Cook: carrots in boiling water to cover 8 to 10 minutes or until tender; drain well.

Position: knife blade in food processor bowl; add drained carrots, and process until smooth. Set 1 cup mashed carrots aside. Melt: butter in a heavy saucepan over low heat; add flour, stirring until smooth. Cook 1 minute, stirring containtly. Gradually add half and half; stir in reserved mashed caarrots. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until thickened and bubbly. Beat: egg yolks until thick and pale.

Gradually stir about one-fourth of hot mixture into yolks; add to remaining hot mixture, stirring constantly.

Stir in salt and nutmeg; cool.

Beat: egg whites until stiff but not dry; gently fold into carrot mixture.

Pour: into a lightly buttered 1 1/2 quarter souffle dish. Bake: at 350 degree for 1 hour or until puffed and set. Serve immediately. Make 4 main dish or 6 side dish serving. Bonus For Broccoli Puff, omit carrots, and stir 1 cup forozen chopped broccoli, thawed and well drained, and 2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese into half and half mixture. Sprinkle top with an additional 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese before baking. Bake at 350 degree for 1 hour and 10 minutes. Sweet Potato Puff, omit carrots, and stir 1 cup canned, mashed sweet potatoes into half and half mixture. Bake souffle according to carrot puff direction. For Pumpkin Puff, omit carrots and nutmet, and stir 1 cup canned pumpkin pie filling into half and half mixture . Bake souffle according to carrot puff directions. For Roasted Vegetable Puff, omit carrots and nutmeg, and stir 1 cup mashed roasted vegetables (see recipe) into half aand half mixture.

Bake at 350 degrees for 55 minutes.

Mashed Roasted Vegetables: 1 medium baking potatoe, peeled and quartered 1 medium sweet potato, peeled, and quartered 1 turnip, peeled and quartered 1 carrot, scraped and quartered 1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh thume 1/2 teaspoon fresh rosemary, crushed crushed garlic cloves Combine all ingredients in a zip-top plastic bag, toss well. Place vegetables around pork roast on broiler rack after reducing heat to 325 degree bake at 325 degree for 1 hour position knife blade in food processor bowl, add half of vegetables. Process until smooth stopping often to scrape down sides. Removed mixture, and keep warm. Repeat procedure with remaining vegetables. Makes 2 cups.

_____________________ smoothing secrets

prevent lumps by stirring flour into melted butter with a wire whisk, gradually add the half and half white stirring constantly. cook four mixture over medium heat; high heat can cause it to curdle _____________________ eggsclusive secrets carefully separate cold eggs stirring a small amount of hot mixture into beaten egg yolks warms them. This step - called tempering - prevents the egg yolks from lumping (coagulating) _______________________ puffing secrets

even the smallest amount of fat, including that in a ddrop of yolk, keeps the egg white from beating properly. Because wooden and plastic bowls tend to absorb fat avoid using them when beating egg whites stiff but not dry mean egg whites no longer slip when the bowl is titled. To fold in a beated egg white, use a down-across-up-and-over motion with a rubber spatual to cut through the carrot mixture. Fold just until there aren't any remaining streaks. don't stir - it forces out the air in the beaten white.

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dish size is important; if the container is too small, the mixture may run over, if the container is too large the mixture won't rise to the rim and have it tradition appearance. Use a straight-sided casserole if you don't have a traditional souffle dish.

_______________________ Baking Secrets

Place souffle into a preheated oven immediately after mixing. Don't peek, opening the oven door will cause a souffle to collapse. The top will be slightly firm to the touch.