National Chocolate Souffle Day ~ Feb. 28th

chocolate souffle by SprinkleBakes

Have you ever wondered exactly what a souffle is? A souffle is a light, airy cake, made by folding whipped egg whites into a batter base. Souffles can be either savory (as in a cheese souffle) or sweet (as in a chocolate souffle). For a chocolate souffle, the base usually consists of a roux (butter and flour cooked together), egg yolks, sugar, and melted chocolate. Once the beaten egg whites are folded into the base, the batter is then poured into buttered/sugared ramekins. As the souffle bakes, the heat causes the air bubbles in the egg whites to create steam which causes the souffle to rise and become "puffy". Souffles are eaten hot from the oven.

To hear me talk, you'd think I had made a souffle or two in my time, but no, I never have. They've always kind of scared me, but, after doing some research they don't really seem too difficult, so I just might give it a try.

Here's a great video from Chef Carol Thompson of The New School of Cooking, which goes into great detail on how to make a chocolate souffle, with a surprise truffle center.