What Is a Souffle?

Few dishes inspire as much dread in would-be chefs as souffle. Like a perfect omelet or a precise hollandaise sauce, this technique heavy dish is portrayed in pop culture as notoriously fickle and stress-inducing. So, souffles must be near impossible to cook, right? Nah, that’s all overblown. If you carefully measure and follow the directions, you’re good to go. So, what is a souffle, anyway? What’s in a souffle? What is a cheese souffle? What is a chocolate souffle? What does souffle mean? How do you pronounce souffle? Pardon my French, and I’ll answer these questions and more. 

What’s a souffle?

A souffle is a French baked egg dish, usually served in a ramekin. When done right, it’s super soft and fluffy on the inside and lightly crisp on the outside. A souffle should have a gooey center and a puffy top like meringue. It can be savory or sweet or somewhere in between. Souffles first popped up in France back in the 18th century. I know some people think that French stuff is all fancy, but a souffle can be simple and made at home pretty easily.

How do you pronounce souffle?

Much like making a souffle, pronouncing souffle is easier than it seems. Souffle is pronounced “soo-flay.” 

What does souffle mean? 

Souffle is the past participle of the French verb souffler, which means to blow, inflate, or puff. That makes sense when you realize that a souffle is basically some puffed up eggs.

What’s in a souffle?

A souffle can be sweet or savory and made with many different kinds of fillings. There’s the classic cheese souffle or chocolate souffle. Or you can go wild with something like a crab souffle. 

A souffle basically has two components: There’s a creamy or custardy base and there’s the fluffed up egg whites beaten to peak. The base is the flavor and the whites are the puff. A savory souffle base includes unsalted butter, flour, milk, and egg yolks. For a sweet base, just add some sugar, salt, and heavy cream. Mix whatever flavor you want into your base. Throw in a cheese, or some chocolate, zucchini, whatever you want. Then whip some egg whites with cream of tartar or lemon juice. Beat those egg white into a meringue texture then fold it into the base and bake. Now you’re making souffle!

What is a chocolate souffle?

A chocolate souffle is a classic French dessert. Chocolate souffles are made by mixing semi sweet chocolate into the souffle base. Usually people add a little vanilla to the mix as well to make that chocolate pop. Vanilla and chocolate are mortal enemies, but they can not escape each other.  

What is a cheese souffle?

A cheese souffle is another classic French dish. It can be a dessert or a starter or even a main. The trick to a cheese souffle is to not throw a bunch of different cheeses in there. Like, don’t just pour a shredded cheese blend into your souffle base. A souffle is a great way to highlight a single delicious cheese. Gruyère, Parmesan, or Comté can all be used to make super savory cheese souffles. 

Don’t be scared of souffles. You can make them at home and if you see one at a restaurant, go ahead and order it. You can even buy one from Trader Joe’s. You don’t need to be a fancy French lad to enjoy a souffle.