A brief history of the puffy and delicate Soufflé from Royal kitchens to a contemporary classic: Special Sweets

Soufflés have been around for a while ever since baking has been using flour, eggs, butter and milk. The term comes from the French word “souffler” which means to puff, referring to the important role played by the egg whites in giving the dessert its muffin top. These desserts are made in single-serve cups or ramekins and are airy and the technique is a little tricky to master. It needs just the right amount of baking time, the right balance of ingredients and the right amount of heat for the soufflés to rise. Add chocolate to the mix and you have the added challenge of making the batter light. So, where did this simple but a little tricky-to-master dessert come from?

The history

It's of French origin and is thought to have originated in 1742 with the recipe titled omelette soufflée appearing in print in a cookbook written by Vincent La Chapelle, called Le Cuisinier Moderne. Back then it was a savoury dish calling for meat and lemon peel, definitely not chocolate. He cooked for Madame de Pompadour, mistress of Louis XV and was the personal chef of the then Duke of Orleans.

Fast forward to the late 1700, in 1783, another French chef called Antoine Beauvilliers Grande Taverne de Londres, the first Parisian high end restaurant. He had multiple offerings of soufflés in his menu and he's often considered the inventor of the soufflé.

In English, the word Soufflé didn't appear until 1813 when Louis Ude’s published The French Cook, in which he had six soufflé recipes as an entremet – bread, coffee, chocolate, potatoes with lemon, rice cream, orange flower. Three years later, Antoine Beauvilliers finally published his soufflé recipes in his cookbook L’art du Cuisinier. He mentioned that when the soufflé is well risen, if it resists a little when touched, it is perfectly done and needs to be served immediately, otherwise the airy top was prone to collapsing.

But chocolate was yet to make a grand debut in the dessert world, when it didn’t cost as hiccuping up a kidney. The first chocolate soufflé was born under the post-revolutionary Paris, greatest celebrity chef patissier, Marie-Antoine Carême, a few years later. He was the chef behind creating hundreds of soufflé recipes, including the soufflé Rothschild, and the beloved chocolate soufflé in his cookbook, Le Pâtissier Royal Parisien published in 1815.

By the 19th century migration saw an uptick and many cheds, bartenders and skilled culinary wizards packed their bags and crossed the pond in search of greener pastures. French specialty restaurants also started popping up in the US and soufflés surged in popularity from there, finding mention in films and literature and enjoying fame beyond its borders. So, why not try making your own batch of soufflés?

Chocolate Soufflé Recipe

Ingredients

• 150 gm dark or Cadbury Bournville Dark chocolate bar ( cut into small pieces)
• 30 gm unsalted butter (extra for greasing)
• 3 eggs (separated)
• 40 gm granulated sugar (also extra for ramekins)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• A pinch of salt
• Powdered sugar for dusting

Instructions

1. Take the extra butter and grease 4 ramekins, and the extra sugar and coat the insides and set aside. Preheat the oven to 200°C.
2. Take a small saucepan, pour water and as it simmers, take a heatproof bowl, put the chocolate and butter in it and stir with a spatula until it melts. Make sure the bowl isn't touching the water.
3. Once the chocolate has melted, remove from heat, let it cool a bit and whisk in the egg yolks, vanilla extract and salt until completely combined. Keep aside.
4. Take another bowl and whip the egg whites until creamy and then add the sugar until light and airy.
5. Fold in the egg whites into the chocolate bowl without leaving any white streaks. Do this in three batches to not disturb the air you've whipped into each bowl.
6. Pop into the fridge for 15-20 minutes and then take it out and divide between the ramekins. Smoothen the tops and using a thin spatula, unlatch the mixture from the sides.
7. Bake for 10 minutes and watch the soufflés rise in the oven. The rise might not be dramatic but they will definitely puff up like a golden brown crown, and be a little wobbly.

8. Remove from heat and serve with chocolate sauce or powdered sugar on top.