- 12 shiitake mushrooms, stems discarded and caps coarsely chopped
- Salt and pepper
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 cup coarse yellow cornmeal
- 2 leeks, white parts only, quartered lengthwise and cut crosswise 1/2 inch thick
- 1 cup grated Cheddar cheese
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 3 dashes hot pepper sauce, such as Tabasco
- 2 large eggs, separated
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 1 1/2-quart souffle or casserole dish and set aside. Season the mushrooms with salt and pepper; set aside.
- In a saucepan, bring the cream and milk to a simmer. Remove from the heat and whisk in the cornmeal until smooth. Add the leeks and mix well. Let cool slightly.
- Stir the mushrooms, cheese, soy sauce and hot pepper sauce into the cornmeal mixture. Stir in the egg yolks and mix well.
- Using an electric mixer or whisking by hand, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Stir about one-third of the whites into the cornmeal mixture, then gently fold in the remaining whites. Scrape the batter into the prepared dish.
- Bake until the top is puffed and brown and a knife inserted in the center comes out mostly clean, about 1 hour. Serve immediately (the top will deflate slightly as it sits).