Nancy's Mini Cheese Soufflés

Everyone loves dinner parties and, more importantly, the foods served at dinner parties. Everyone wants to be that glamorous, awesome host or hostess walking around in a cocktail gown or tuxedo, gabbing about Yquem or Diderot and charming everyone so much that the party is talked about for weeks until someone throws a better one.Not everyone can be so charming and lucky, though, and there I was, all by myself in my mother's house, dressed to the nines in my Mamon's Falafels t-shirt and beagle boxers with my guests- my two dogs, talking to myself about Byronic heroes and malolactic fermentation and because I didn't have a party to make, I was preparing these little soufflés from Nancy's. Even though I was all dressed up with no place to go, they made me, the everyman, feel like a million bucks.The little soufflés, along with some deli rolls that I'll cover in another post, are decadent tiny grenades of pastry with Neufchatel cheese and egg yolk. They're tiny, but boy, are they insane. Putting them in the oven, I wondered to myself how I'd accurately create the party atmosphere. So I decided to put some Barry White on and walk around the kitchen, grabbing soufflés from the serving tray as I aimlessly wandered around the kitchen and dining room, eating them as I walked. They are indeed the perfect finger food- the cheese filling is creamy and light, like a mousse, and was very hot. And they puffed up pretty well, like a real soufflé! I was right when I put an extra four minutes to cook, they needed more than the nine suggested minutes that the package gave.However, be warned. These are little tiny food terrorists. Three of these, which are no bigger than a miniature Reese's, pack as much fat and calories as a slice of cheese pizza, and they're supposed to be appetizers. And they're very tasty- you won't want to stop at three. As for taste, though, the dough wasn't greasy and crisped up well in the oven, and the filling was decent, but the bold assertion of calling these cheese soufflés is a little ballsy, considering the only cheese is Neufchatel- hardly a cheese to stand on.

The color was also a little bit of a turn-off for me. I would have liked to see them get crispier, more golden, but I was afraid of over baking them. Nancy's does try to guide our feeble hands in the presentation of a party, for we are stupid and do not know, and shows us how to garnish and make things colorful. I went for the bachelorette/Bobby Flay route and chose to add a little honey mustard and chipotle powder for color, and when I dunked them in, they looked like little frosted cupcakes.But overall, addictive as hell. Make your guests fat and laugh from the sidelines in your rented tuxedo. Tune in soon for another Nancy's product.