Zucchini — Sweet Corn Soufflé — When the Kitchen Is the Confidence and the Food Is the Truth

The Savannah Morning News called this week. They want to do another feature — a follow-up to the 2028 cooking profile, except this time they want to profile the blog. Ten years of a seventy-two-year-old woman writing about food and family and the Lowcountry, typed one finger at a time on an iPad. They said, "Mrs. Henderson, your blog has become a part of Savannah." I said, "Savannah has been a part of me longer."

A reporter is coming to the house next week. Denise is already planning the cleaning schedule. Robert is already fixing things that don't need fixing but that might need fixing if a reporter looks at them closely. Kayla said, "Granny, you're going to be in the newspaper." I said, "Kayla, I was in the newspaper. This is the second time." She said, "This time it's about the blog." I said, "The blog is about the food. The food is about the family. The family is about the love. The reporter is going to come to my kitchen and I'm going to cook for them, and whatever they write will be whatever they write, but the food will be what the food always is: the truth."

I'm not nervous. I was nervous for the cooking class. I was nervous for the first newspaper feature. But I am not nervous about this because this is just a person coming to my kitchen, and my kitchen is where I am most myself, and my self is the thing I am most confident about. I am Dorothy Mae Henderson. I am seventy-two years old. I cook. That is the story. That has always been the story.

Made shrimp and grits tonight. Practice. Not because the shrimp and grits need practice — they haven't needed practice since I was twenty — but because the making calms me. The stirring is the meditation. The grits are the prayer. And the reporter is going to eat the best shrimp and grits of their life, and they're going to write about it, and whatever they write will be true because the food is the truth and the truth is the food and I have been telling this truth for five hundred weeks and one more telling is not going to change it.

Now go on and feed somebody.

I said the shrimp and grits were the prayer, and that is true, but no good prayer goes without a proper side — something light and golden that holds its shape the way a good story does. This Zucchini & Sweet Corn Soufflé is what I made alongside, because when a reporter is coming to your kitchen and your grandchildren are proud and your kitchen is the one place you are most yourself, you make everything. You make it the way you always have. You make it right.

Zucchini & Sweet Corn Soufflé

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 40 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour | Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 2 medium zucchini, grated (about 2 cups)
• 1 cup fresh or frozen sweet corn kernels
• 3 large eggs, separated
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• Butter or cooking spray, for greasing the baking dish

Instructions

1. Preheat and prepare. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease a 2-quart baking dish with butter or cooking spray and set aside.
2. Drain the zucchini. Place the grated zucchini in a clean kitchen towel or several layers of cheesecloth and wring firmly to remove as much moisture as possible. This step is not optional — excess water will prevent the soufflé from setting.
3. Mix the base. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the drained zucchini, corn kernels, egg yolks, melted butter, sour cream, flour, 1/2 cup of the shredded cheddar, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder until fully combined.
4. Beat the egg whites. In a separate clean bowl, beat the egg whites with a hand mixer or stand mixer on medium-high until stiff peaks form, about 3—4 minutes. The whites should hold their shape when you lift the beaters.
5. Fold gently. Add one-third of the beaten egg whites to the zucchini mixture and stir in to lighten the batter. Then fold in the remaining egg whites in two additions, using a rubber spatula and a light hand — you want to keep as much air in the batter as possible.
6. Bake. Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and smooth the top. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup cheddar evenly over the surface. Bake uncovered for 38—42 minutes, until the top is golden and the center is just set when you give the dish a gentle shake.
7. Rest and serve. Let the soufflé rest for 5 minutes before serving. It will settle slightly — that is what soufflés do, and it is still beautiful. Serve warm, straight from the dish.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 285 | Protein: 8g | Fat: 22g | Carbs: 14g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 370mg