Have you ever wondered what a cloud tastes like? What about a chocolate flavoured cloud? Well, thanks to the popularisation by Antoine Carême in the 18th century, the chocolate soufflé offers punters a delicious dessert certain to leave a smile on your face. 

Chocolate Soufflé is made with the combination of two components, first a creamy chocolate base and a foam, usually egg whites. Today, they are presented in individual ramekins, however, soufflés used to be baked in a pastry case called croustade. Soufflés are usually toped with powdered sugar and a side of ice cream, with many different variations possible. It is perfect for a romantic desert, although it needs to be consumed quickly after baking, otherwise the puffy, fluffed up goodness will begin to fall after a few minutes. 

The historical significance of the soufflé dates back to Antoine Beauvilliers, who cooked for King Louis XIV and was the owner of the first real restaurant in Paris ‘if not the world’ Le Grand Taverne de Londres (where many soufflés were served). Beauvilliers described how to make soufflé in “The Art of the Cook” (L’Art du Cuisinier, 1814). Although, with many pages on Soufflés in Carême’s cookbook,  “Le Pâtissier Royal Parisien” published in 1815, Carême’s written work demonstrated the absolute and incontestable superiority of his modern cuisine (Ferguson 2003, p.45), ultimately shedding a huge light on the dish. 

I never knew that Carême had such a big influence on Soufflés and that they were served in Paris’ first restaurant. The Soufflé has a very strong historical background and it is amazing to see how it is still being served pretty much in its original form today.

Overall, for a dish with Maximum flavour it deserves a 4/5!