This is a complicated recipe, but well-worth the effort.

Ingredients

Sauce
* 4 Tbs. butter
* 4 Tbs. flour
* 2 C. milk
* 3/4 C. grated parmesan cheese
* 1/8 tsp. nutmeg
* 1 1/2 tsp. salt
* 1/2 tsp. pepper
* grated zest 1 lemon
* juice of 1 lemon
* 4 lg. eggs, separated
* salt

* 8 oz. fine dried egg pasta, broken into 3-inch lengths
* 4 Tbs. butter
* 1 egg white
* 1/4 C. + 2 Tbs. bread crumbs

Directions

Prepare sauce: Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir in flour using a whisk and let cook for 2 minutes. Whisking constantly, add milk. Bring to a simmer, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat and stir in the cheese. Allow to cook slightly before you stir in the nutmeg, salt, pepper, zest and juice. Scrape mixture into a large mixing bowl. Let cool to room temperature. Stir in egg yolks, mixing thoroughly.

Bring 3 qts. water to a boil. Add 2 Tbs. salt, then pasta. Boil it until it's half done. Drain well. Transfer the pasta back to the pot it was cooked in and toss with 2 Tbs. butter. Let pasta cool slightly. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Using 1 Tbs. butter, grease a 9x9-inch baking dish. Sprinkle with 1/4 C. bread crumbs, coating the dish well.

In a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until peaks begin to form. Gently fold the whites into the sauce. With a rubber spatula, fold sauce into the pasta a little at a time. Work carefully so that the whites don't deflate too much. Scrape mixture into prepared baking dish.

Sprinkle with 2 Tbs. bread crumbs. Dot with 1 Tbs. butter. Bake for 30 minutes or until souffle is puffy and golden. Cut into squares an cut immediately.

Serves 6.

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