It's the end of the world as we know it...

...and not just according to Norse mythology.  Stop the presses.  I might be wrong, but I think I just made a souffle.  Yeah.  I...am...souffle...girl!

 OK, I know what you're thinking: it's not that great.  But lemme tell ya, vast improvement over my last few attempts, especially if you actually got to see the inside.  Mmmm...I think I want another one just thinking about it.

So, about this souffle.  I didn't just wake up one day and decide to make souffle.  Well, actually, I sort of did.  But the inspiration for this one was Meyer lemons.  I was trolling random food websites and stumbled upon a collection of lemon dessert recipes, including Meyer lemons.  Quick sweep of the grocery store aisles and behold!  They smell divine, by the way.  So after work on Friday I hit up the store again, determined to find a baking receptacle with a smaller surface area to volume ratio than my current ramekins.  Best I could do under the circumstances here.  My local Walmart had, in stock, a collection of random baking dishes, a few flavors of tax software, and the filters for Raiden's pet fountain.  Yep, end of the world.  Better get your affairs in order.

In any case, back to this recipe (there is a recipe somewhere in here, amazingly enough): it started out with my limited knowledge of lemon curd and ended with an obsession over using ALL OF THE EGG BITS!  Well, not the shell.  Though I might be working on that.  In the right hands, i.e. NOT MINE, it should look as yummy as it tastes.  Because the taste...eggy, zesty, creamy, lightly sweet, and just a tad floral thanks to the Meyers...let's just say I'd eat it for a last meal at the end of the universe.

Meyer Lemon Curd Souffle

Ingredients:
1 tbsp butter
1 egg, separated
1 tbsp plus 2 tsp granulated sugar
1 tbsp flour
2 tbsp milk
flesh and zest of 1 Meyer lemon

Preheat oven to 375F.
1. Butter inside of ramekin and sprinkle 1 tsp sugar inside, turning to coat entire surface (more or less) evenly.
2. Beat egg yolk and 1 tbsp sugar until pale and creamy.  Add flour and beat until smooth.
3. Scald milk and pour into yolk mixture, whisking frequently to avoid scrambling eggs.  Place container over boiling water (double-boiler style, yo!) to cook custard.
4. Add lemon flesh and zest to custard and beat until well mixed.
5. Add butter and continue whisking.  Cook and stir custard until thickened, then place bottom of container in ice bath to stop cooking process.
7. Beat egg whites until white and foamy.  Add remaining 1 tsp sugar and beat until stiff peaks form.
8. Fold small amount of whites into custard to temper, then fold custard mixture into egg whites.  Fold in gently until (sort of) uniform, but do not over-mix or it'll lose air and fall flat and then what are you gonna do?
9. Pour into ramekin.  Place on middle rack (if your oven has a middle rack) and bake 20-30 minutes or until top stops jiggling and is approximately golden brown.
10. Remove from oven, allow to cool until your impatience gets the better of you and/or you're tired of watching the damn thing deflate right before your eyes.  Enjoy.

Makes 2 servings to share with a friend at the end of the world, or 1 if you're gonna die alone.

Oh, and by the way, happy Ragnarok.

If the world doesn't end, I've acquired buttons.  Next up: baby sweater.  For realsies this time.