A delightfully delicious dessert is observed each year on February 28th as it is National Chocolate Souffle Day.
The word souffle is the past participle of the French verb souffler, which means “to blow up” or more loosely “puff up” which describes a souffle perfectly. A souffle is a lightly baked cake made with egg yolks and beaten egg whites that are combined with other ingredients to make the dish either a savory main dish or a sweet dessert.
Two essential components make up every souffle.
1. a French creme patisserie base/flavored cream sauce or puree
2. egg whites beaten to a soft peak meringue
A souffle gets its flavor from the base, and the egg whites provide the lift to puff it up. A variety of cheeses, jams, fruits or chocolates can be baked into the base of the souffle. Many souffle bakers like to puncture the top of the souffle after removing it from the oven. Then they pour mouth watering sauces onto it, such as chocolate, vanilla or for a savory flavor cheese and herbs.
From Foodimentary.com:
- Supposedly, the first recipe for soufflé appeared in Vincent La Chapelle’s Le Cuisinier Moderne (1742).
- The word soufflé first appeared in English in Louis Ude’s The French Cook, 1813.
- By 1845 it was commonly accepted that in Eliza Acton’s Modern Cookery (1845) a recipe for soufflé was included as just another recipe.
- Due to soufflés’ tendency to collapse quickly upon removal from the oven, the media frequently depicts the dessert in sitcoms, cartoons, children’s programs and movies as a source of humor.
- Another kind of dish entirely is soufflé potatoes, which are puffed-up sautéed potato slices, traditionally served with a chateaubriand steak.
