National Chocolate Soufflé Day Date in the current year: February 28, 2024

A soufflé is a French dish based on egg whites beaten to a soft peak. The egg whites are combined with a sweet or savory base (for example, a custard, a cream sauce, a fruit or vegetable puree) and baked. The base provides the flavor of the dish and the egg whites are responsible for its airy and puffy texture.

The earliest mention of the soufflé dates back to the 18th century. It is attributed to Vincent La Chapelle, a French master cook who worked for Madame de Pompadour, John V of Portugal, and William IV, Prince of Orange. However, he wasn’t the one to popularize the dish. It is Marie-Antoine Carême, another notable French chef, who is credited with developing the soufflé and making it truly popular in the early 19th century.

Most people associate the word “soufflé” primarily with dessert, but this dish can be sweet or savory depending on the base. Savory soufflés are usually based on cheese and/or pureed vegetables. To make them more substantial, cooks may add meat (for example, ham, bacon or poultry) or seafood.

Sweet soufflés may be based on crème pâtissière (a type of custard), a chocolate sauce, or pureed fruits or berries. They are often dusted with powdered sugar before serving, and may be served with a dessert sauce, fruit, or ice cream.

Chocolate soufflé is probably one of the most popular sweet soufflé varieties because of its rich, decadent flavor. So it is not surprising that Americans even have a National Chocolate Soufflé Day. The best way to celebrate the holiday is to indulge in delicious chocolate soufflé that you’ve made yourself. Here’s a recipe for you to try.

First, bring 180 ml milk to a boil in saucepan. In a bowl, combine 1 tbsp cold milk with the same amount of white sugar and starch, mix thoroughly. Add some hot milk to the mixture and mix again, making sure there are no lumps. Pour the mixture into the saucepan with hot milk and cook over low heat until thickened, stirring constantly.

Remove the milk cream from the stove and stir for a few more seconds. Pour into a separate bowl, add ½ tsp vanilla extract, stir once more and leave to cool. While the cream is cooling, finely chop 60 g dark chocolate, beat six egg whites into a thick foam, and beat three yolks with 1 tbsp brown sugar until the sugar dissolves.

Once the milk cream is cooled, start beating it with a mixer. Gradually add the egg yolks and 2 tbsp cocoa powder, continue beating. Then gradually fold in the egg white foam and chopped chocolate, mix well.

Sprinkle ramekins (small flat-bottomed dishes used for preparing and serving soufflé, crème brûlée, and a variety of other dishes) with some brown sugar and fill them halfway with the chocolate mixture. Preheat the oven to 338 °F. Fill a roasting pan halfway with hot water, place the ramekins in the pan, and bake the soufflés for 15 minutes.