A few months ago, we planned a small gathering of family and friends for Sunday brunch to celebrate our youngest daughter’s second birthday. My mother suggested I order quiche from one of her favorite places in Brunswick so I wouldn’t have to worry about cooking. While this sounded like a wonderful idea, it turned out to be too expensive. So I got out my collection of cookbooks and started looking for an egg dish.

I found one that sounded delicious, Ham and Cheese Overnight Souffle.

I love dishes that can be prepared the night before a gathering. It’s comforting to know the cooking is completed and that all you need to do is take the food out of the refrigerator and pop it into the oven.

The best part about this dish is that it must be made the day before. Just as a soup tastes better the next day, this souffle only works if you give the bread time to soak up all of the egg, milk and other tasty ingredients.

My children love to eat breakfast for dinner so I tried this dish a few days before the party to make sure it would be suitable for guests. I made it at night and it felt great the next day to know that dinner was done. All I had to do was put the cracker crumb topping on the dish and cook it. I even had a few extra minutes to enjoy playing with my children.

For my daughter’s birthday, I doubled the recipe so there would be plenty to eat. We served fruit salad and a green salad, too. The day of the party, everything was going well. The birthday girl was in good spirits and all the kids played nicely while the egg dish was warming. It wasn’t until we sat down to eat that I realized something was missing.

As I chewed my first bite, I thought to myself, “Did I forget to add the salt?” I checked the recipe and saw that it didn’t call for salt. I glanced down the list of ingredients and saw “1 cup crushed buttery round crackers.” I had forgotten the yummy Ritz cracker topping.

I confessed and my stepfather told me he wouldn’t have noticed if I hadn’t said something. It still tasted good but I can tell you that the cracker crumbs make it even tastier.

This holiday season I will make the souffle again. I think what I tell my kids is true — we do learn from our mistakes. But just to make sure, I’ll probably leave myself a large note on top of this dish before I put it in the refrigerator: “Don’t forget to add the cracker topping!”

Ham and Cheese Overnight Souffle

From “What Can I Bring Cookbook?” by Anne Byrn

Serves 10 to 12

Prep: 15 minutes. Chill overnight

Bake: 55 minutes to 1 hour

Ingredients:

Vegetable oil spray, for misting the baking dish

10 slices soft Italian-style white bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (4 cups)

4 ounces thinly sliced ham, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 1 cup)

3 cups (12 ounces) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

2 tablespoons minced onion

6 large eggs

3 cups milk

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 cup crushed buttery round crackers, such as Ritz (about 16 crackers)

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Method:

1. Lightly mist a 13- by 9-inch glass or ceramic baking dish with vegetable oil spray. Scatter half of the bread cubes in the baking dish. Top with ham, cheddar and onion, then the remaining bread cubes. Set the baking dish aside.

2. Place eggs, milk and mustard in a medium-sized bowl and whisk. Pour the egg mixture over the bread cubes and press down on them so they are immersed in the liquid. Cover the baking dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

3. When ready to bake, place a rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. (Let glass dish come to room temperature first.)

4. Toss the cracker crumbs and melted butter together in a small bowl. Using your fingers, scatter the crumb mixture over the top of the soaked bread cubes. Bake the souffle until it puffs up and is golden, 55 minutes to 1 hour. Serve at once.

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