Orange Street Inn Oatmeal Souffle - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 cup milk
2 tablespoons butter, plus extra for greasing pan
sugar, for coating pan
3/4 cup quick-cooking oatmeal (not instant) or 3/4 cup old fashioned oats (not instant)
1/3 cup neufchatel cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup brown sugar (I like a little less)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon mace or 1/2 teaspoon freshly-grated nutmeg
3 eggs, separated
1/2 cup raisins or 1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional) or 1/2 cup pecans (optional)

Preparation

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter a 1 1/2 quart souffle dish or casserole, then cover the butter with a little sugar to coat it, like flouring a greased cake pan.
Scald milk and the 2 tablespoons of butter by heating together in a small saucepan until just below boiling. Slowly add the oatmeal, stirring constantly and continue cooking until thick, stirring often. Remove from heat and then add Neufchatel, salt, sugar, and spices, stirring briskly until cheese is melted. Beat the 3 yolks slightly and add to oatmeal mixture, stirring constantly. Stir in raisins and nuts.
Beat egg whites until stiff but still moist. Fold into oatmeal mixture with a rubber spatula. DO NOT OVER-FOLD, fold only until no large lumps of whites remain.
Spoon the mixture into the prepared souffle dish. Bake 35 to 40 minutes until mostly set but the center still trembles a little. Serve immediately with cream or warm milk.
Variation: For a more savory Oatmeal Bacon Souffle, omit sugar after buttering dish. Omit spices, raisins, and nuts. Instead, add 1 cup crisp, crumbled bacon, 1 1/4 teaspoon prepared mustard, and Tabasco to taste.