Okay, a strange-sounding combination, I’ll admit. But dang, it was a good dinner!

Last month sometime, I marinated 2 boneless pork chops in an Asian-inspired marinade. I ended up cooking something else for dinner that night, because we ran out of gas for the grill just as I was about to put them on. The chops went into the freezer, marinade and all. I pulled them out Tuesday PM to grill Wednesday, but they were still frozen (and I wasn’t in the mood to fuss with them) so… they stayed in the ‘fridge until today. (I actually don’t remember where I got the idea, or what I actually marinated them in… Old age is setting in – rapidly…)

In the meantime, I had seen a recipe in Bon Appetit for “Fallen Grits Souffles with Tomatoes and Goat Cheese.” It sounded intriguing, and about six weeks ago we bought new individual souffle cups at Crate and Barrel with a Christmas gift certificate. Time to experiment! The recipe calls for 8 souffles, and, while it seems that we can eat for eight at any given meal, I cut it down for two. I wish I had made more….. They came out light and luscious, and definitely didn’t need any of the extras in the Bon Appetit recipe!

The Brussel’s Sprouts are another story. They are – by far -my favorite vegetable! ! picked up two baskets of them on Wednesday, and cooked one for dinner Thursday. Well… in reality, I burnt one for dinner Thursday. I was not having a good day, was writing a couple of steaming emails, wasn’t paying attention and… burnt to a crisp. Can we say “Karma” boys and girls?!? We ate frozen corn and soaked the pan over night…..

But I digress… I really wanted my Brussels’s sprouts, and while they may not have been a perfect culinary match for an Asian-inspired pork chop – neither was a grits souffle. Sometimes ya just have to throw caution to the wind and eat what you feel like! Besides, I wasn’t inviting Craig Claiborne to dinner…..

The Grits for 2 souffles:

• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, sliced
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 cup instant grits
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 large eggs, separated

Preheat oven to 375°F. Generously butter 2 1-cup soufflé dishes or custard cups. Combine first 4 ingredients in large saucepan. Bring just to simmer; remove from heat and let steep 10 minutes. Strain; return milk to pan. Add salt; bring to boil. Gradually stir in grits and cook over medium heat until mixture is thick and grits are tender, stirring constantly, about 5 minutes. Mix in butter. Season with black pepper. Stir in egg yolks. Cool slightly.

Beat egg whites in large bowl until stiff but not dry. Fold whites into grits in 2 additions. Divide mixture among prepared dishes. Place dishes in large roasting pan. Add enough hot water to pan to come halfway up sides of dishes.

Bake soufflés until tops are puffed and beginning to brown and center is set, about 30 minutes.

Here’s a link to the Bon Appetit Recipe…

For the Brussel’s sprouts, I just trimmed and cut in half, and then placed them in a pan with some butter, water, and S&P. They steamed until the water evaporated, and then browned nicely in the remaining butter. (The step where I burned them, Thursday!!)

It was a yummy dinner, fer sure!