bake, uncovered, 1¼ hours; don't open oven while soufflé is baking.
Serve at once. Sautéed tomato halves and crisp bacon are nice accompaniments. Makes 6 servings.