Light, elegant soufflés may exemplify fine French cooking, but there’s a place for them in the home kitchen, too. Once you’ve mastered the technique, you’ll be surprised how easy it is to impress guests with these lovely dishes.
As my culinary instructor once put it, “a soufflé waits for no one.” Serve these straight out of the oven — they’ll be quickly devoured before they have a chance to deflate.
 Savory Leek & Gruyère Soufflé
Savory soufflés, like this creamy, cheesy one, are delicious as side dishes or brunch entrées. Since the toppings add weight it won’t rise as much as dessert soufflés, but the texture will still be light and fluffy. |
 Grits Soufflé with Greens and Sweet Onion
Here’s a Southern dish with a French twist. Classic grits and greens (like turnip, collard, mustard or Swiss chard) are dressed up in this charming, top-rated recipe. |
 Souffléd Sweet Potatoes
Consider this inventive dish for your Thanksgiving dinner. Swap out the classic sweet potato casserole with a light soufflé, baking the root vegetables with two kinds of cheeses and chopped herbs. |
 Grand Marnier Soufflé
A traditional combination of Grand Marnier and orange zest shines in this recipe, served with a creamy crème anglaise custard sauce. |
 Chocolate Soufflé
A quintessential chocolate soufflé is nothing short of spectacular; it’s the dish you order before your appetizer at a restaurant to ensure its timely arrival. This recipe is rich with dark chocolate, cream and a dusting of powdered sugar for a sweet presentation. |
2 comments
Yes, you can make the base ahead and fold in the whipped egg whites before baking. Alternatively, the whole souffle mixture — base and whites, combined — can sit in the souffle dish, covered, for about an hour before baking without deflating. Then you can stick it in the oven right when you’re ready to bake. Enjoy!
I love these ideas, Olivia — I can’t wait to try them all!
One thing I’ve always found kind of tricky about making souffles for a dinner party is trying to do everything at the last minute. I think I’ve read that you can make the egg yolk base ahead of time, then whip up and fold in the egg whites just before baking. Is that true?