It was nearly two years ago that I told you that you should make soufflés (or not, I don’t know your life) and I said they were easy-ish. They are, as compared to how hard conventional wisdom says they are. But they’re not like, pasta with tuna and parsley and lemons and capers easy (in that you cook pasta and then throw a bunch of shit on top).

I’ve complained before about the whole idea of “easy” when it comes to cooking. I sometimes come across recipes that I used to make when I was first cooking, dishes that I had been proud of, and even though I had understood that they weren’t Super Fancy, they took effort and planning on my part. I wouldn’t have thought of those dishes as totally basic when I first made them— they were a little bit stressful to make. But they seem incredibly simple now when I make them. I make risotto on autopilot and wonder that anyone thinks it’s hard, but it wasn’t easy when I first made it. If cooking isn’t part of your life, then it’s not easy. It’s hard to do new things. It’s hard to learn to read recipes and figure out how long to whisk and what “medium heat” means. To pretend otherwise isn’t fair to people who are learning to cook.

But I have another issue with “easy.” When did “easy” become the gold standard? Easy has its place, absolutely, and there are plenty of evenings when I am incredibly grateful for my small arsenal of “easy” dinner recipes. But it can also be boring. Being challenged, even just a little bit, can be satisfying in a way that staying solidly within your comfort zone basically never is. Sometimes it’s nice to make something for dinner that requires digging out the hand mixer and dirtying a few more bowls or pots.*

I will try to remember this the next time I decide to just have steamed broccoli and sausages with mustard or ravioli with sauteed spinach.

Spinach and Cheese Soufflé

recipe by Ina Garten

This made enough for one large soufflé that Dave and I shared for dinner, plus a small extra soufflé that I ate the next day for breakfast. The breakfast soufflé had collapsed, obviously, but still tasted wonderful.

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing the dish
• 1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for sprinkling
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup scalded milk (I microwave the milk)
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• Pinch of cayenne pepper
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 extra-large egg yolks, at room temperature (I separate the eggs while they’re cold, then let them sit and warm up a little while I get the other ingredients ready)
• 1/2 cup grated Cheddar cheese, lightly packed
• 1 package frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry
• 5 extra-large egg whites, at room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Butter the inside of one 6-to-8-cup soufflé dish and sprinkle evenly with Parmesan (I think my package of spinach was much larger than the recipe expected because the batter didn’t all fit in my soufflé dish. I used a 1 cup ramekin for the extras).

2. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Off the heat, whisk in the hot milk, nutmeg, cayenne, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Cook over low heat, whisking constantly, for one minute, until smooth and thick.

3. Off the heat, but while still hot, mix in the egg yolks. Stir in the Cheddar, the Parmesan, and the spinach, and transfer to a large mixing bowl.

4. Put the egg whites, cream of tartar, and a pinch of salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on low speed for one minute, on medium speed for one minute, then finally on high speed until firm, glossy peaks are formed. (Not sure what that looks like? thekitchn.com has a nice guide)

5. Whisk one-quarter of the egg whites into the cheese sauce to lighten, and then fold in the rest (more information on folding). Pour into the prepared soufflé dish, then smooth the top. Draw a large circle on top with the spatula and place in the middle of the oven (I don’t think the large circle trick has ever worked for me, but it’s supposed to allow your soufflé to puff evenly). Turn the temperature down to 375 degrees. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until puffed and brown. Serve immediately.

* I was very close here to veering off into schmaltz about how there are valuable things in life that are hard and take courage and may scare you, but that are still worth doing, but I restrained myself, this aside notwithstanding.