It’s a legendary dish in French cooking, the soufflé. Legendary for many reasons, perhaps notorious, even, because of one inevitable consequence of a soufflé: that it falls. Soufflés are intended to come out of the oven as light, airy, nebulous domes of egg-whipped cheesiness. It’s the seemingly effortless rise of the soufflé that makes it legendarily intimidating. I’ve found a hack, as they say, one that delivers the soufflé experience without the soufflé fussiness.

Technique still matters, not to the same level as with a traditional soufflé, and there’s one big technique that is skipped in this cheater recipe: separating the egg whites from the egg yolks. I know! It’s kind of mind-blowing. And there’s a story behind it from the renowned French chef Jacques Pepin.

His mother, when first married, knew her husband loved soufflé and would make it for him. Her recipe didn’t have separate steps for the eggs and egg whites; everything went into the bowl at the same time, and always turned out beautifully. And so, the hack, as the kids say these days, became a part of the culinary history of the young man who would become one of the greatest modern French chefs!

The process remains essentially true. A soufflé starts by making a roux, with butter, flour, and milk, cooked until thick and seasoned with salt and pepper. In the “cheater” technique, the roux is transferred to a large bowl and stirred so that it coats the edges of the bowl, essentially creating a well for the eggs while also cooling the roux to avoid scrambling the eggs.

When the roux is cool enough, you can add the eggs directly to the bowl and begin mixing. Or, whisk the eggs in a separate bowl and then slowly incorporate them into the awaiting roux.

Cheese is added to the mixture, poured into a pre-buttered baking dish, topped with more cheese, and placed into the oven to bake for about an hour. As Jacques Pepin famously says, “The soufflé does not wait for you. You wait for the soufflé!” Meaning: serve and enjoy immediately!

All of the conventional soufflé techniques and ingredients are still in play, but this more rustic approach achieves a similarly elevated soufflé experience. A soufflé might not be an everyday kind of dish, but one that’s this streamlined and approachable means that I can whip one up for a weekend brunch or a holiday meal. Enjoy!